Misleading Movie Marketing

Hey, Hollywood: it's only gonna work for so long, you know.

The new trend in Hollywood is to market movies as up-beat mass market entertainment whether they are or not. "Sideways" was one example. The movie was promoted as though it were a jolly buddy flick, following the light-hearted hijinks of two friends as they drive through California's wine country. [micro-spoiler-alert!] What they don't tell you in the trailer is that the main character is a self-loathing clinically depressed dick who steals hundreds of dollars from his own mother in the first few minutes of the film.

Hey, it's a well-written, wonderfully acted flick, but it is not the kooky buddy romp it is promoted to be.

"Million Dollar Baby" is in the same mold. I'm no social conservative, but Michael Medved is, gulp, right when he says the movie's promotional campaign grossly misrepresents what it is about. It is not, as the studio would like you to believe, a heartfelt female version of "Rocky."

Again, it's a well-written, strongly-acted piece of film-making, but it ain't the movie it's advertised to be. I don't happen to have strong personal feelings on the movie's message, but I still would have liked to know what I was going to be seeing before I bought my ticket. I just wanted to see Clint, and Morgan Freeman, and some spiffy new speed-bag routines. I wasn't in the mood for a big message vehicle.

Guess I'll be doin' a little more homework before heading to the theater in future. Stick that in your box office sideways, Hollywood.