collateral beauty is a 2016 american drama film directed by david frankel and written by allan loeb .

the film stars an ensemble cast of will smith , edward norton , keira knightley , michael peña , naomie harris , jacob latimore , kate winslet , and helen mirren .

it follows a man who copes with his daughter 's death by writing letters to time , death , and love .

the film premiered at the dubai international film festival on december 13 , 2016 , and was released in the united states on december 16 , 2016 .

it was panned by critics , although it grossed over $ 88 million worldwide against its $ 36 million budget .

collateral beauty

collateral beauty may just be the collateral damage of a new combination of factors that will shape hollywood in the future .
filming has just begun on her new movie collateral beauty in new york city .
collateral beauty is shaping up to be the worst - reviewed film of the year .
the benefits of cosmic ordering . . . will smith in collateral beauty photograph : youtube
will smith -
collateral beauty
( warner bros . pictures / new line cinema )
collateral beauty has such a clever and unique story . what inspired you to write it ?
will smith is no longer a box office draw as collateral beauty flops in the us .
michael pena , kate winslet and will smith in a scene from the movie collateral beauty .
“creed” cinematographer maryse alberti will shoot “collateral beauty , ” which is currently filming in new york .
if there ' s one constant about collateral beauty , it ' s how consistently it disappoints .
kind of blue : will smith and helen mirren in collateral beauty . photograph : barry wetcher / ap
for will smith , making his new film collateral beauty was a difficult case of life imitating art .
on friday , march 4 , keira knightley and edward norton were spotted filming collateral beauty together in nyc .
keira knightley has joined the cast of new line’s ensemble drama “ collateral beauty , ” starring will smith .
the failure of
collateral beauty
is all the more grievous for the waste of its superb actors .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing collateral beauty near you .
collateral beauty , however , was savaged by critics and has a terrible 14 % rating on rotten tomatoes .
looks like will smith’s latest film collateral beauty has not had any collateral impact with cinemagoers – as it’s had the worst box office opening weekend of his entire career .
if you spot collateral beauty filming in nyc , let us know about it at olv @ onlocationvacations . com !
if you see collateral beauty filming in nyc , let us know about it at olv @ onlocationvacations . com !
collateral beauty comes from the writer of the film where kevin james became a cage - fighter , as well as the film where jason bateman gets drunk and artificially inseminates jennifer aniston with his sperm by mistake . but collateral beauty is different to those films . collateral beauty is , by some distance , stupider than those films . look , here’s the trailer .
hugh jackman has dropped out of the drama “ collateral beauty ” a month after the project was unveiled by palmstar media .
palmstar media and likely story have acquired rights to collateral beauty , the drama that will star hugh jackman and rooney mara .
tomorrow , wednesday , feb . 24 , collateral beauty will be filming at union turnpike and myrtle ave in queens , ny .
helen mirren is in early discussions to join will smith in the new line drama “ collateral beauty , ” sources tell variety .
yesterday , collateral beauty filmed scenes at the whitney museum , and tonight smith was spotted filming at 6th ave and 21st st .
you said you were mulling collateral beauty over for a few years . but how long did the actual script take to write ?
the movie sounds like the aftermath of a dirty bomb filled with treacle matter , but this review is a thing of collateral beauty .
new line cinema is nearing a deal to acquire worldwide rights to collateral beauty , a drama that has will smith attached to star .
not to mention warner bros spent $ 36m ( £28 . 8m ) making collateral beauty in the first place , according to box office mojo .
will smith’s ensemble drama collateral beauty took just $ 7m ( £5 . 6m ) in its opening weekend ( picture : warner bros / youtube )
critics responded accordingly . a few headlines : “collateral beauty is a cold and crass christmas carol remake that’s exactly as bad as you’ve heard” ( from vulture ) , “‘collateral beauty’ review : a tragic tale that’s overly manipulative” ( abc ) , and “review : nakedly pandering collateral beauty deserves a lump of coal” ( time ) . deadline suggests that reviews such as these ( and rotten tomatoes roundups in particular ) have a higher impact on moviegoers today :
collateral beauty received vicious reviews with such headlines like the new york post ‘s “ collateral beauty does collateral damage” and its critic kyle smith declaring , “this must be the first movie ever made in which the death of a child is presented as a pesky obstacle to a corporate sale . ” the headline for the new york times’ review read “lots of plastic in the face of collateral beauty ” with manohla dargis ( who by the way loved ghostbusters ) raging “the five stages of grief sometimes seem applicable to movie reviewing , except that i usually skip denial , rarely get around to acceptance and generally just settle into anger , which is where i am with collateral beauty . ”
disney’s “ rogue one : a star wars story ” has some new competition on dec . 16 — will smith ’s drama “ collateral beauty . ”
and then the second trailer for the forthcoming will smith movie collateral beauty was released . and now things are much worse than anyone could have imagined .
collateral beauty , the movie with a terrible title where will smith talks to angels , not surprisingly did poorly at the box office this past weekend .
ranking fourth on the us box office list , collateral beauty was also beaten by disney’s latest animated flick moana , and holiday comedy office christmas party .
collateral beauty only limped to fourth place on its opening weekend in the us , posting the worst box office ever for a will smith wide release .
the 70 - year - old headed to the set of new movie , collateral beauty , wearing a grateful dead t - shirt and tight leather trousers .
collateral beauty isn’t just an emotional film for will smith . in his case , filming the holiday movie came at a very difficult time in his life .
keira , who welcomed her daughter edie in may last year with her musician husband james righton , has been busy filming collateral beauty since earlier this month .
will smith is slowly but surely recovering from his father ' s death - - and credits his new movie , collateral beauty , for helping him through it .
earlier in december , smith revealed he was filming collateral beauty at the time of his father’s death – and was able to channel his grief into his role .
clitoral beauty is going to be the name of my new pubic grooming salon .
i heard two different stories about collateral beauty ‘s conception today . first , was that the movie was originally conceived as a richard curtis - type romantic comedy / drama ( not with the director , but akin to his style ) . but when smith became attached , collateral beauty morphed into a tearjerker . this is not true . collateral beauty was always conceived as a melodrama , even when hugh jackman was attached , and it was the version of the story that warner bros . greenlit .
“devil wears prada” helmer david frankel is in early talks to direct new line drama “collateral beauty” starring will smith , following the loss of director alfonso gomez - rejon .
jason segel is in talks to join hugh jackman and rooney mara in “me and earl and the dying girl” helmer alfonso gomez - rejon ’s “ collateral beauty . ”
a presentation of new line cinema and village roadshow pictures , “collateral beauty” will be distributed by warner bros . in the heart of awards season on dec . 16 .
kate winslet carries a cup of coffee as she walks across the set of her upcoming film collateral beauty on friday afternoon ( march 4 ) in new york city .
collateral beauty is not good . it’s needlessly complicated , treats its audience like it’s dumber than a box full of unused fox network reality show pitches , and totally wastes will smith in a dull tearjerker that elicits absolutely zero tears , except the ones you will shed when you realized you wasted your hard - earned money on collateral beauty .
collateral beauty , starring will smith , kate winslet , keira knightley , edward norto n and helen mirren , has been filming on location in new york since late last week .
disney’s “rogue one : a star wars story” has some new competition on dec . 16 — will smith’s drama “collateral beauty . ” warner bros . announced monday that it has moved “chicken soup for the soul” out of the dec . 16 slot into 2017 and replaced it with new line’s “collateral beauty . ” the “star wars” spinoff is the [ … ]
but for the most part , the dna of those two movies was already written . so collateral beauty was my sole focus two years ago as we ramped up to production .
to me that is what collateral beauty means : the good that comes from the bad . or the light that can – not always does – but can come from darkness .
collateral beauty , ” whatever that means . this is “collateral schmaltz , ” the kind that has the power to close rather than open your heart as you rush out of the theater while the terribly named onerepublic ballad , “let’s hurt tonight , ” provides exit music .
but keira knightley was worlds away from her usual monochrome - styled self in a wildly colourful outfit on the new york set of her star - studded film collateral beauty on sunday .
collateral beauty , warner bros . , $ 7 , 102 , 085 , 3 , 028 locations , $ 2 , 345 average , $ 7 , 102 , 085 , 1 weeks .
