Luke Wilson and ‘Middle Men’ Set for November Release
Luke Wilson at Middle Men Premiere
More mixed emotions on the Luke Wilson front as Middle Men drew a prime festival-closing slot at Santa Barbara and drew raves from the likes of Ain’t it Cool News. According AICN, the film is now scheduled for a November release, rather than the April date previously tapped on the film’s website.
The film stars Wilson in the lead role, along with Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht, Kevin Pollack, Kelsey Grammer, Jacinda Barrett, Laura Ramsey, Terry Crews and James Caan. The film closed the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Sunday, where the film had its world premiere.
So how is the film? Copernicus at Ain’t It Cool News had a positive take.
One of the highlights of MIDDLE MEN is the cast. James Caan is of course great as a seedy lawyer, and Giovanni Ribisi plays to his strengths as a hyper, paranoid cokehead. But Luke Wilson really anchors the film – his character is the moral center in this sea of depravity and incompetence. While the character has his faults, he’s at least aware of them, and he’s the one person the audience can really relate to.
In short, MIDDLE MEN is entertaining and competently executed – an interesting story well told. Still, it comes up a bit shy of greatness. This is reflected in its release date: November 7, 2010 – it isn’t a summer blockbuster, and it isn’t Oscar material. But for an off-season diversion, it is well worth a look.
Personally, I wouldn’t view early November as exactly “off-season” especially compared to the film’s previously announced April release. But, I guess it means we’re all going to have to wait a long while for this film. Certainly something that Luke Wilson films are not only accustomed to, but actually sort of numb to. Still, it sure sounds like this is the “good edgy” material in the vein of Bottle Rocket rather than Blonde Ambition or even Henry Poole Was Here.
Synopsis from the Middle Men official website:
Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) has a faithful and loving wife, two beautiful children, and a successful career fixing companies. When an associate calls him about an opportunity to help turn around a business that has fallen into trouble, he decides to take the job. Little does he know, it is a decision that will change his life in ways he never expected.
Jack meets with Wayne Beering and Buck Dolby, two genius but troubled men who have invented a way to sell adult entertainment over the internet. The plan was brilliant but the execution wasn’t; They were making money hand-over-fist and losing it just as fast. Seeing the potential, Jack agrees to partner with Buck and Wayne, devising a way to bill the entertainment through a third party, taking the guilt out of the ultimate guilty pleasure.
Before he knows it, he finds himself caught between the Russian mob, a 23-year old porn star, the FBI and losing his family in the process of becoming rich.
Witness a story so outrageous, you won’t believe it’s true. A story that proves business is a lot like sex… getting in is easy, pulling out is hard.
With them moving this to november, does that mean this film could perhaps be a oscar surprise? I don’t know much about the film, can somebody shed some light on this idea?
I doubt we’ll get any Oscars out of this. This looks like a well-made genre picture, but with the right kind of marketing could play well as counterprogramming against family and “prestige” films. Ribisi is hot again after Avatar…