For the record, I love how much Sam Rockwell we’ve been getting lately. We all know he’s one of the greats, acting in every genre under the sun and excelling at them all. With Mr. Right, he’ll get to flex all of his muscles at once, as the action-comedy-romance film looks to be the kind of tonal mixer that has become the modus operandi for screenwriter Max Landis (Chronicle, American Ultra, Victor Frankenstein).
Landis’s films haven’t always been well-received, but despite all the craziness he throws into his films, they tend to ground themselves in characters that are deceptively complex. Perhaps that’s why they attract so many quality actors, with Michael B. Jordan, Dane DeHaan, Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Daniel Radcliffe, and James McAvoy all being alums.
I’m not saying that his films are perfect, but I am saying that more attention should be paid to how the teens interact in Chronicle and how the young couple fight at the beginning of American Ultra. Landis gives his characters an emotional maturity that is too often left out of films, especially comedies, of our era, and when the right actors are paired with these parts, there are small, touching moments littered throughout his films.
Rockwell and co-star Anna Kendrick certainly have the chops to pull off whatever craziness Landis puts on the page, so even if Mr. Right is messy, there’s probably going to be some great moments peppered in. I know that’s enough to get me in a theater.
Mr. Right is directed by Paco Cabezas and stars Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell. It will be released in the U.S. on April 8th, 2016. For international release dates, click here.
Do you think Mr. Right can pull off its genre mix? Let us know in the comments?
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