4 . ) collateral beauty ( wb / nl ) , 3 , 028 theaters / $ 2 . 38m fri . / 3 - day cume : $ 7 . 2m / wk 1
mcadams is in the midst of shooting marvel’s “doctor strange , ” after which she would segue to “collateral beauty , ” if her deal closes . she’s represented by wme and magnolia entertainment .
collateral beauty official ost album tracklist , original motion picture score . original release date : december 9 , 2016 label : watertower music song previews provided courtesy of itunes original music composed by theodore shapiro
david frankel is the director of “collateral beauty , ” which is being co - financed by village roadshow . smith is starring along with helen mirren , edward norton , naomie harris and michael pena .
new line is rounding out the cast of “collateral beauty” in a big way , as oscar winner and current nominee kate winslet is in negotiations to join will smith in the unconventional drama , thewrap has learned .
on the heels of his breakout turn in the hit sundance movie “sleight , ” jacob latimore has signed on to join will smith in the thought - provoking drama “collateral beauty , ” it was announced friday .
anonymous content’s michael sugar and bard dorros are producing the film , along with collateral beauty ' s screenwriter allan loeb . palmstar ceo kevin frakes will executive producer with anthony bregman of likely story and steven pearl .
collateral beauty took just over $ 7million in the us , despite opening on a whopping 3 , 000 screens . ten years ago , the pursuit of happyness took over $ 26million and opened on less screens .
and coincidently , “collateral booty” is the name of my new line of helen mirren - themed butt toys .
kate winslet looked amazing at the academy awards last night but she wasn’t going to be in l . a . long . after the ceremony , winslet was headed back to new york to continue filming collateral beauty .
collateral beauty stars : will smith , kate winslet , michael pena , helen mirren , edward norton , naomie harris , keira knightley . director : david frankel rating : m verdict : 1 . 5 / 5 stars
collateral beauty is directed by david frankel , who made marley & me and the devil wears prada from a script by alan loeb , whose credits include 21 , wall street : money never sleeps and rock of ages .
hugh jackman and rooney mara are attached to star in the indie drama “collateral beauty , ” which alfonso gomez - rejon will direct from a script by allan loeb , an individual familiar with the project has told thewrap .
this weekend , will smith saw a career - low opening at the box office with warner bros . / new line / village roadshow’s holiday melodrama collateral beauty , which debuted to $ 7m at 3 , 028 theaters .
will smith as howard in collateral beauty . photo by barry wetcher – © 2016 warner bros . entertainment inc . , village roadshow films north america inc . and ratpac - dune entertainment llc u . s . , can
with collateral beauty , when we brought in the filmmaker , the producers and the stars , it became a collaborative experience . we started asking , “are we forecasting this too early ? ” then we started testing it .
edward norton as whit in collateral beauty . photo by barry wetcher – © 2016 warner bros . entertainment inc . , village roadshow films north america inc . and ratpac - dune entertainment llc u . s . , can
annoyed that he’s inadvertently made a film about the benefits of cosmic ordering , which basically makes collateral beauty a terrible sort of noel edmonds : the motion picture , will smith gets on his bike and rides around some more .
featured image : will smith as howard in collateral beauty . photo by barry wetcher – © 2016 warner bros . entertainment inc . , village roadshow films north america inc . and ratpac - dune entertainment llc u . s . , can
4 . ) collateral beauty ( wb / nl ) , 3 , 028 theaters / $ 2 . 4m fri . / $ 2 . 7m sat / $ 1 . 8m sun / 3 - day cume : $ 7m / wk 1
rooney mara remains attached to the project . palmstar and likely story announced they had acquired the rights to allan loeb’s script for “ collateral beauty ” in mid - june . palmstar will be fully financing in conjunction with its partner merced capital .
will smith as howard and keira knightley as amy in collateral beauty . photo by barry wetcher – © 2016 warner bros . entertainment inc . , village roadshow films north america inc . and ratpac - dune entertainment llc u . s . , can
meanwhile , warner bros . / new line is playing it smart : they’re not holding previews tonight for will smith weepie collateral beauty given rogue one ‘s audience grip . manchester by the sea is also expanding this weekend from 366 venues to 1 , 208 .
speaking with deadline yesterday morning , a person close to the collateral beauty production declared that the film’s reviews were a “schoolyard assault . ” unfortunately , a pack nature pervades among reviewers : damned they are by their bosses should their opinion ever steer from the mainstream pack .
you’re a writer with many projects on the go . in addition to collateral beauty , you also have the space between us and the only living boy in new york coming up . what’s your writing process like when you have multiple projects going at the same time ?
just like his onscreen character , smith came to appreciate the “collateral beauty” that accompanies pain . “i think more than ever i see — and intellectually i’ve accepted [ but ] it’s still difficult emotionally — i understand that suffering is how we grow , ” he said .
collateral beauty soundtrack ost tracklist 2016 consists of various songs . subscribe urltoken collateral beauty ost tracklist : . . . 10 theodore shapiro - love visit 11 theodore shapiro - like being in the movies 12 theodore shapiro - collateral beauty 13 theodore shapiro - whit and amynew valuetime visit 14 theodore shapiro - death rides the f train 15 theodore shapiro - love visit 16 theodore shapiro - boardroom 17 theodore shapiro - leaving the boardroom 18 theodore shapiro - blink of an eye 19 theodore shapiro - they go through you 20 theodore shapiro - simon pays brigitte 21 theodore shapiro - olivia 22 theodore shapiro - the bridge 23 one republic - let ' s hurt tonight ( collateral beauty mix ) 24 kaleo - way down we go 25 fink - looking too closely collateral beauty song trailer and many other soundtracks from the movie . channel ost tracklist made for you ! ! ! we will keep track of updates of popular soundtrack tracklist . our channel is created that would enjoy the music from the movies , movie soundtracks , songs , ost online . ost youtube and top soundtracks and many many new popular tracks . only the best ost ! ! ! we work for you ! ! ! subscribe urltoken song anime film and a list of songs you can find on our channel . we really appreciate your mnenie . my happy to help you find the news songs .
critics weighed in on the new will smith movie on tuesday , slamming it as “horrifyingly yucky” and claiming its all - star cast suffers from “actor abuse . ” ( collateral beauty currently sports a 14 percent rating on rotten tomatoes with seven reviews posted there thus far . )
written by allan loeb , “collateral beauty” follows a new york advertising executive ( smith ) who experiences a personal tragedy , so his colleagues try to come up with a plan to get him out of his funk . it works , but in a different way than imagined .
warner bros . announced monday that it has moved “ chicken soup for the soul ” out of the dec . 16 slot into 2017 and replaced it with new line’s “ collateral beauty . ” the “star wars” spinoff is the only other title scheduled for release that day .
helen mirren as brigitte , keira knightley as amy and jacob latimore as raffi in collateral beauty . photo by barry wetcher – © 2016 warner bros . entertainment inc . , village roadshow films north america inc . and ratpac - dune entertainment llc u . s . , can
said warner bros . domestic distribution czar jeff goldstein this morning about the results of collateral beauty , “while i had hoped for stronger attendance this weekend , i’m hopeful audiences will discover this terrific film that’s well done and uplifting and has a great message of hope and connection . ”
it ' s obvious what they ' re going for here but the lack of any organic progression and near criminal levels of disrespect for its own characters makes any emotional response completely hollow . collateral beauty replaces genuine storytelling with lazy manipulation and the result is an expectedly forgettable holiday movie .
gomez - rejon directed the sundance smash me and earl and the dying girl , which fox searchlight landed in a major fest deal and released in june . palmstar media and likely story paid $ 2 . 25 million for the collateral beauty script but jackman exited the project as did rooney mara .
that said , collateral beauty could have benefited from being released at a quieter time of year , and having the proper audience find it , thus generating ample good word of mouth before any film reviewer could sink their hooks into it . it’s a guilty pleasure movie . in testing , collateral beauty scored over 90 % — twice . it also had an 81 % definite recommend . also , going up against rogue one doesn’t help , despite any arguments about getting a leg - up on the holiday . when you start this low , with a cinemascore this high , there’s typically nothing to become of it .
smith’s father , willard carroll smith , sr . , passed away in early november , but he lived a total of four months after his diagnosis . while will didn’t mention what his father was battling with , he was filming collateral beauty throughout that time , playing a man who was struggling with a serious loss .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
having now watched the film , it ' s still not any clearer to me what exactly collateral beauty means . also unclear is how the filmmakers managed to attract such a talented group of actors to this nonsensical , completely misguided mess of a film . attempting to capture the inspirational holiday spirit of past classics like it ' s a wonderful life , the very uninspired collateral beauty follows will smith as advertising executive howard . two years after the tragic death of his six - year - old daughter , howard has become a shell of his former self , ignoring the needs of his colleagues and employees in favour of elaborate domino set ups .
warner bros . had high hopes for the movie as counterprogramming against rogue one ‘s $ 155m opening weekend , and becoming the choice for older females ( who turned up at 55 % females , 78 % over 25 ) . that may still be the case as collateral beauty ‘s prime demo becomes fully available after christmas day . in fact , the studio is comping collateral beauty to the 2007 weepy p . s . i love you , which was also panned by critics , posted a dismal $ 6 . 5m opening , but received an a - cinemascore and did over an 8 multiple with a final domestic of $ 53 . 7m .
warner bros . / new line / village roadshow’s collateral beauty isn’t winning any box office pageants , on a course to be will smith’s lowest - ever wide release opening with an estimated $ 7 . 2m at 3 , 028 venues in 4th after an estimated $ 2 . 4m friday . that’s way under last year’s concussion which turned in a fss of $ 10 . 5m and finaled at $ 34 . 5m ; literally a 3x multiple . the film review headlines are worse than the box office headlines for this weepie ( kyle smith’s review in the new york post : ” collateral beauty does collateral damage” ) , which is squarely aimed at females ( 59 % turned out , 74 % over 25 ) and meant to counter - program the male dominant rogue one . many in distribution say that female audiences become more available once the holidays are in full swing , and warner bros . is clinging to the hope that the melodrama’s a - cinemascore will create a halo that will counter the venomous reviews which are at 14 % rotten . says one insider close to collateral beauty about the critical reaction , “it’s a school yard assault . ”
production cost is another wrinkle around collateral beauty . i understand that the net was between $ 36m - $ 38m , but many studio outsiders believe it’s much higher , and that’s before we even account for $ 30m - $ 40m estimated p & a . smith , especially when he’s not listed as a producer , doesn’t come cheap with an estimated fee that’s between $ 10m - $ 15m , plus big star demands i . e . entourage , travel ; but in the case of collateral beauty i heard this morning that smith went lower than his usual ask . overall , warner bros . / new line has village roadshow to carry some of the weight here .
