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Side-splitting comedy
Ben Stiller gets married; Dane Cook tries not to sleep with Jessica Alba
 DreamWorks Pictures Ben Stiller thinks he's found the perfect woman in Malin Akerman — until they go on their honeymoon — in "The Heartbreak Kid." |
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Yes, it may be dark and gloomy this fall, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spend a couple hours laughing. Ben Stiller, Dane Cook and Owen Wilson are among those who want you to squirt Coke out of your nose as they shock you into laughter. Oblige them, won’t you?
“The Heartbreak Kid”
Starring: Ben Stiller, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Akerman, Jerry Stiller, Rob Corddry, Carlos Mencia, Scott Wilson, Danny McBride
Director: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
Story: A remake of the 1972 film that starred Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd, this film tells the story of Eddie (Stiller) who proposes to Lila (Akerman) after only six weeks of knowing her, because his parents and best friend (Corddry) have been pressuring him to get married. But on his honeymoon, Lila turns into a different person and Eddie begins to regret his marriage, especially after he meets Miranda (Monaghan).
Buzz: The Farrelly brothers may not seem like the obvious choice to remake this Neil Simon comedy (Elaine May directed the 1972 film); expect them to emphasize the comedy over the romance. They haven’t teamed with Stiller since the incredibly popular “There’s Something About Mary.” Akerman (who played Juna Millken in HBO’s “The Comeback”) gets the role with the most breakout potential — this one could make her a star.
Web site: http://www.heartbreakkidmovie.com/
Release date: Oct. 5
“The Darjeeling Limited”
Starring: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Natalie Portman, Angelica Huston, Amara Karan
Director: Wes Anderson
Story: Three brothers (Wilson, Brody, Schwartzman), who have grown apart, decide to travel across India together on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
Buzz: Anderson’s last movie, “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” was a major disappointment. But was the writing combination of Anderson and Noah Baumbach (who came into his own with “The Squid and the Whale”) to blame? Here Anderson co-writes with Schwartzman (making his writing debut) and Roman Coppola (“CQ”). Can the trio capture the magic of the Anderson-Owen Wilson collaborations (“Bottle Rocket,” “Rushmore” “Royal Tennenbaums”)?
Web site: NA
Release date: Sept. 29
“Good Luck Chuck”
Starring: Dane Cook, Jessica Alba, Dan Fogler, Jodelle Ferland, Chelan Simmons
Director: Mark Helfrich
Story: Charlie (Cook) has a strange curse: Every woman he sleeps with breaks up with him and marries the next man she meets. For a while, he enjoys the strings-free sex that comes with the curse, but when he meets Cam (Alba), he realizes that in order to keep her in his life, he either can’t sleep with her or must break the curse.
Buzz: Cook (“Employee of the Month”) hasn’t had the best movie track record thus far, but this marks his first R-rated comedy. Cook called the film “salacious” and “a little lewd and lascivious” when he talked to IGN.com. Fogler, who co-stars as Cook’s best friend, won a Tony last year for his work in “Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Editor Helfrich makes his directing debut.
Web site: http://lionsgate.com/goodluckchuck/
Release date: Sept. 21
“Mr. Woodcock”
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Seann William Scott, Susan Sarandon, Ethan Suplee, Melissa Sagemiller, Amy Poehler
Director: Craig Gillespie
Story: As a kid, self-help author John Farley (Scott) was tormented by evil gym teacher Mr. Woodcock (Thornton). As an adult, when he goes home to visit his mom (Sarandon), she tells him that she’s dating Woodcock — and that they’re engaged to be married. John is determined not to let the wedding happen.
Buzz: According to Worst Previews.com, this film was originally set for release back in 2006, but after it tested horribly with audiences, the cast and crew were called back for reshoots, with David Dobkin (“Wedding Crashers”) taking the place of first-time director Gillespie. Worst Previews.com also reports that a third of the script was re-written. Thornton is starting to get typecast as a ill-tempered grump — he needs to change it up.
Web site: http://www.woodcockmovie.com/
Release date: Sept. 14
“The Game Plan”
Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Roselyn Sanchez, Kyra Sedgwick, Morris Chestnut, Madison Pettis, Gordon Clapp
Director: Andy Fickman
Story: Superstar quarterback Joe Kingman’s (Johnson) life is turned upside-down when he finds out he has a 7-year-old daughter Peyton (Pettis) that he knew nothing about. Now he has to figure out how to juggle football practice with tea parties and play dates. Sedgwick co-stars as his non-maternal super agent.
