Kyle Newman’s first film as a director since FANBOYS, titled BARELY LETHAL, is premiering on DirecTV next weekend, and we have an official trailer to show off what it’s got.
What it’s got is Hailee Steinfeld as a young super-spy who yearns to be normal (HANNAH), is pursued/coached by Samuel L. Jackson (XXX), and gets involved with Jessica Alba (SPY KIDS 4). She also dukes it out with Sophie Turner a.k.a. Sansa Stark, and crushes on grungy-lookin’ musician, all while navigating high school as a foreign exchange student from Regina (not like the name, like the other thing it sounds like), Saskatchewan.
There’s definitely an audience for this sort of thing, and it’s not me, so it’s hard to comment on what I’m seeing. This definitely doesn’t look on the cheaper side of direct-to-VOD releases, and I’m wondering with this cast and premise why it didn’t get a full theatrical bow. I liked FANBOYS, so I’m hoping that there’s more to Newman’s sense of action-comedy than we get in this younger-skewing trailer.
Are you getting the ‘90s throwback vibe coming off of this that folks, or is stuff like the use of the words “viral” and “Youtube” as punchlines grating your nerves too much?
Someone give Hailee Steinfeld a part on par with Mattie from TRUE GRIT already (one scene in THE HOMESMAN doesn't count).
Your subscription for BARELY LETHAL begins on April 30th on DirecTV and May 29th in theaters and VOD.