collateral beauty also deals with the death of a child , which is now seen as a difficult sell for films . smith ' s character , howard inlet , is clearly buried in grief in the trailers and images , which industry analysts now fear may put off audiences desperate for an escape from the constant bad news of real life .
to the executive’s point , the presence of the awards darling manchester by the sea in the marketplace ( it broke wide in over 1 , 200 theaters , grossing $ 4 . 1m for a running cume in its fifth weekend of $ 14m ) may have also slowed collateral beauty ‘s momentum , particularly in how both titles were vying for older adults . selling the death of a child is a challenge to market and sometimes scares an audience off : manchester avoided it entirely in its trailers focusing more on casey affleck’s character taking in his teenage nephew . ditto for paramount’s arrivals which was sold as a thinking - person’s sci - fi movie . collateral really had no choice in avoiding the topic in its heart - tugging trailers . those connected with the movie say that the tested marketing materials for collateral beauty were never a headache , but conveyed the film’s emotion .
but if a quieter weekend was the best launchpad for collateral beauty , then why was it dated here ? it’s a dan frankel - directed movie with will smith , and both have succeeded with melodramas during the holiday season respectively with marley and me ( $ 143 . 1m domestic ) and the pursuit of happyness ( $ 163 . 6m ) .
warner bros did not screen its new line melodrama collateral beauty last night due to the fierce competition from rogue one . the will smith movie about a father who loses his child and tries to recoup from it as his fellow employees try to steal his company is booked at 3 , 028 venues and is expected to make $ 10m - plus .
helen mirren is in early discussions to join will smith in the new line drama “collateral beauty , ” sources tell variety . david frankel was recently announced as the director of the film following the departure of helmer alfonso gomez - rejon , who departed the pic earlier this fall . anonymous content’s michael sugar and bard dorros are producing along [ … ]
new line and director david frankel are pulling together a star - studded cast to join will smith and helen mirren in “collateral beauty , ” as edward norton , michael pena and naomie harris are set to join the ensemble , while newly - anointed oscar nominee rachel mcadams is also in talks , multiple individuals familiar with the situation have told thewrap .
i went to see this movie that was being pitched as this faux - profound , schmaltz - choked magical realist nightmare out of a misguided impulse towards journalistic due diligence . we shouldn’t judge a movie without actually seeing it , right ? well , collateral beauty makes a very strong case that we should , a case that we aren’t judging nearly enough .
“devil wears prada” helmer david frankel is in early talks to direct new line drama “collateral beauty” starring will smith , following the loss of director alfonso gomez - rejon . anonymous content’s michael sugar and bard dorros are producing along with screenwriter allan loeb , while palmstar ceo kevin frakes and anthony bregman are exec producing . the story follows a new [ … ]
“we’re all one thing , lieutenant . that’s what i’ve come to realize . like cells in a body , ‘cept we can’t see the body . the way fish can’t see the ocean . but you’ve got to open your eyes . and notice all around you… the collateral beauty . ” [ end credits start rolling , accompanied by uptown girl on the soundtrack ]
jason segel is in talks to join hugh jackman and rooney mara in “me and earl and the dying girl” helmer alfonso gomez - rejon’s “collateral beauty . ” the deal is still in nascent stages . the film , written by allan loeb , got buyers excited at the cannes film festival , with palmstar media outbidding all suitors . palmstar will be [ … ]
collateral beauty had easily the most nauseating trailer of the year , starring a sad will smith on a bike writing letters to “death , love , and time , ” — the first of whom eventually appears to him in human form , with a boa - clad helen mirren as “death” extending a hand saying “charmed , i’m sure , ” in the money clip .
hugh jackman has dropped out of the drama “collateral beauty” a month after the project was unveiled by palmstar media . producers have indicated that they hope to replace jackman with johnny depp , but no negotiations are taking place . jackman exited due to commitments for a yet - to - be - titled wolverine project for fox , which has a release date of [ … ]
the rebellion won ' t have much competition stateside .
collateral beauty ,
a weepy will smith drama from warner bros . , is likely to open with $ 12 million on a $ 36 - million production budget . meanwhile , critical favorite
manchester by the sea
will capitalize on its five golden globe nominations by expanding into about 1 , 200 theaters .
warner bros . even received sympathy from a rival major studio distribution executive who defended the mass - appealing qualities of collateral beauty : “film critics are narrow - minded and have dark hearts . they prefer something like manchester by the sea which is significantly much darker than this film and deals with a similar set - up : the death of children , ” said the executive .
the movie’s estimated $ 7 million gross is officially “the worst wide opening for a will smith - led feature ever , ” according to box office mojo , following up smith’s previous worst - ever opening , concussion . there are many theories as to why collateral beauty failed , but i predict it’s largely because people saw the trailer and were like , “what is this ? ”
it use to be a panned tearjerker could get by at the box office ; that reviews only impacted upscale arthouse movies . does collateral beauty ‘s bombing further indicate how intolerant audiences can be toward kleenex movies today , especially after reviews hit ? last september , the feature adaptation of bestseller the light between oceans was eroded with a $ 12 . 5m domestic take ( b + cinemascore , middling 59 % rotten reivews ) . some say ‘no’ , pointing to the example of the fault in our stars ( $ 124 . 8m ) and nicholas sparks’ movies . a hurdle for collateral beauty which it didn’t shy away with in its marketing is dealing with the death of a child , and that can be a hard thing to watch during the holiday season .
keira knightley has joined the cast of new line’s ensemble drama “collateral beauty , ” starring will smith . david frankel will direct the film , which is being co - financed by village roadshow . smith is starring alongside helen mirren , edward norton , naomie harris and michael pena . producers are anthony bregman , bard dorros , allan loeb , michael sugar and palmstar ceo [ … ]
collateral beauty” features two oscar winners ( kate winslet and helen mirren ) , three oscar nominees ( will smith , keira knightley and edward norton ) and a current golden globe nominee , as well as a likely future oscar contender ( naomie harris of “ moonlight ” ) in a pear tree . even such second - tier players as michael peña and ann dowd carry some considerable cachet .
“an all - star cast submits to flagrant actor abuse in collateral beauty , which is every bit as lame as its title . to paraphrase groucho marx , this is a movie where we watch will smith , edward norton , kate winslet , helen mirren , naomie harris , keira knightley and several other fine players bore holes in themselves so that we can watch the sap run out . ”
elsewhere , warner bros / new line’s collateral beauty is looking like a case of the box office ulgies : pained by 13 % rotten tomatoes reviews , it’s looking at delivering will smith his lowest wide - release opening of his career with $ 7 . 5m - $ 8m at 3 , 028 theaters ( that’s lower than the $ 10 . 5m that concussion made last year ) . this is according to industry estimates , not warner bros . there’s more than rogue one to blame here for this ensemble which also stars kate winslet , helen mirren , edward norton , keira knightley and more . if collateral beauty is lucky , it’ll get to $ 10m , but that would still be low for smith . estimated production cost is between $ 36m - $ 38m before p & a .
exclusive : will smith has replaced hugh jackman in collateral beauty , the feature about a new york advertising executive who experiences a personal tragedy and the subsequent unconventional plan from his colleagues to break him out of his depression . rooney mara also is attached to star . overbrook entertainment is coming aboard to co - produce the project alongside anonymous content , palmstar and likely story . palmstar is fully financing .
then there’s also the factor of collateral beauty going up against a monster like rogue one . most adult movies grossed in the single digits this weekend . last month we saw stx release their critically praised and audience embraced the edge of seventeen ( 94 % fresh , a - cinemascore ) against fantastic beasts and where to find them ( $ 74 . 4m ) , and that smart james l . brooks r - rated teen comedy production died with a $ 4 . 75m opening and a near $ 15m stateside cume . some rivals suggested that releasing collateral beauty at a quieter time may have spurred better word of mouth instead of the holiday crush where it’s competing with a number of prolific awards contenders as la la land , fences , hidden figures , and manchester by the sea to name a few .
the producers of collateral beauty have done a marvellous job in managing to persuade so many a - list stars to appear in a thoroughly appalling movie . one can only presume they paid the actors – who include will smith , helen mirren , edward norton , keira knightley and kate winslet – such a lot of money that they threw good taste to the wind and plunged in with their eyes shut .
new york has had its fair share of star turns . the latest movie to feature the big apple as its backdrop is collateral beauty , which stars will smith as an advertising executive reeling from a recent loss who confronts his pain by writing letters to love , time , and death . the letters are unexpectedly answered , changing the way he and his concerned group of friends look at the world .
