Bleecker Street has released a trailer for its romantic comedyWild Mountain ThymestarringEmily BluntandJamie Dornan, and seriously, what fresh hell is this? This movie looks positivelydreadful, and believe it or not, this is writer-directorJohn Patrick Shanley’s follow-up to his excellent 2008 dramaDoubt!
Blunt stars as headstrong farmer (what???) Rosemary Muldoon, who has her heart set on winning the love and affection of her neighbor, Anthony Reilly (Dornan). The problem is that Anthony seems to have inherited a family curse, and remains oblivious to his beautiful admirer. Stung by his father Tony’s (Christopher Walken) plans to sell the family farm to his American nephew (Jon Hamm), Anthony is jolted into pursuing his dreams.
I had high hopes for this movie based on its starry cast and Oscar-winning filmmaker, but this trailer simply did not work for me. The tone is all over the place, for starters, and if I wanted to watch a guy do pratfalls in an open field, I’m not sure I would’ve cast Dornan, who isn’t exactly known for his comedic skills. Frankly, I had a feeling this movie would be problematic based strictly on theWoody Allen-ish font on its poster, but then I heard Walken’s laughable Irish accent and knew for sure.
Now, Shanley won an Oscar for writingMoonstruckand earned a second nomination for adapting his own playDoubt, so perhaps he deserves the benefit of the, um, doubt here. After all,Wild Mountain Thyme is based on his acclaimed play,Outside Mullingar.The Hollywood Reportergave the play credit for its “emotional generosity” but warned that “hardened cynics need not apply,” and I suppose I fall into the latter category, because I’m just not buying what this trailer is selling.
The play’s star,Dearbhla Molloy, co-stars in the film, which was produced byLeslie Urdang,Anthony Bregman,Alex Witchel,Martina Niland,Michael A. HelfantandBradley Gallo. I like a lot of those people, and I’m a big fan of this cast, butWild Mountain Thymejust looks plain bad. Watch the trailer below, and don’t say I didn’t warn you. To see what it looks like when Blunt hasactualchemistry with a co-star,click hereto check out the trailer for Disney’sJungle Cruise, which pairs the actress withDwayne Johnson.
