Friday, July 23, 2010

THE ADVERTISING ASSAULT: ALOTT5MA Temperature Check -- does knowing that Angelina Jolie is the star of a film make you more likely to see it, less likely to see it, or "it depends on the reviews"?

38 comments:

  1. Marsha10:56 AM

    I guess I'm on "it depends on the reviews" - meaning her presence in the film will neither make me want to see it nor keep me away.

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  2. Depends on the reviews, but this one I will see, because the reviews are generally "it's ludicrous, but it's fun."  (Also, supporting cast--Schriber, Ejiofor, Barugher--and the director and writer's pedigree bode well.)

    And after a slow first half of the summer, I have a backlog of stuff to see-Despicable Me, Inception, Kids Are All Right, and this.

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  3. ChinMusic10:58 AM

    Mark me down as less likely, but not because of her specifically.  It's just that I can't help but think that if they are selling the move based on the name of the star, it is because they can't sell it on anything else.

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  4. I would put myself somewhere between "less likely" and "it depends on the reviews," with a side serving of "it depends on the genre."  I'm not wild about her, but have occasionally enjoyed her enough that I wouldn't rule out seeing her.  I'm more likely to see her in something like Salt than in a drama, because there's something about her dramatic acting that is a bit overwrought and actor-y for my taste.  I prefer more understated actors.

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  5. Devin McCullen10:59 AM

    For a long time it was definitely "less likely", now it's somewhere between "less likely" and "it depends on the reviews".  I don't dislike her, but for some reason she just doesn't generate a lot of interest for me.

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  6. Adam C.11:17 AM

    How about "it depends on the reviews, plus whether it's a straight drama or a ludicrously fun action flick (e.g., Wanted)."  

    If I'm being completely honest, there is another factor that won't make or break my decision to sit through a Jolie flick, but has a strong positive correlation with my enjoyment thereof.

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  7. Adam C.11:19 AM

    Despicable Me was fun, Matt -- although we saw it in 2D, so I'm not sure how much the third dimension will add or detract from the experience. 

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  8. Adam C.11:20 AM

    (As you all know from Jaws 3-D, the third dimension is terror.)

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  9. Goghaway11:28 AM

    I'm in the exact same boat as Aimee- enjoyed her Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and wouldn't rule out seeing her in something similar, but find her dramatic roles too overdone.

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  10. Yeah, It's not the reviews, it's the movie.  Saw Wanted and Tomb Raider b/c they looked like movies it'd be fun to watch her in.  And despite my love for Michael Winterbottom, wild horses couldn't drag me to see "A Mighty Heart."

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  11. Fred App11:53 AM

    I have no strong feelings about Jolie one way or the other, so I guess I'm in the "depends" camp. One interesting thing about this movie is I believe the script was originally written for a male lead, and they went through several actors before changing gears and switching to a female lead. So I might be curious to see how that turned out. But probably not curious enough to spend 10 bucks. I'll wait for cable.

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  12. I'm with Aimee as well -- something about her doesn't work for me usually, so I'm less likely unless the movie itself is supposed to be great.

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  13. Jim Bell12:12 PM

    She was naked in Gia.  I wish she would make other movies about being a naked supermodel who has a lot of sex with both men and women.  I would be very likely to see her in those.

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  14. Joseph J. Finn12:17 PM

    Depends on the reviews and the subject.  Looking back, I don't think I've been interested in a movie of hers since...wow, Pushing Tin?  I think I better push my answer towards Jolie indifference.

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  15. Uncle Spike12:23 PM

    Much less likely. Do not like a woman who makes Greta Garbo seem warm and friendly. Also do not like that I have been subjected to her mug, ensconced on billboards for some reason for the past month (and now I know that reason.) Do not like the whole Brad/Jennifer/Angelina drama (I'm firmly on Team Jen). And to complete this round of petty snipery, REALLY do not like what Brangelina have chosen as a torture device for their child (Shiloh Pitt? Really? Pile o' shit, that name).

    Hiss, meow, whatever.

    Okay. Off the soapbox. I return you to your regularly scheduled Friday.

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  16. Meghan12:31 PM

    I'm with JJF.  I don't think I've been interested in anything she's done since...ever.  So I'm not opposed to seeing her in anything, she's just rarely, if ever, in something I want to see.

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  17. KCosmo's Neighbor12:41 PM

    Less likely. Her presence (EVERYWHERE) annoys me. Plus...I can't listen to her do an accent. I think I liked her in Girl Interrupted, but that's about it. Oh, and what was that movie she was in with Denzel? I liked that too. But now she scares me. And...I think she needs to eat a little something; I'm surprised she hasn't cracked in half yet.

    Jim Bell's comment made me laugh. You know, Jim, I think Gia was on Lifetime (or something like that) last week. I caught a few minutes.

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  18. Joseph J. Finn12:46 PM

    Looking at her credits, it's kind of weird how little I've actually seen her in.  Parts of Hackers, Pushing Tin (which I do like her in) parts of Girl Interrupted (which I found boring), Sky Captain (meh) and Kung-Fu Panda (which I'm not putting in the asset or debit column for her though I enjoyed it a lot).  You'd think I would have seen more at some point.

