KevinJames Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Just last month I wondered why Kevin James comes off as so comically inoffensive. Most of you commented on his lack of starring roles, and the fact that he hasn't been in our faces enough to inspire the vitriol spewed towards the likes of other disappointing funny men.

But now that might change -- Variety reports that the producers behind Paul Blart: Mall Cop are giving James another starring role, this time in Frank Coraci's The Zookeeper. Just call him Kevin 'The Keeper of Public Places' James. For this flick, written by Jay Sherick and David Ronn, James will play a zookeeper who plans to leave his job because he can't seem to meet a girl, only to have the animals intervene. Move over Ace Ventura!

Producer Todd Garner says that James was always a first choice because of his talents in physical comedy. Maybe, I guess, but I at least hope that they don't shuffle him into this unrealistically goofy and out-to-lunch Blartish role again. James is better with the sarcasm (just watch him talk about renting a car), and to leave that behind could very well thrust him into Murphy disappointment in a jiff.

I was watching Happy Gilmore the other day and I thought to myself, "Where did this guy go?" Adam Sandler comedies aren't for everyone -- they're silly and stupid and one step above an hour and a half of Yo Mama jokes (which isn't necessarily a bad thing -- remember how well it worked out for that scene in White Men Can't Jump ...). These days, however, amidst the Apatow and the Rogen and the Rudd, I'm finding it hard to locate those random Sandler die-hards. I know it's sad to say, but I don't think I've laughed during an Adam Sandler movie since Punch Drunk Love in 2002 ... and that wasn't even an "Adam Sandler movie", but more of a movie that starred Adam Sandler.

Which brings us to today, and an announcement in Variety that Sandler is reteaming with pretty much all the guys who've made crappy films with him in the past: Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade and director Dennis Dugan (Zohan). The film, which will begin shooting this summer, doesn't have a title but is described as a high-concept story about five best friends from high school who reunite 30 years later on Fourth of July weekend. Not sure what's high-concept about that (do they all turn into superheroes?), but we'll see where they take it. With all these guys, it'll either turn out to be the biggest piece of cow dung to ever hit the screen ... or maybe, just maybe, there's some funny to be had.

What do you folks think? Can Adam Sandler make another funny movie? And can he do it with this all-star Sandler cast?

How Kevin James managed to open a movie called Paul Blart: Mall Cop to the tune of $39 million in the middle of January may become one of those cosmic mysteries, like the origin of the universe and what the "Frost Glacier Freeze" flavor of Gatorade actually is. It's kind of astonishing, and a little disturbing. What drew people, exactly? Was it the part in the trailer where he tries a rolling maneuver but misses and has to painfully drag his fat self behind a mall billboard?

Two halfway-decent newcomers languished in third and fourth, though I would think that both My Bloody Valentine and Notorious are happy with their circa-$24 million 4-day bows. Notorious, in particular, opened on just over 1,600 screens, giving it the best per-screen average on the chart. Hotel for Dogs landed just below the two with $22.5 million -- also pretty good for a fairly anonymous little family film opening against a higher-profile family film.

As a footnote, $19.7 million of My Bloody Valentine's $24.24 million came from its pricier 3-D playdates, showing that 3-D is a considerable draw (and perhaps also that filmgoers are savvy to the fact that these films play in 3-D in some theaters and in 2-D in others).

Defiance expanded into wide release, ending up with a $10.7 million holiday weekend, which seems roughly commensurate with its failed Oscar hopes. Gran Torino and Slumdog Millionare both held up well, with the latter actually seeing a gain compared to last weekend, even if you don't count Monday (and even though its screen count dropped slightly).

The full 4-day top 10 after the jump.

The other night I was sitting on my friend's couch, and while watching some television, an advertisement for Paul Blart: Mall Cop popped up. It was a bit painful to watch. (Well, really painful, but I was pitifully attempting to be nice.) However, rather than evoking a "that's not my thing" reaction, or a rant about the deterioration of Hollywood, it was like watching that earnest and untalented kid at the talent show who is trying their hardest, but just not getting a good reaction from the audience. You feel for them, but know that it's a lost cause.

As Kevin James' Paul Blart hunched down and weaved through the queue ropes, my friend said that he had nothing against James, but that the "funny" guy's roles were awful. This came from a guy who enjoys chastising the foibles of Hollywood -- the one who doesn't pull any punches.

That led me to think: What is it about Kevin James that comes off as entirely inoffensive, even when his work looks downright terrible? From what I've seen, he doesn't evoke the same vehemence saved for the likes of modern-day Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, or other comedians making questionable cinematic moves.

Is it because he didn't have a solid start to build love and fandom, so less disappointed vehemence bubbles out? The same could be said about Dane Cook, but I think his naysayers come much more from a place of a rebellion against Cook's fandom. Is his earnestness that palpable that we just can't bring ourselves to rip him apart? Do we expect that little of him?

