While Steven Spielberg’s recent announcement of “Harvey” as his next film may have come as a surprise, the reasons behind it, once considered, aren’t all that shocking. With Dreamworks inking a new 5 year, 30 picture distribution deal with The Walt Disney Company (who will release the films under their Touchstone Pictures banner) earlier this year, there is little doubt that Spielberg wants his first film under this new agreement to have little room for failure. As we suggested in our initial story, and confirmed by Deal Memo, this project really did just cross Spielberg’s desk in the past week and seems more like a calculated business move than something close to the director’s heart.
It’s not like Spielberg hasn’t had a well publicized run of potential projects lined up, but it’s easy to see why none of them were greenlit. Given the current economic climate, and the fact that period pics are never an easy sell, it’s no surprise that Spielberg’s dream project, “Lincoln” is once again on the backburner (like his friend Stanley Kubrick, will this become his “Napoleon”?). His involvement in the remake “Old Boy”, which had many fanboys furrowing their brows, was never really in the running given its shocking, brave and perverse twist ending, unless it had a total script overhaul that would essentially neuter it. “Chicago 7” seems to have died quietly, while “Matt Helm” was stymied by studio politics. Dreamworks’ former pals, Paramount, owned the project, meaning that if Spielberg were to come aboard, they would have to pay his directorial fee which would be kind of be like buying new clothes for your ex-girlfriend.
So with all those factors considered, “Harvey” must’ve looked like a slam dunk as Spielberg thumbed its pages. It’s a “Forrest Gump”-esque story, with the kind of lead character (slightly damaged, but non-threatening) that Oscar voters love and filled with a gooey emotional center that will make the Oprah-set weep.
But is this really a safe choice? The premise, about a man who’s best friend is a six-foot tall invisible rabbit was kind of corny back in 1950, but its folksy wisdom combined with the everyman charm of the clean cut James Stewart made it work – for its time. While the announcement of Spielberg’s take on the material made sure to mention it will be a “modern” adaptation, at the end of the day, it’s still a movie about a guy whose best friend is an invisible rabbit. Hello plausible CGI effects? Or still enshrouded in shadows? This thing won’t play if it’s “Roger Rabbit.”Spielberg’s Achilles heel has always been his proclivity to turn on the waterworks, but with material this frontloaded with sap we worry about the director being unable to climb out from under the sentiment to tell a decent story. Will this turn into an absurdist “Seven Pounds”? Look how that movie turned out for Will Smith and obviously there was no Oscar to be found there.
For the film to work, Spielberg is going to need one hell of a script (ahem, anyone have a draft they want to share?) and a leading man that will pull it off without cramming the emotion down the audiences’ throat. The two leading contenders for the job are longtime Spielberg buddy Tom Hanks, and new pal Will Smith (who he was working with on the “Old Boy” remake). While Tom Hanks has done his fair share of cue-up-the-strings-seven-hankies-required performances, he is quite capable of toning it down when required, and if he can find the right balance, he may just be able to make it work. Will Smith on the other hand only seems to sign up for dramatic roles that require big gestures coupled with overreaching dramatic payoffs. We don’t see him in the role without the film become very cloying, very quickly. But again, a man befriending an invisible rabbit? Do they never show it? Is a modern audience going to buy it if they do or even if they don’t regardless? There’s a thin line of tone here that could go horribly wrong and obviously Spielberg’s strength isn’t exactly emotional perfect pitch.
In many ways, “Harvey” is going to be Spielberg’s riskiest film since “1941.” Unlike any film except maybe “A.I.,” “Harvey” is going to force Spielberg to face one of his shortcomings as a filmmaker head on. It’s going to take the perfect mix of a strong script, careful lead performance and directorial acumen to pull it off and we’re going to be very curious to see how this one plays out.