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Why some movies miss the mark
By Nestor Torre
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:36:00 08/06/2008
Filed Under: Cinema, Entertainment (general)
MANILA, Philippines—Every time a big star agrees to top-bill a new movie, he fully intends to make it both a good film and a big hit. Unfortunately, their starrers sometimes miss the mark on one or both counts, proving that while filmmakers follow formulas for success, those “sure-fire” procedures occasionally turn out to be flops!
Take Eddie Murphy. For decades now, he’s been racking up one comedy hit after another, making him one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood.
Recently, however, “Meet Dave” debuted with one of the weakest opening weekend grosses in Murphy’s career—only $14 million, less than half of what a new film needs to make, to be regarded as a probable hit.
What happened? We caught “Meet Dave” to answer that question, and these are our findings:
Failed premise
For much of the film, Murphy does what he usually does in his hit starrers. However, there seems to be a problem with his latest movie’s central premise: Murphy’s character is not only an alien; his body is also a spaceship.
Huh? It turns out that Murphy’s body is piloted by a miniature Murphy, who commands a crew of similarly pint-sized aliens. They’re bent on depleting our planet’s water supply to produce the salt they need to revive their dying planet.
Again: Huh? The combination of these two novel but unlikely—and unlikable—plot premises makes the movie less appealing than it should be.
People watch comedies not to feel threatened about their world’s future. And Murphy as a lifeless spaceship is an original idea, but is too stolid a concept for viewers to warmly relate to, despite the fact that the actor’s other character in the movie, the ship’s mini-captain, is perky and fun.
For these and other reasons, “Meet Dave” tanked rather than triumphed at the tills. So, is Eddie Murphy finished as a big Hollywood star? Not so fast. Last year, he was one of the top moneymakers in the movie biz, earning a gross income of $55 million!
So, who’s a has-been now? Certainly not Mr. Murphy, who should survive this momentary career glitch with his hit-maker reputation intact. But no more downbeat comedies and spaceship roles in the future, OK?
Truth to tell, Eddie Murphy isn’t the only big-deal luminary whose starrer has flopped of late. Mike Myers’ “The Love Guru” also debuted at only $14 million, as opposed to $40 million or $60 million for other leads’ big blockbusters during approximately the same period.
Why did his starrer tank? Because it cast him in the spaced-out role of a transcendental meditation maven, which most mainstream viewers found too freaky for comfort.
Other stars whose films have underwhelmed rather than triumphed of late should learn from Murphy and Myers’ sad experience, and realize experimentation is great, but when it’s too far-out, it leaves moviegoers far behind, outside the movie house. For film stars, that’s a decidedly bad place for fans to be.
New Itchyworms album
The Itchyworms’ new album, “Self-Titled,” features the hit carrier single, “Penge Naman Ako Niyan.” It has garnered heavy airplay on top radio stations. The other originals in the band’s latest compilation are “Freak-out Baby,” “Bugbog Sarado,” “Awitin Para Sa Mga Nagmumuni-muni” and “Gusto Ko Lang Sa Buhay.”
The album was recently launched at Rallos Bar. The launch also featured new bands Cheek and Roots of Nature.
‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’
Keanu Reeves fans will be delighted to know that their reclusive idol is making one of his infrequent screen appearances in the remake of the 1952 sci-fi classic, “The Day The Earth Stood Still.” He plays the role of Klaatu, a creature who alights from an alien spaceship that has triggered off a global upheaval. Later, Helen Bewon (Jennifer Connelly) and her stepson Jacob (Jaden Christopher Smith) get caught up in his mission. Kathy Bates also stars.
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