“the trouble with collateral beauty , though , isn’t the actors . it’s the movie itself , which keeps piling on the devices until it becomes top - heavy . a decade ago , in the pursuit of happyness , [ will ] smith proved he had the stuff to make a down - and - out character stingingly authentic , but in collateral beauty , when he gets all red - rimmed and teary , it feels like the actor’s showcase it is , because the film’s whole experience of suffering is engineered . instead of using its metaphysical - deception plot as a conduit to genuine emotion , it just pushes the gimmickry further , suggesting that there’s a secret reason why [ helen ] mirren , [ kiera ] knightley , and [ jacob ] latimore are so good at leading smith’s wounded hero to a better place . ”
new line ' s collateral beauty opted not to hold thursday night previews and delivered an estimated $ 2 . 4 million on friday and is targeting a very weak $ 6 . 5 million three - day opening . opening day audiences gave the film an
a -
cinemascore as it played to crowds that were 41 % male versus 59 % female , of which 74 % were over the age of 25 .
maybe this demented set - up would have worked if collateral were a pitch - dark comedy and , i dunno , there was some tiny element of entertainment to be found depicting the harassment of a grieving parent .
exclusive : alfonso gomez - rejon , the director of new line cinema ’s will smith - starrer collateral beauty , has departed the drama owing to creative differences with the studio . this comes less than a month after new line acquired worldwide rights to the pic , which stars smith as a new york advertising executive who experiences a personal tragedy and the subsequent unconventional plan from his colleagues to break him out of his depression .
what’s even more disheartening and a head - scratcher for warner bros . / new line : collateral beauty ‘s test scores were through the roof with over 90 % in two polls and an 81 % definite recommend . a looming bomb , it was not . but then tracking hit showing a huge opening swing between $ 6m - $ 12m . it’s a vicious cycle if you think about it : in this streaming netflix - golden tv age renaissance where moviegoers will think twice about heading out to the multiplex , critics arguably have the power to keep them at home , shut down a movie , and put exhibition in a stalemate . when a movie like collateral beauty dies , it’s from here that industry discussions ensue regarding the collapse of theatrical windows and the introduction of premium vod in the home so that a studio can quickly recoup their costs .
equally confusing is why anyone would root for the trio of business partners – even if they are played by norton , winslet , and michael peña – whose aim is to get their grief - stricken friend fired so that they can sell the company . director david frankel once came up with the devil wears prada ( 2006 ) and marley & me ( 2008 ) , but collateral beauty is no more than a mess .
collateral beauty is a movie that insists grief can be beautiful . in the service of this extraordinarily bland , empty message , it takes the subject most likely to provoke an emotional response—the death of a child—and treats it cheaply , employing pseudobabble , chicken - soup - for - the - soul platitudes , and naked manipulation to tug at its audience’s heartstrings . it’s transparently cynical , with no apparent endgame in mind other than simple profit .
will smith , kate winslet , edward norton , michael pena , helen mirren , keira knightley and jacob latimore . reading a cast listing like this you would think this is either the biggest blockbuster of the year or a film that is expected to be at the forefront of the oscar race . collateral beauty is definitely neither of those and perhaps not as strong as the sum of its parts , but still remains an incredibly watchable movie .
what do you get when you cross “manchester by the sea” with “touched by an angel” ? a strenuously uplifting christmas awards - bait tearjerker . “collateral beauty” was directed by david frankel , who has sometimes brought his work a real snap ( “the devil wears prada , ” “marley & me” ) , but this time , working from a script by allan loeb , he falls into a treacly zone of wan cute “feeling . ” i’ve long thought that helen mirren doesn’t have a cloying bone in her body , but there are moments here where she’s a little too adorably elfin . the trouble with “collateral beauty , ” though , isn’t the actors . it’s the movie itself , which keeps piling on the devices until it becomes top - heavy . a decade ago , in “the pursuit of happyness , ” smith proved he had the stuff to make a down - and - out character stingingly authentic , but in “collateral beauty , ” when he gets all red - rimmed and teary , it feels like the actor’s showcase it is , because the film’s whole experience of suffering is engineered . instead of using its metaphysical - deception plot as a conduit to genuine emotion , it just pushes the gimmickry further , suggesting that there’s a secret reason why mirren , knightley , and latimore are so good at leading smith’s wounded hero to a better place .
“seeing smith play a failed father calls to mind the similarly heavy - handed the pursuit of happyness , the 2006 film that earned smith an oscar nomination that year . that movie at least tackled the somewhat noble goal of depicting the true story of a man struggling to raise himself out of poverty and homelessness . with the bizarre way whit and his crew talk about numbers and money , collateral beauty is just another story about spoiled rich people . ”
collateral beauty features an all - star cast , including will smith ( suicide squad , concussion ) , edward norton ( birdman or [ the unexpected virtue of ignorance ] ) , keira knightley ( the imitation game ) , michael peña ( the martian ) , naomie harris ( spectre ) , jacob latimore ( the maze runner ) , with oscar winners kate winslet ( the reader , steve jobs ) and helen mirren ( the queen , trumbo ) .
naomie harris receives the “hollywood breakout actress award” for her role in “moonlight” which has caught the attention of critics and audiences alike . in “moonlight , which is directed by barry jenkins , harris has been gaining critical acclaim for her breakthrough role as a struggling mother of a boy growing up in a rough neighborhood in miami . this year , harris also stars alongside will smith in “collateral beauty , ” a drama about an advertising executive’s encounters with three mysterious visitors .
there’s a comp that warner bros . is eyeing , and if collateral beauty mimics it , they’ll breath a sigh of relief : the 2007 gerard butler - hilary swank romance p . s . i love you . like collateral beauty that movie opened over the holidays ( dec . 21 ) , was stomped on by critics ( 27 % rotten ) , earned an a - cinemascore and bowed to a dismal $ 6 . 5m…but it churned out an 8 . 3x multiple with a final domestic of $ 53 . 7m ( and global of $ 156 . 8m off a $ 30m budget ) . we also need to consider the foreign drawn of smith and the power wattage of its british cast ( kate winslet , kiera knightley , naomie harris , helen mirren ) . smith’s previous odd duck with warner bros . , last year’s focus , pulled in 66 % of its global $ 159m b . o . from overseas .
in his latest movie , collateral beauty , loeb returns to the dramatic realm – with a mystic twist . the film explores the life of ad exec howard inlet ( will smith ) , who retreats from the world after suffering a devastating personal tragedy . to deal with loss , he writes letters daily to ‘death , ’ ‘love’ and ‘time’ , and is soon visited by visible manifestations of all three , played by helen mirren , jacob latimore , and keira knightley .
warner bros . ’ release of new line / village roadshow’s tearjerker collateral beauty will go down as will smith’s lowest opening ever for a wide release at $ 7 . 1m ( ironically , that’s close to the same amount of cash that sandra bullock’s our brand is crisis died with last year on a non - competitive weekend ) . we detailed the calamity that this film faced as it was buried by critics yet embraced by friday night audiences with an a - cinemascore .
collateral beauty focuses on howard inlet ( will smith ) , who , following the death of his six - year old daughter , enters a state of depression that makes him incapable of doing the most mundane of tasks outside of building vast domino sculptures . but more importantly to his business partners ( winslet , norton and pena ) , he becomes incapable of performing his role as head of the company which is leading to its downfall , and they need to do something about it .
retreating from life after a tragedy , a man questions the universe by writing to love , time and death . receiving unexpected answers , he begins to see how these things interlock and how even loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty .
collateral beauty follows a new york ad exec played by will smith , who loses his daughter and gets into a funk . he begins to write letters to death , time and love . the peers at his office hire actors to portray these people in an effort to show that smith’s character has gone off the rails . in sum , his peers vie to steal the company away from him . through it all , smith’s character has some heart - to - heart conversations with death , time and love .
let’s start with the obvious . if the plot of a will smith movie sounds kind of like seven pounds , you know trouble is a - brewin’ . seven pounds is , of course , the movie where a grief - stricken will smith commits suicide by sharing a bathtub with a jellyfish . in that film , sad will smith spends the entire runtime atoning for killing someone while driving and texting . it’s po - faced , grim and dull . just like collateral beauty it has a needlessly convoluted plot .
