Matt Damon; so hot right now. In the last 24hrs we’ve had a high profile trailer and Coen Brothers’ casting news dropped on us, both involving Damon. And now, the trailer for Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus” has been released and suddenly we’re in it up to our necks in Damon. He must work out.
The trailer, on the other hand, is perplexing. We read (an early draft) the script last week and felt like “Invictus”‘ critical (and awards) success all depended on how much Eastwood played up to the textbook feel-goodery of the Cinderella sports story. If he tacked away from cliche, he might end up with something interesting. If he directed towards it, he’d most likely deliver a soft serve, high gloss “Miracle.” But enough about the script.
On one hand, the sun-bleached look of the film in the trailer is interesting, Morgan Freeman’s reading of the poem from which the story gets it’s title is kind of haunting, and Damon looks and sounds the part (is he wearing a prosthetic nose?). On the other hand, Freeman’s accent seems to fade in and out (as does Damon’s towards the end), and from the “From Director Clint Eastwood” title card on, the music kills the drama and waters down the dialogue (especially Damon’s last line).
For more evidence of how music can drive a trailer’s potential into the ground, see Pete Jackson’s trailer for “The Lovely Bones.” [Apple]