Buzz: Somewhat like “The Pacifier” or “Jingle All the Way,” this feels like one of those action-star-plus-small-child formula flicks (just add water). Disney went to its own channel for kid co-star Pettis (“Cory in the House”). Johnson is just one of the actors in talks to play Captain Marvel in the upcoming movie, “Shazam!”
Web site: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/gameplan/
Release date: Sept. 28
“Run, Fatboy, Run”
Starring: Simon Pegg, Hank Azaria, Ameet Chana, Dylan Moran, Thandie Newton, Harish Patel
Director: David Schwimmer
Story: Five years after Dennis (Pegg) left his fiancé Libby (Newton) at the altar, he realizes that she’s his true love. The only problem: Libby has hooked up with high-powered businessman Whit (Azaria). Dennis decides that if he can get in shape and enter a marathon, he might be able to win her back.
Buzz: Despite a lousy title, Pegg (“Shawn of the Dead”) and Azaria (“The Simpson”) bode well for this film’s comic potential. Seeing Pegg train for his marathon in tight blue micro-shorts is enough to make anyone laugh out loud. Michael Ian Black (“Stella,” “The State”) wrote the screenplay. Schwimmer has directed TV (including some “Friends” episodes), but makes his feature debut here. A definite sleeper to watch.
Web site: NA
Release date: Oct. 26
“The Brothers Solomon”
Starring: Will Arnett, Will Forte, Chi McBride, Kristen Wiig, Malin Akerman
Director: Bob Odenkirk
Story: Dean and John Solomon (Forte, Arnett) are two brothers who don’t know a thing about women. When they find out their father’s dying wish is for a grandchild, they go in search of someone to make that happen. A series of crazy dates finally leads them to Janine (Wiig), who agrees to have their baby.
Buzz: Director Odenkirk had a major dud with last year’s Arnett-starring “Let’s Go to Prison.” It will be interesting to see if the “Mr. Show” creator can make a comeback with this film. Forte, who also wrote the screenplay, is best known for his role on “Saturday Night Live” (as is co-star Wiig). “The Office’s” Pam (Jenna Fisher) makes an appearance as one of the brothers’ unfortunate dates.
Web site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/
thebrotherssolomon/index.html
Release date: Sept. 7
“Lars and the Real Girl”
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson
Director: Craig Gillespie
Story: Lars Lindstrom (Gosling), a lonely guy who meets Bianca on the Internet. He brings her to meet his brother Gus (Schneider) and Gus’ wife Karen (Mortimer). One problem: Bianca’s not a real woman — she’s a life-sized doll. Unfortunately, Lars doesn’t seem to realize this. The family doctor (Clarkson) tells Gus and Karen that Bianca is a delusion Lars has created — and that they should all go along with it.
Buzz: Gosling (“Half Nelson”) is certainly known for his off-beat choices, and you can’t get much quirkier than this premise (which seems similar in some ways to the Adrien Brody ventriloquist film “Dummy”). Luckily, it comes from Nancy Oliver, who was one of the writers for the similarly askew “Six Feet Under.” Director Gillespie (see “Mr. Woodcock” above) is definitely an unknown quantity.
Web site: http://www.larsandtherealgirl-themovie.com/
Release date: Oct. 12
“The Comebacks”
Starring: David Koechner, Carl Weathers, Matthew Lawrence, Brooke Nevin, Jackie Long, Jesse Garcia
Director: Tom Brady
Story: A spoof of inspirational sports films like “Radio,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Invincible,” this film follows a down-on-his luck coach (Koechner) and a misfit group of college football players as they try to make the championship.
Buzz: No football fans, the director isn’t that Tom Brady, instead he’s the man who helmed “The Hot Chick” (insert joke about not to expect a touchdown here). “Office” fans know Koechner from his role as Todd, the obnoxious salesman and friend of Michael Scott’s, who’s known for telling obscene jokes. Koechner also costars in the “The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show.” According to Worst Previews.com, eight writers have been credited with working on the screenplay — never a good sign.
Web site: http://www.foxatomic.com/comebacks/
Release date: Oct. 26
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