“even if it hadn’t come along so soon after manchester by the sea , kenneth lonergan’s symphonic drama about a father emotionally crippled by loss , collateral beauty would look like silly high - concept hollywood grief porn . that’s not to say david frankel’s all - star weepie doesn’t work on its own manipulative terms , spreading its trail of goopy sentiment and inspirational homilies with technical finesse and some decent acting against the picturesque backdrop of new york city in the holidays . audiences unconcerned about their sugar levels might eat it up . ”
while warner bros . sold the movie as an ensemble , it’s not a garry marshall ensemble holiday movie , rather a will smith title since he’s featured prominently in the ads . to say that collateral beauty is an ensemble movie would be like saying it’s a wonderful life isn’t a jimmy stewart movie . in fact , on cinemascore , 52 % of the audience bought tickets because the movie starred smith ( and they gave it an a ) , while 18 % came for the actresses ( they gave it an a - ) .
collateral beauty was directed by david frankel , who helmed the similarly treacly marley and me , not to mention one chance , a dramatized retelling of the rise of paul potts , the 2007 winner of the reality show britain’s got talent . written by allan loeb ( just go with it ) , it was originally going to be directed by alfonso gomez - rejon ( me and earl and the dying girl ) starring hugh jackman and rooney mara , but gomez - rejon left the project after smith was cast , citing creative differences .
typically the recent go - to excuse whenever smith tanks at the b . o . is that the actor is out of his tentpole wheelhouse , venturing into more offbeat dramas ( i . e . last year’s focus’ $ 18 . 7m opening , $ 53 . 9m domestic ) , but collateral beauty ‘s bombing is about more than a leading star’s choices and suggests something more systemic at the box office : critics , more than ever , can dictate the financial fate of a movie , particularly one that’s inherently a crowd - pleaser .
there’s one other major character , the head of a support group for grieving parents , played by naomie harris , who’s as serene and comforting here as she is distressed in “moonlight . ” she and smith create a real connection , but it’s part of the design of “collateral beauty” that no encounter can be free of its place in the grand scheme . that’s supposed to be what makes the movie satisfying , and on some prefab level it works , but there’s something suspect about a drama of broken lives that snaps together this neatly .
and there is the major flaw with will smith movies like collateral beauty , seven pounds , concussion , after earth , winter’s tale , and pretty much any movie where will smith is supposed to be serious , sad , tortured , or in any way stymied by life itself . the will smith the planet fell in love with is fun . think back to the great performances of will smith : men in black , independence day , hitch ( yes , hitch ) , ali , bad boys . there’s a palpable joy to his work .
hollywood , ca , ( october 21 , 2016 ) – dick clark productions announced today that academy award - winning actress nicole kidman will receive the “hollywood supporting actress award” for “lion , ” golden globe - winning actor hugh grant will receive the “hollywood supporting actor award” for “florence foster jenkins , ” bafta - nominated actress naomie harris will be recognized with the “hollywood breakout actress award” for “collateral beauty” and “moonlight , ” and actress lily collins will receive the “new hollywood award” for “rules don’t apply” at the 20th annual “hollywood film awards® presented by virginia black . ”


eurotrip is a 2004 american teen comedy adventure film written by alec berg , david mandel , and jeff schaffer , and directed by schaffer .

the film stars scott mechlowicz , jacob pitts , michelle trachtenberg , travis wester , and jessica boehrs .

mechlowicz portrays scott " scotty " thomas , an american teenager who travels across europe in search of his german pen pal , mieke ( boehrs ) .

accompanied by his friend cooper ( pitts ) and siblings jenny and jamie ( trachtenberg and wester ) , scott 's quest takes him to london , paris , amsterdam , bratislava , berlin , and rome , encountering awkward and embarrassing situations along the way .

the film received a 2004 teen choice award nomination for choice movie your parents did n't want you to see .

eurotrip

if you want to answer the questions ,
who starred in the movie eurotrip ?
and
what is the full cast list of eurotrip ?
then this page has got you covered .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing eurotrip near you .
this cast list of who was in eurotrip includes both lead and minor roles . ( 25 items )
eurotrip cast list , listed alphabetically with photos when available . this list of eurotrip actors includes any eurotrip actresses and all other actors from the film . you can view trivia about each eurotrip actor on this list , such as when and where they were born . to find out more about a particular actor or actress , click on their name and you ' ll be taken to a page with even more details about their acting career . the cast members of eurotrip have been in many other movies , so use this list as a starting point to find actors or actresses that you may not be familiar with .
yet another awesome house event put on by our favourite venue , roxy ( aka the club from eurotrip ) . check out
while eurotrip scarcely amounts to a considered examination of transatlantic cultural differences , it sure comes through on the belly - laugh front .
eurotrip is so much better than the new ghostbusters movie… yes i’ll never let it die . goonies never say die ! ! ! !
i don’t know what the hell this article is , or why it exists , but i like eurotrip a lot so all is forgiven .
michelle ' s next two movies are indie dramas : very different from
eurotrip .
i think she made
eurotrip
to get her name out there and to just have some fun , not to recieve critical acclaim . and i think michelle succeeded in those two things with this film .
try growing up with the name hans in a southern state . hey hans solo hey hans , where’s franz ? at least the eurotrip thing fades away .
box office mojo is recording a very poor box office debut for
eurotrip
- the $ 25 million comedy grossed $ 6 . 6 million and came in fifth for the weekend . by comparison ,
actually eurotrip has now fallen to 5th place for the weekend overall - bringing in only 6 . 6 million . the other teen movie ctdq is still in 2nd place with 9 . 2 million for this weekend .
it was pretty annoying being named scott around the time eurotrip came out . everyone thought it was hilarious to say , “hahaha ! scotty doesn’t know ! get it ? it’s funny because your name is scott . ”
despite my praise , the much underrated cast of eurotrip have not encountered anything like the world of success they deserve in the six years since its release . fuck the ‘superman curse’ , this is the real injustice . see for yourself :
eurotrip is a pointless sequel to a mediocre comedy . this film has a very bad script , bad acting and directing . the jokes are more crude and vulgar , and most of the time are unfunny . this is a very sorry excuse for a comedy and eurotrip scraps the bottom of the barrel in term of good ideas . eurotrip is a rushed film and it ' s apparent that there wasn ' t enough thought to deliver a decent comedy . eurotrip is a poorly stitched together film to make a quick buck off the original , which by today ' s standards has become quite unfunny in it ' s own right . road trip hasn ' t aged well , and with the years has become quite boring , i really don ' t see why they made a second film because this is a plainly yet another lame attempt at trying to mimick the first , but failling miserably , as if it was already a problem . eurotrip can be described simply as a cash grab . simple as that . this movie has nothing interesting to appeal to the viewer and ends up being a pointless comedy with strained jokes that try too hard to be funny , but ends up falling flat . eurotrip is a disappointment that is one of the worst comedies ever made . this is a film that doesn ' t add anything to the first film and is unrelated . this is just another example of a film that tries to cash in on a successful ( but not good ) first film . avoid it .
i think it sucks that ctdq is doing better because i think that looks hideous . at least
eurotrip
looks like funny drivel . this seems like a strange time of year to release it . it looks like more of a summer movie to me .
from this you could choose to conclude that any satirical achievement is accidental – that an infinite number of monkeys writing an infinite number of teen films will eventually add a self - aware edge to the proceedings – but instead i put forward the hypothesis that eurotrip is entirely more conscious than it is often given credit for . yes , first and foremost it’s an accessible , broad , consistent teen comedy . but it also tackles ideas way beyond its remit as a piece of frothy adolescent titillation . mocking frat boy ignorance with one hand and applauding it with the other , eurotrip is satire at its most brazenly self - loathing and audaciously entertaining .
i think we can all agree that the buffy cast members need to start making some better movies . valentine . eurotrip . scooby - doo . darkness falls . wrong turn . it reads like a lengthy roster of suck . you ' d think that actors accustomed to such excellent scripts would know stinkers when they read them .
although she hasn’t appeared in any movies since eurotrip , it’s actually quite hard to judge whether or not jessica boehrs’ career is doing well because most of her subsequent credits have been on german - language tv shows . after all , she’s practically a regular on sturm der liebe and that sounds like the best tv show ever made .
but when the film works , it really works . at its best , eurotrip is a remarkably good - natured satire about american complacency . those who find themselves laughing at the film’s london - set scenes , with their improbably placed tube stations ( thamesbridge , anyone ? ) and gangs of meticulously uniformed hooligans , should be under no doubt that they’re laughing with the film , not at it . there’s an all - too - patronising assumption that such silliness must be unintentional—that eurotrip ’s makers might , at best , have made something of an accidental triumph , but can’t possibly be in on the joke themselves . such a response requires an almost wilful misreading of the film .
well if there was any gloating it was because of michelle ' s snooty attitude towards her buffy past which many of us simply considered ungrateful . and to do that while simultaneously acting like this ' eurotrip ' thing was finally good work she wanted to do . . . . well , it squashes my feelings of sympathy a bit .
justified and buffy the vampire slayer are two of my favorite tv shows of all - time , but those aren’t the titles i think of whenever i see jacob pitts and michelle trachtenberg . nope , that would be eurotrip , a not - good movie that i unabashedly love . during my freshman year of college , when i wasn’t watching shaun of the dead or anchorman , i was quoting eurotrip , because i am every stupid male college student ever . i’m only half - ashamed to admit that it’s one of my “if it’s on tv , i’m not leaving the couch until it’s over” movies , right up there with goodfellas and…ok , now i want to watch goodfellas .
it has been ten years since eurotrip , riding the raunchy teen comedy revival of the late ’90s and early naughts , burst into theaters and exposed an entire generation of teens to a beach full of dangling male genitalia . and even a decade later , those involved with the cult classic are still proud of it — every sex organ included .
and yet , sadly , it would be equally untrue to claim that the filmmakers are entirely aware of their genius . for each of eurotrip ’s intended punch lines ( “paris is practically a suburb of berlin” ) , there’s an unintentional slip - up that puts into question just how sharp the film really is ( “cooper , england’s an island” ) .
mr . mechlowicz was on the top of the world back in 2004 , exercising his considerable talents in both eurotrip and the almost - as - underrated indie drama mean creak . since then ? an season one episode of house m . d . , a terrible nick nolte movie and even * shudder * a british horror film . poor scotty .
