Papa Vinyard here, now here's a little somethin' for ya...
Liza Johnson's HATESHIP LOVESHIP, based on Alice Munro's short story "Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage," premiered at Toronto last year to mixed reviews, some praising the central performances by Kristen Wiig and Guy Pearce, while others decried its predictability and low-key tone. I have to say I'm intrigued by the trailer below, even if it maybe lays out a little too much of the plot. The film has Hailee Steinfeld as a young girl with a drugged-out old man (Pearce) and a quiet, lonely caretaker (Wiig). When her pops runs for the hills, her and her best friend fake an e-mail correspondence with Wiig, establishing a (fake) delicate friendship between the impressionable caregiver and her absent, unknowing father.
I like the CATFISH-y premise mixed with what looks like some strong character work by Wiig and Pearce, and the rest of the cast (including Steinfeld, Nick Nolte, Christine Lahti, and Jennifer Jason Leigh) contains some serious talent. The tone of the trailer has a very sensitive, vulnerable feel that recalls the fragility of something like Pearce's upcoming BREATHE IN more than something you'd typically associate with Wiig. Even if I would've rather not been privy to some of the details revealed in the back half of the trailer, it does a great job of conveying the film's premise, its vibe, and the quality of its performances.
One thing's for sure: I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but this Guy Pearce fellow has got raaaaaaaange.
HATESHIP LOVESHIP spams up your inbox on April 11th.
-Vincent Zahedi
”Papa Vinyard”
vincentzahedi@gmail.com
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