Summer Gets Raunchy: New red band trailers for Olivia Wilde's 'Booksmart' and Seth Rogen-produced 'Good Boys'
After six months of grim art-house fare and tragic international odysseys, I think everybody's just in the mood to laugh and scream. Once the dust settles on awards season, most film critics start looking forward to sunnier skies and happier movies, which the annual South by Southwest Film Festival is happy to provide. With a group of devoted genre fans as the primary clientele and a spectacular celebrity factor, the Austin-based festival is often the starting gate for some really buzzy titles, and 2019 has been no exception so far. Jordan Peele's Us premiered on opening night to rave reviews, Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron's Long Shot charmed critics and festival-goers, and Harmony Korine's The Beach Bum split public opinion with its loose structure and wild Matthew McConaughey performance.
SXSW is also a frequent kick-off for very raunchy comedies, a genre that has seen its share of ups and downs in recent years. But judging by these next two trailers, we could be in for some real fun in 2019 after an occasionally frustrating drought (though Blockers and Game Night brought the heat in 2018).
Last night, SXSW went wild for Booksmart, Olivia Wilde's directorial debut, which is reportedly an instant classic of a teen comedy. A few hours later, Annapurna released the first restricted trailer- check it out for yourself!
Unsurprisingly, this looks terrific. I'm a sucker for a good high school comedy, and it really does look like Wilde has knocked it out of the park on her first turn at the plate. Beanie Feldstein was already one of the many breakout stars from Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, so it's great to see that she'll be teaming up with another rising star, Kaitlyn Dever, for what looks like a bit more of a buddy movie than Gerwig's emotional coming-of-age saga. Plus, the supporting cast is an absurd assembly of comic and dramatic talent- Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, Lisa Kudrow, Billie Lourd, Skyler Gisondo, and more.
Truth be told, it's been a while since Hollywood delivered a high school movie that emphasized filthy madness, teen angst, and genuine heart in equal measure. If Booksmart can conjure up a mix of all three, this might be a real breakout hit on Memorial Day weekend.
Booksmart opens in theaters on May 24. Next up, check out an even filthier trailer for Peter Stupnitsky's Good Boys, which arrives at SXSW tonight. Watch it below!
This is an extremely clever (albeit, very obvious) marketing campaign, playing up the fact that Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, and Brady Noon aren't even old enough to watch their own movie. Of course, producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are no stranger to high concepts that turn into notable marketing tricks- just look back at Sausage Party, The Night Before, or even The Interview (that one kinda went wrong). But for those of us who consistently love Rogen and Goldberg's style of heartfelt crudeness, it's also fortunate that Good Boys looks like a great time at the movies and not just a publicity tactic.
Look, we know what we're getting in a movie that's rated R for "strong crude sexual content, drug and alcohol material, and language throughout- all involving tweens." But that doesn't mean it's automatically funny- it's all in the execution. We won't really know if this clicks until the reactions drop tonight (or until I see it in August), but I have a good feeling that this team will be able to pull off a mix of raunchy gags and strong character work.
Good Boys opens on August 16. Check back soon for more trailers and reviews.
SXSW is also a frequent kick-off for very raunchy comedies, a genre that has seen its share of ups and downs in recent years. But judging by these next two trailers, we could be in for some real fun in 2019 after an occasionally frustrating drought (though Blockers and Game Night brought the heat in 2018).
Last night, SXSW went wild for Booksmart, Olivia Wilde's directorial debut, which is reportedly an instant classic of a teen comedy. A few hours later, Annapurna released the first restricted trailer- check it out for yourself!
Unsurprisingly, this looks terrific. I'm a sucker for a good high school comedy, and it really does look like Wilde has knocked it out of the park on her first turn at the plate. Beanie Feldstein was already one of the many breakout stars from Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, so it's great to see that she'll be teaming up with another rising star, Kaitlyn Dever, for what looks like a bit more of a buddy movie than Gerwig's emotional coming-of-age saga. Plus, the supporting cast is an absurd assembly of comic and dramatic talent- Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, Lisa Kudrow, Billie Lourd, Skyler Gisondo, and more.
Truth be told, it's been a while since Hollywood delivered a high school movie that emphasized filthy madness, teen angst, and genuine heart in equal measure. If Booksmart can conjure up a mix of all three, this might be a real breakout hit on Memorial Day weekend.
Booksmart opens in theaters on May 24. Next up, check out an even filthier trailer for Peter Stupnitsky's Good Boys, which arrives at SXSW tonight. Watch it below!
This is an extremely clever (albeit, very obvious) marketing campaign, playing up the fact that Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, and Brady Noon aren't even old enough to watch their own movie. Of course, producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are no stranger to high concepts that turn into notable marketing tricks- just look back at Sausage Party, The Night Before, or even The Interview (that one kinda went wrong). But for those of us who consistently love Rogen and Goldberg's style of heartfelt crudeness, it's also fortunate that Good Boys looks like a great time at the movies and not just a publicity tactic.
Look, we know what we're getting in a movie that's rated R for "strong crude sexual content, drug and alcohol material, and language throughout- all involving tweens." But that doesn't mean it's automatically funny- it's all in the execution. We won't really know if this clicks until the reactions drop tonight (or until I see it in August), but I have a good feeling that this team will be able to pull off a mix of raunchy gags and strong character work.
Good Boys opens on August 16. Check back soon for more trailers and reviews.
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