even though kristin kreuk has made only one film since her feature debut in eurotrip ( the almost - certainly brilliant street fighter : the legend of chun - li ) her name stills seems to carry some weight , and i was struggling to work out why . until i discovered that smallville is still going . after nearly 10 years ! madness .
as regular readers of this blog will already know , i have an obsession with the 2004 teen comedy eurotrip that borders on the unhealthy . for my money it’s quite easily one of – if not the – greatest comedy movie of the last decade and considering you can pick it up on amazon for under £3 , you’re an idiot if it’s not already in your collection .
i think the film ' eurotrip ' sounds like trash , howeveri liked the character of dawn ( although far from my favorite ) , i think mt did all she could with the character dawn , it wasn ' t her fault dawn could sometimes be written as annoying . i hope mt goes on to have lasting success , as do the rest of the btvs cast .
arrived in great condition with the other item ( 2x items ) , pacakged ok , unwrapping was easy , dvds were new , movies are great and soo funny im gona really enjoy watching them . cheap product n well worth the price , recommend products / seller . eurotrip - unseen [ dvd ] van wilder 2 - the rise of taj [ dvd ] so happy with this purchase .
nowadays you’re probably most likely to hear the film mentioned in relation to eli roth’s hostel , to which it is often compared . in his 2006 review of roth’s film , the guardian’s peter bradshaw called it a ‘humourless , soft - porn’ remake of eurotrip , which he in turn dismissed as a ‘moderate frat - boy comedy’ . the comparison is understandable : both films feature highly - stereotyped versions of europe designed to satirise american ignorance . but where roth wore his intentions on his sleeve , desperately shouting ‘satire ! ’ at you every five minutes just in case you suspected that hostel was nothing more than exploitation , eurotrip seems positively allergic to the word . its directors make no mention whatsoever of ‘satire’ or ‘irony’ on the film’s 90 - minute commentary track , instead describing it as a movie ‘made for fraternities’ .
equally unsuccessful is molly schade , whose only role beyond her debut here was in the 2004 short film rift . as a result , a google search for her name yields millions of topless screenshots from her 60 seconds of eurotrip screen time , and not much else . just think , malin åkerman could just have easily been ‘that topless girl from harold & kumar ‘ had watchmen not saved her from obscurity .
from the montecito picture company , “eurotrip” was directed by first - timer jeff schaffer from a screenplay that he co - wrote with his longtime writing partners alec berg and david mandel . the trio most recently adapted dr . seuss’ “the cat in the hat . ” daniel goldberg , jackie marcus , alec berg and david mandel are producing the film , with ivan reitman , tom pollock and joe medjuck serving as executive producers .
to grasp the nuances of the randy teen comedy
eurotrip ,
you must be able to laugh at the following sentence :
europe ' s officially the worst country on earth !
that ' s the line uttered by a character who went to europe to get laid - - his theory is that america was founded by prudes who left europe precisely to get away from hot european sex - - and came back with nothing more than a lousy t - shirt .
it has been almost five years since i laughed so hard at a movie that my mouth actually hurt . that movie was the original american pie , and since then i have sat nearly stone - faced , witnessing teen comedy reduced to a string of strictly pee - pee and poop jokes in films like tomcats and even the most recent pie sequel , american wedding . but that streak of unfortunate unfunniness came to a much - needed halt when i saw eurotrip , one of the most deliriously funny films in years .
it’s this dichotomy that makes eurotrip such a fascinating film — a film in which razor - sharp dialogue and pitch - perfect visual comedy sit uncomfortably alongside an array of painfully tired ( and in many cases , homophobic , misogynistic and xenophobic ) stereotypes , all cloaked in varying degrees of irony . even the film’s most devout supporters would have trouble justifying fred armisen’s predatory gay italian , or the entirely satire - free berlin scenes , in which a small boy goose - steps around a room wearing a hitler moustache for reasons imperceptible to the human brain .
sherlock holmes will soon find a new ally : justified star jacob pitts will guest - star in an upcoming episode of elementary , ew has learned exclusively . pitts , whose credits also include eurotrip and person of interest , will play paul ettinger , a brilliant and wealthy mathematician who assembles a team of his fellow math geniuses to help identify a killer that holmes and watson are tracking . pitts will appear in the same episode as the returning mad men star rich sommer . elementary returns oct . 30 at 10 p . m . et on cbs .
after collaborating on fourteen episodes of seinfeld and the screenplay for 2003’s childhood - pillaging adaptation of the cat in the hat , comedy trio jeff schaffer , alec berg and david mandel made their directorial debut on eurotrip , though in the end only schaffer was credited after the director’s guild of america failed to recognise them as a legitimate creative team . ( endearingly , he was selected to take the credit after his name was picked first out of a hat . ) since then , all three have written , directed and produced several episodes of hit hbo comedy curb your enthusiasm and are set to return to the big screen next year as co - writers with sacha baron cohen on his political satire the dictator . as a partnership twenty years in the making , berg , mandel and schaffer undoubtedly have compatible writing styles . and yet the received wisdom about films written by large numbers of writers does ring at least partially true in eurotrip , a film that for all its virtues has undeniable structural and tonal problems . whether this was a direct result of schisms within the threesome or was brought on by studio intervention , however , is harder to ascertain .
written and directed by alec berg , david mandel , and jeff schaffer , eurotrip is a teen comedy from the montecito picture company ( makers of similar movies old school and road trip ) . mainstream teenager scott ( scott mechlowicz ) forms an online friendship with german student mieke in order to get a passing grade in his high school german class . when he finds out mieke is a buxom blonde girl ( jessica böhrs ) , he travels to meet her with his pals cooper ( jacob pitts ) , jenny ( michelle trachtenberg ) , and jamie ( travis wester ) . the group of randy teens head to berlin by way of london , paris , and amsterdam . ~ andrea levasseur , rovi
it has been ten years since eurotrip , riding the raunchy teen comedy revival of the late ’90s and early naughts , burst into theaters and exposed an entire generation of teens to a beach full of dangling male genitalia . and even a decade later , those involved with the cult classic are still proud of it — every sex organ included . at least , that was the vibe taken away from the audience wednesday night in hollywood , where cast members scott mechlowicz ( “scotty” ) , jacob pitts ( “cooper” ) , michelle trachtenberg ( “ jenny ” ) , travis wester ( “jamie” ) joined producers jeff schaffer , alec berg , and david mandel and several others for a q & a session .
subscribe here : urltoken download app ( android ) : urltoken download app ( ios ) : urltoken deleted , extended & alternative scenes from eurotrip ( 2004 ) plot : dumped by his girlfriend , a high school grad decides to embark on an overseas adventure in europe with his friends . genre : adventure | comedy director : jeff schaffer , alec berg cast : scott mechlowicz , jacob pitts , michelle trachtenberg , travis wester , matt damon , molly schade production & credits : dreamworks skg , montecito picture company , the , blue sea productions distributors : united international pictures ( uip ) , dreamworks distribution country : usa website : urltoken facebook : urltoken twitter : urltoken new bloopers , featurette , deleted & alternative scenes , making of and interview every day !
matt damon is known for a lot of things - winning an oscar , growing up with ben affleck , and being a sweet family man , to name a few - but to celebrate his 44th birthday this week , we ' re paying tribute to something else matt has going for him : an absolutely hilarious sense of humor . from his memorable eurotrip cameo to his funny moments with ben to his many , many ridiculous antics on jimmy kimmel live , matt has shown time and time again that he doesn ' t take himself too seriously . with a nod to his award - show shenanigans and more than a few viral videos , take a look at 14 times matt damon couldn ' t have been funnier . source : getty / saul loeb
hbo has inked a two - year overall deal with “ curb your enthusiasm ” and “ seinfeld ” vet alec berg . the writer - director at present is working as an exec producer and showrunner on hbo’s mike judge comedy “ silicon valley . ” the new deal calls for berg to develop new projects for the pay cabler and supervise other prospects . “ silicon valley ” is set to bow april 6 . berg spent four seasons on hbo’s larry david laffer “curb , ” and before that he worked with david on nbc’s “ seinfeld . ” in the feature realm he wrote and produced the 2012 sacha baron cohen vehicle “ the dictator , ” and he wrote the 2004 comedy “ eurotrip . ” berg is repped by uta and attorney ken richman of hansen jacobson .
nonetheless , their performances in eurotrip are remarkably assured , in particular that of jacob pitts as the remarkably endearing oversexed bastard cooper . his delivery of the line “dude , mieke’s hideous , run ! ” is without a doubt one of the great comedy readings of all time . mechlowicz too seemed destined for success after the impressive one - two punch of this film and indie drama mean creek , both released in 2004 but offering wildly different performances from a young actor whose only prior role was playing smee in an obscure wil wheaton - starring take on peter pan ( try ebay ) . his easily overlooked performance here is actually deceptively complex , and ( ironically ) his straight - man routine gives rise to one of the film’s most distinctive attributes : its all - encompassing obsession with homosexuality .