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  19. I have a residual liking for her, even though she's likely insufferable in real life, and Wanted made me want to shoot myself. Seeing this would depend on the reviews, but the reviews have been kind enough for midsummer.  

    I don't know if I'd see this movie if it starred any *other* Hollywood actress.  Tilda, maybe?  Why hasn't Jennifer Garner done more action?  

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  20. isaac_spaceman12:59 PM

    Less likely. 

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  21. isaac_spaceman1:00 PM

    Jennifer Garner is actually not good at action.  Her fight scenes from Alias were not credible.  She ran like it hurt to run, and that was 10 years ago. 

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  22. Goghaway1:13 PM

    Maybe, but I have enormous goodwill for her because of this fight scene:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVVVCJC6hxg&feature=related

    I guess you could say a lot of it was the choreography and the way it was shot, but I remember watching this and being on the edge of my seat.

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  23. Adam C.2:09 PM

    Don't forget Daredevil, which probably marked the end of Hollywood consideration of Garner in action roles.  Not that she was necessarily the problem there.

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  24. Joseph J. Finn2:26 PM

    Sue me, but I'll defend Daredevil.  Is it X-Men 2 or Spider-Man 2?  No.  Is it enjoyable and a bit of a tear-jerker at times?  Yes.

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  25. Marsha2:36 PM

    I suppose I should note that I doubt I'll ever see Salt.

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  26. much less

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  27. StvMg3:21 PM

    She used to be an amazing guest on Tom Snyder's old show (the old show from the 90s, not the older show from the pre-Letterman era), but I haven't liked her in just about any of her movies other than Gia and Girl Interrupted. Of course, part of the reason is I'm not a big fan of action movies.

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  28. Robin3:23 PM

    Less likely.  I can't suspend my disbelief, all I see is the Celebrity Persona.  And I don't like that baby-collecting homewrecker. 

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  29. Jenn.3:58 PM

    I'd say that it depends on the review.  I didn't want to like Mr. & Mrs. Smith (given the cheating context), but I have to admit that I really enjoyed it.  Then again, I do enjoy a well-done summer action flick. 

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  30. patricia4:01 PM

    Somewhere between less likely and depends on the reviews.  She is someone whom I simply Do. Not. Get.  I don't really understand her attraction for other people- she just looks weird to me, all oversize boobs and oversize lips and lately, far too skinny.  I guess I can see it intellectually, that she is considered beautiful and why, but physically she does absolutely nothing for me.  And I feel like her acting isn't strong enough to hold up if you don't appreciate her physically.  I don't particularly care for her public persona (though I don't have any preference in the Jen-Brad-Ang drama).  But, I don't find her awful in movies I'm interested in seeing.  I'm more likely to want to see the action movies, rather than her dramatic roles, I guess.  Her performance in Girl, Interrupted annoyed me to pieces and I was seriously pissed that she won the Oscar for that.

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  31. Much less likely. I never for a minute forget that I'm watching Angelina Jolie, and she picks movies where that is an asset. Can't stand her.

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  32. Adam C-
    Don't forget Elektra- the 'not a sequel, but that's the least of our problems anyway' follow-up.

    You could probably make a case that Hollywood had already given up on her by that point, and made that one contractually.

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  33. I thought Despicable Me was utterly disposable.  Nice Lehman Bros gag, but otherwise, meh.

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  34. I thought she was quite good in The Kingdom in a contemporary action/detective part, but agreed that Garner doesn't quite have the pop to be a Big Huge Movie Star, though I think she's awesome.

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  35. Jennifer5:42 PM

    Depends on the plot of the movie, which is generally how I determine that I'll watch anything.

    I have a very mild interest in seeing this one, in the "if it's on TV some night when I'm home, I'll watch it" sort of way rather than "drag my ass to the theater" sort of way. Haven't done that since the Smith movie.

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  36. Hannah Lee7:10 PM

    <p><span>Less likely.</span>
    </p><p><span> </span>
    </p><p><span><span>She was pretty good in Gia and Playing God, way back when.<span>  </span>But since then her public life and persona have really overpowered any acting she’s done, for me. If I see a movie she’s in, I don’t see her character, I only see Jolie. And I’m not a fan of her public behavior, so that’s not a draw. And since all her movies are marketed as HER movies, not as movies she happens to be in, there’s no chance I’d get drawn into a movie in spite of her.<span>  </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></span>
    </p><p><span> </span>
    </p><p><span>The joined at the hip craziness with Billy Bob started my Jolie dislike, then the Mr & Mrs Smith thing (both the movie and the Domestic Bliss “pretend like we’re a 50’s family” photo shoot she did with Pitt (complete with a fake family)  </span><span>http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/archive/brad_pitt_angelina_jolie#slide=1</span><span> ) really sealed it.<span>  </span>I avoid Pitt’s films for the same reason, and I'm actually more likely to watch a Jolie movie than one of his.</span></p>

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  37. Adam C.10:21 PM

    Rick -- I did, in fact, forget Elektra.  But you're probably right that it was a contractual obligation.

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  38. Less likely.  I find her incredibly annoying. She never seems to blend into the film and become the character. I just don't understand the appeal.

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