spending quality time with your family is important , and one of the most fun ways of doing that is definitely doing one of america’s favorite past times . that’s right , going to the movies . it’s an economical way of getting together with your parents and hanging out . but sometimes , there are certain scenes or even entire movies that can make things pretty awkward real fast . we have compiled a list in our video of some of the movies that make us cringe near our parents and we recommend you don’t watch them together with your folks . one of the worst on this list is definitely eurotrip . it follows a guy who gets dumped at his high school graduation and goes to europe to meet his pen pal . but this quest is filled with so much inappropriate stuff , we are pretty sure your parents will turn off the television so quick ,
british actor vinnie jones is best known for playing : ' sphinx ' in gone in sixty seconds , ' big chris ' in lock , stock and two smoking barrels , ' mad ' maynard ' in eurotrip and of course , ' juggernaut / cain marko ' in x - men : the last stand , but you ' ll soon know him as daniel
danny
brickwell in season three of cw ' s comic book - based television series , arrow . according to variety , the former footballer - turned - actor will play the villainous ' brick ' in episodes 10 , 11 and 12 . the character will feature
thick , invulnerable skin
and is described as being a
ruthless gang leader who brings star city’s government to its knees . he’s known as “brick” on the streets because he’s been shot dozens of times but never put down .
nonetheless , eurotrip has proved a surprisingly enduring piece of pop cultural currency , and not only in the £3 bins of most surburban hmvs ( though it inevitably does well there too ) . sequences like the parisian robot fight and cooper’s hot tub subterfuge seem to be perennially familiar to anyone under the age of thirty , even if they don’t necessarily represent the film’s finest moments . the latter scene was originally conceived while berg , mandel and schaffer were doing rewrites on snowboarding comedy out cold , but they liked it so much that they decided to save it for their own movie . that three professional screenwriters should be so precious about a sequence that’s essentially just an excuse to see an 18 - year - old first - time actress from ohio rubbing her tits for a bit , suggests they might not entirely be the modern - day swifts i’m so eager to paint them as .
there ' s mixed news for fans of the league . fxx has renewed the league for a seventh season but this will be the comedy ' s final run . the 13 episodes will begin airing next fall . here are the details : fxx orders seventh and final season of the league 13 - episode final season to run in fall 2015 los angeles , december 9 , 2014 – shivakamini somakandarkram ! fxx’s hit comedy series the league will return for its seventh and final season with 13 episodes in the fall of 2015 , it was announced today by nick grad and eric schrier , presidents of original programming , fx networks and fx productions . the league , which just completed its sixth season , was created by the husband - and - wife team of jeff schaffer ( curb your enthusiasm , seinfeld ) and jackie marcus schaffer ( disturbia , eurotrip ) who serve as executive producers and directors . the
in 2009 , everyone took notice of neill blomkamp ' s talents when district 9 became the sleeper hit of the summer . its $ 210m revenue easily surpassed the film ' s meager $ 30m budget . interest in his next project reached a feverish pitch . that project was the 2013 film elysium , which starred matt damon (
eurotrip
) . it pulled in $ 286m at the worldwide box office against a budget of $ 115 million ( minus marketing costs ) . in 2015 , we ' ll get to see his next offering . it will be chappie , here ' s the official tagline :
after being kidnapped by two criminals during birth , chappie becomes the adopted son in a strange and dysfunctional family . chappie is preternaturally gifted , one of a kind , a prodigy . he also happens to be a robot .
it stars : hugh jackman , sigourney weaver and sharlto copley .
+ matt damon’s cameo — as the band leader / guy who steals scotty’s girlfriend , played by kristin kreuk — came together because the producers knew him from their days at harvard…and he was in prague . in fact , many parts , including jeffrey tambor’s , were filled because the actors were already shooting in prague , where eurotrip was filmed . “no one wanted to fly over and we didn’t have the money to have anyone fly over , ” recalled schaffer . “so we basically looked around and said , ‘who’s filming in prague ? ' ” luckily , damon was in town shooting the brothers grimm . not so lucky , however , was that the only night he was available was the shortest night of the summer , so “we literally had from 10 : 45 at night…and the sun would come up at 3 : 45 , ” remembered schaffer . “so we shot it in , like , 4 . 5 hours . ”
+ they had a lot of trouble casting scotty . “it had gotten to the point , literally , where we were going to restaurants , staring at our waiters , ” said mandel of the search for scotty . luckily , mechlowicz , a ucla student at the time , “rode in on a white horse” to save them from further stress over casting the all - important part . meanwhile , trachtenberg credited her physical comedy in her audition — which was the airplane scene where jenny climbs over cooper on her way to the bathroom — to her getting the job offer from the producers . “and i blew them , ” deadpanned trachtenberg , who got several laughs from the crowd for her natural eurotrip - style humor . above all , though , producers said it was important to them at the time to cast real teenagers in the roles . “we didn’t want 35 - year - olds playing high school kids , ” said schaffer .
eurotrip was filmed entirely on location in prague in the czech republic . mandel says , prague is a beautiful city . just the fact that we were able to double prague for so many cities was amazing .  berg notes , the irony is that one city that prague did not serve as in our shoot was prague . but it was london , paris , berlin , amsterdam , rome , vatican city , bratislava and even hudson , ohio .  despite shooting in and around one city , the production schedule felt more like a trek across europe to the cast and crew . we were traveling every day ,  schaffer remarks . it was the wildest thing ; we were never in the same place twice . the fact that we were able to accomplish so much in one city is a tribute to our entire production team , especially our extraordinary director of photography , david eggby , and our production designer , allan starski , who is unbelievable .
time for a special edition of throwback thursday ! in honor of
eurotrip ' s
10th anniversary on thursday ( feb . 20 ) , we rounded up gifs from the cult classic movie starring some of the biggest names on tv and in movies today . yeah , it ' s been 10 years . commence feeling old now . remember that time a tatted up and pierced matt damon sang a song about doing kristin kreuk behind her boyfriend ' s back at his own graduation party ? ouch . if scotty didn ' t know before , he certainly knows by now : seriously , best song ever ( unless you were scotty , then it was probably the worst song you had ever heard in your entire life ) : and remember that time michelle trachtenberg had to resort to flashing cars to try and get a ride for her and her friends ? and then she unknowingly almost gave all the men on the nude beach a free show , and ended up
if you ' re a fan of matt damon and matt damon - starring movies , then you ' re most likely also a fan of matt damon ' s cameos . see , matt damon is fond of cameos . he may be one of the biggest movie stars in the world - - leading major hits like the martian and this week ' s jason bourne - - but he ' s also a master at the bit part , the blink - and - you - miss - him role that often finds itself tucked into the corner of some random movie or tv show , just waiting to surprise you . our favorite all - time matt damon cameo might be the only thing you actually remember about the 2004 teen sex comedy eurotrip , about a bunch of high school friends who go on a trip to europe after one of them is dumped by his girlfriend . but it ' s the scene where poor scotty is dumped that stands out . . . read more
after a world premiere at los angeles’ iconic mann’s chinese theatre , eurotrip was released across the united states on february 20th 2004 . it opened at number five at the box office , behind mainstream fare like 50 first dates and confessions of a teenage drama queen , as well as hockey drama miracle and ray romano vehicle welcome to mooseport . it was a similar story in the uk , where it opened in less than 100 screens and quickly dropped out of the top ten thanks to a june release date that put it in the vicinity of mean girls , troy and the third harry potter movie . critics weren’t much more favourable , writing it off as a formulaic , if occasionally successful , comedy in the red - text - on - a - white - background vein . paramount’s marketing department were all too happy to concur , and later that year issued a dvd release that looked about as credible as one of those american pie spin - offs that eugene levy keeps putting his name to .
for all those who think this is mt bashing at it ' s finest - for the most part it ' s not but being a hollywood observer type most of us know the adage your only as good as your last project . right now buffy is carrying her foreward just as harriet the spy carried her to buffy , but if the films she makes continue to fail at the box office her stock price drops and all she will be able to do is 2 - 3rd rate films or 4th lead on a wb sitcom . we want to see her succeed but we also want to see that she does it in a way that gets her positively noticed eurotrip is not it and for the record lucy lawlaess is also in this film and has garnered more press time then mt has for it - even though her part is significantly small . but have faith cause even michelle pfeiffer made grease 2 and was able to have a career after that , so all hope is not lost . : )
several of starski’s sets were so convincing that they fooled a number of locals , as well as visiting tourists . his paris metro station was decked out with authentic signs and posters and looked so real that passersby tried to use it and were surprised to learn they couldn’t get there from here .  visual effects supervisor kevin blank was responsible for completing the transformation of prague into the many different locales needed for the film . through the use of cgi , blank was able to add such familiar sites as the eiffel tower , the coliseum and big ben into the backgrounds of their respective cities . the filmmakers emphasize that this eurotrip is not your parents’ european vacation . the main thing we tried to do is make sure that our group does things that 18 or 19 year olds would want to do ,  schaffer offers . they are not doing things they would do with their parentsthat their parents would drag them to . they are on their own , so it’s them having fun in ways that kids would have fun .
before we start , let’s make entirely clear what this is not . this is not an ironic aggrandisation of a trivial film , nor a satirical application of film academia to an unworthy subject . it is not a celebration of a ‘guilty pleasure’ , and it is definitely not an example of the spurious but inescapably pervasive ‘so bad it’s good’ genre . instead , this is a study of what i believe to be one of the greatest comedy movies ever made : the 2004 box - office flop eurotrip . it’s a widely underrated film , but that’s not to say that its appeal is in any way niche . rather , it’s a massively accessible laugh - out - loud comedy that for various reasons — a cast list lacking any real star power ; promotional material that portrayed it as a kind of low - rent boat trip ( if such a thing is even possible ) — never really connected with an audience . it’s a mess for sure , but a glorious one , and one whose many misconceived elements serve only to heighten the brilliance of its successes .
well , almost . the giddy ridiculousness of
eurotrip
is a pleasant surprise : the picture starts out slow and unsteady in its rhythms . but just when you begin to wonder if it ' s ever going to get funny , or if it ' s going to be merely desperate all the way through , it lifts off like a wobbly helicopter - - and somehow it keeps flying . scott mechlowicz is scotty , who has just graduated from high school ( great ) and has also been dumped by his hot girlfriend ( not so great ) . for years , he ' s been enjoying an e - mail correspondence with a german student named mieke , who he assumes is a guy . what a numbnuts ! it turns out mieke is a sweet young thing who ' s been saving herself for scotty . when she tries to console him , via e - mail , over his breakup , and suggests they find a way to meet in person , he thinks his german guy friend is coming on to him and blocks mieke ' s e - mails .
songs written for film ' s fictional pop stars typically miss the mark , but schlesinger has shown it ' s possible to hit the right note • more from the why i love . . . series you couldn ' t make miley cyrus up ; madonna , britney and divine did it for you . pop music parodies itself all the time , but film finds it tricky . on the surface , film ' s fictional pop stars are in key with their real - world counterparts : they ' re shallow and self - centred , often a bit dim , and always image conscious . it ' s when it comes to the songs that the fiction falls flat . i can ' t buy matt damon as a sneering punk bro in eurotrip ( 2004 ) . it ' s not because of the fake piercings , or his horrible lip - synching , but because the song was written for the film and sounds like it . it gets skate - punk nearly right , so we nearly believe the performance . nearly enjoy it , too . not many songwriters can write a
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the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
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a trip worth taking if one ' s not offended by gratuitous nudity and bad taste .
just when you begin to wonder if it ' s ever going to get funny , or if it ' s going to be merely desperate all the way through , it lifts off like a wobbly helicopter - - and somehow it keeps flying .
the movie misses most of what is truly funny and compelling about the universal western european adventure .
should be toe - tagged and shoved into the deepest and coldest of video vaults .
you ' ll find plenty of dirty jokes and sexual innuendo , bathroom humor and nudity . but mixed with the sleaze is the unexpected and occasionally inspired .
if you took every road trip comedy ever made , ingested them , then bonged a bottle of ex - lax , this is what would show up a half hour later .
a raunchy comedy that is utterly formulaic but still funnier than it has any right to be .
a movie so bad that it dares to give the old and worn - out term
the ugly american
new life and vitality .
a pretty funny teen sex comedy full of dirty jokes and bathroom humor . it is nothing special and definitely not supposed to be taken seriously , so just let yourself go with it and you may laugh real hard at its hilarious nonsense and inspired moments .
you don ' t have to have had a lobotomy to watch this movie , but it would probably help a lot .
great film ! very funny and my old school is in this including my house ! a must see ! scottay doesn ' t know ! a funny cameo from matt damon . really hilarious !
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with eleven events over three years under our belt , including the uk premiere of spring breakers , we ' re taking a breather for the foreseeable .
the world ' s foremost brian blessed expert joins the podcast for a movie trivia special .
a long - term project assessing the relative merits of every movie featuring hrh hugh grant .
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also well known are the film’s many impressive cameos , from lucy lawless , joanna lumley and ( most remarkably ) a post - bourne matt damon . all were friends of the filmmakers who agreed to lend themselves to the production for a day or two . kevin smith was also set to appear , but dropped out after it became apparent that filming a simple ohio - set scene would require him to travel to prague .
with the exception of a few brief insert shots , the entirety of the film was shot in the czech capital . locations around the city doubled for london , berlin , paris and the rest of the gang’s european tour , as well as the united states , and tax incentives helped to keep production costs down . the blatant inauthenticity of these stand - in streets and composited skylines ( almost certainly not intentionally bad — mandel & co . are quick to praise the vfx team at any opportunity ) may require some suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience , but they also bring into sharp focus the entire point of the movie : this is not europe , this is what four naïve american teenagers imagine europe to be . and even when the goofs are entirely accidental , there’s an ironic brilliance to them that only adds to the overall effect . upon arriving in london , the teens visit a pub called the ‘fiesty goat’ — a misspelling that was mindlessly carried across from script to set design , and shot for two days before anyone noticed the mistake .
as casting purely in the states was considered prohibitively expensive , a large number of actors were brought on board in the czech republic , with less - than - convincing results . scott’s younger brother bert is portrayed by czech teen nial iskhakov , who’s perfectly funny in the role but couldn’t look much less ohioan if he had three arms and a detachable head . add to that the large number of americans playing europeans characters ( fred armisen , j . p . manoux , diedrich bader ) and you’re left with the impression that the filmmakers were actively trying to cast against logic . such choices further illustrate the insanity of taking any of the film’s apparently xenophobic attitudes at face value : this is a film in which the vast majority of american characters are portrayed by the very europeans they’re so quick to deride .
the film’s lead quartet of scott mechlowicz , jacob pitts , michelle trachtenberg and travis wester , on the other hand , are the all - american real deal . with the exception of trachtenberg , who became a child star with the 1996 nickelodeon comedy harriet the spy and was later a recurring character on buffy the vampire slayer , they were all picked from relative obscurity to appear in the film . only trachtenberg was still a teenager at the time of production , shooting most of the film aged 17 . her male co - stars ranged between 24 and 26 . sadly , all four have since slipped out of the spotlight , moving onto independent films ( mechlowicz ) , appearing on cable tv ( wester ) or in the case of pitts and trachtenberg , continuing to accept minor teen roles into their late - twenties ( in heist drama 21 and body - swap comedy 17 again respectively ) .
homophobia is shifting in the contemporary comedy landscape . today’s mainstream comedies are falling over themselves to have their cake and eat it where gay issues are concerned . obviously , the joke is no longer explicitly at the expense of the flamboyant queen or the rugged bear ; now the attention has shifted to the straight protagonist ( s ) and the possibility that they might be thought of as gay . there’s a spurious notion that this shift allows us to laugh at homophobia rather than with it , on the basis that it’s the dumb redneck stereotype saying ‘faggot’ instead of the action hero . but essentially , we’re still being presented with heterosexual characters who are amused and / or horrified by the innately ‘icky’ idea of homosexuality , and all the token quirky gay roommates in the world can’t change that .
of course , like the rest of the film , any intellectualising is slightly at odds with the movie’s pervasively juvenile tone . on paper it’s very easy to attribute intelligence and nuance to the film’s writers , but when a behind the scenes featurette clearly shows one of them warning an actor not to ‘drop the soap’ during the filming of the nude beach scene , it gets that little bit harder to champion them as heroes of queer cinema .
perhaps it’s this conflict that makes the film a tough one to truly love . it’s often unfairly presented as a film that audiences might enjoy ‘in spite of themselves’ , which massively underestimates a team of filmmakers who are all too capable of moments of satirical clarity . but the adolescent thoughtlessness that penetrates ( * snigger * ) so much of their work sits ill at ease with such ambitions and leaves a lot of the film feeling misconceived . when , on the film’s commentary track , schaffer and co . take it upon themselves to cheer every appearance of a black person on screen , it is of course done with a knowing irony , but that doesn’t really make it any less idiotic .
this teenagers - abroad comedy is full of randy high - school - boy humor that turns out to be — surprise , surprise ! — kind of funny .
he ' s mortified when he learns of his mistake , then decides to take a huge risk : he collects his slacker - dude best friend , cooper ( jacob pitts ) , and joins two other school friends , twins jenny ( michelle trachtenberg , who played dawn on
buffy the vampire slayer
) and jamie ( travis wester ) , on a summer tour of europe . he plans to show up at mieke ' s door , explain everything , and find true love - - maybe even get laid .
it ' s a classic innocents - abroad setup - - so classic that you ' d think it would have been exhausted by now . but director jeff schaffer , who wrote the script with alec berg and david mandel ( the same team that wrote , god help us ,
the cat in the hat ,
but don ' t hold that against them ) , finds some surprising ways to freshen it up . what ' s surprising is that some of the tactics are glaringly obvious , and yet they can still make you laugh : when the kids are dumped off in bratislava by the surly truck driver they ' ve hitched a ride with ( they were certain he was taking them to berlin ) , they ' re dismayed to find themselves in a crumbling gray neighborhood , your classic movie version of a depressed eastern european locale just perfect for slitting your wrists in .
their passports and their money have been stolen . they pool whatever bits of change they ' ve got left and exclaim in dismay ,
$ 1 . 83 american - - what are we going to get with that ?
cut to jenny lounging in a frothy bubble bath , having her toenails attended to by a squadron of maids in crisp uniforms , and scotty being measured for a bespoke suit - - you get the idea .
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dumped by his girlfriend , a high school grad decides to embark on an overseas adventure in europe with his friends .
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