A new video is floating around the internets today, and it appears to be of the viral variety. Really? They're using viral videos to market movies now? When did that start becoming the hottest new trend evah?! Anyway, this particular video (see above) seems to be related to that new Kevin James flick Mall Cop (or Paul Blart: Mall Cop), since, well, it features Kevin James playing a loser-ish mall cop. Directed by Steve Carr (Mama's Boy, Daddy Day Care), James stars as a mild-mannered mall cop who is called to action when a group of organized crooks strike his sacred consumer land.

The video above, however, attempts to set up James' character by showing you how he handles a pesky skateboarder (played by Mike Vallely) who's in the middle of shooting one of those "lets skate around and destroy property" amateur videos. It's not a trailer, so don't judge the entire flick on what you see above -- but I will admit to laughing a couple of times (especially towards the end) while watching. Sure, we've been there and done that when it comes to your typical mall cop cliches, though I'm interested to see how well James carries a film all on his own. Dude definitely has some funny in him -- whaddya think?

Mall Cop hits theaters on [cough] January 16, 2009.

Like dueling asteroids and meteors, like competing Truman Capotes, two separate comedies about the world of mall security are moving forward. And The Hollywood Reporter today gave word that the Kevin James comedy Mall Cop -- not, of course, to be confused with the just-announced Seth Rogen film Observe and Report -- is moving forward with casting. Epic Movie "star" Jayma Mays (who the keen-eyed among you will also recognize from Ugly Betty, Heroes and Pushing Daisies) will be playing James' love interest, while Keir O'Donnell (Wedding Crashers) will be playing a fellow security officer. (The Hollywood Reporter piece also contains spoilers, so those of you who wish to have your enjoyment of Kevin James unsullied by too much information may wish to be cautious about clicking through).

Of course, just as with Armageddon versus Deep Impact or Capote versus Infamous, the final arbiter of victory for Mall Cop and Observe and Report will be the audience -- so which are you more interested in seeing? James, or Rogen? Or will your inner polyester-clad authority figure split the difference and compel you to see both? And finally, heretical as it is to apply historical perspective to big-concept comedies, didn't Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn already make this movie?

When news first came about Mall Cop, it was clear it had to be a kids' movie. Reminiscent of Home Alone, it features a burglary attempt at a mall. But it stars Kevin James rather than a kid or bunch of kids as the person who thwarts the criminals' plan. Still likely a slapstick-heavy comedy, it just doesn't have the same appeal as a movie where kids outsmart adults. Then Steve Pink, who co-wrote Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity, came on board to script the thing. Suddenly it sounded like it could be a little wittier than originally expected. However, now we're back to square one, because Variety reports that Mall Cop will be directed by Steve Carr. In case you aren't familiar with the guy's work, here's a sampling: Dr. Doolittle 2; Are We Done Yet?; Daddy Day Care; Rebound. All PG movies. Sure, his first movie, Next Friday, wasn't for kids, but he certainly seems on track to deliver only family friendly films these days.

So far, James has been pretty successful in his transition from TV to movies. Of course, it helped that in his two hit comedies he was the co-star of Will Smith and then Adam Sandler. Mall Cop will be his first vehicle as sole star unless some big name comedian is cast as one of the burglars. Considering Happy Madison is producing, that big name would have to be Sandler. With little chance of that casting happening, though, James could settle for a lesser co-star in Happy Madison regular Rob Schneider. However, then we'd again be wishing that young Macaulay Culkin was in this thing, since Schneider played one of the many semi-baddies in Home Alone 2. Honestly, I'd settle to see any kid in there -- even a young Erik Davis -- instead of James. I guess the title wouldn't make much sense then, though.

It hasn't even been a month since it was announced that the fake gay fireman King of Queens, Kevin James, was going to write, produce, and star in an upcoming comedy called Mall Cop. The comedy is about a "mild-mannered security guard thrust into action when his mall is taken over by highly organized thieves." James has written an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, as well as a bunch of eps for his own show, but this is his first feature -- and it looks like it hit a little bit of a snag. Variety reports that Steve Pink has been picked to "pen a draft" of the Happy Madison/Columbia film.

Sure, scripts get re-written all the time, but I wonder how this will work when they get the new script back, rather than a plain spruce, since James is both starring and producing as well. Will he accept Pink's draft as is? Will this become a big back-and-forth deal? He's the guy delivering the lines, after all. But they won't have long to finalize this -- assuming that the strike still happens next summer, the plan is to start production this Spring and get it wrapped beforehand.

The good news in this -- Pink hit it out of the ballpark with his first two screenplays -- John Cusack's Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity. He hasn't put another out since -- although he is in line for Fletch Won and The Prom. He has, however, kept busy with other projects, such as helming the Justin Long comedy, Accepted. They haven't picked a director yet, so I wouldn't be surprised if he signs on for that as well. Excited yet? I know I am ... well, not really.

Confession time: When I was young, like 10 or so, I had a very vivid imagination. Sometimes, when I couldn't sleep at night (and this is before girls entered the picture, just so you know) I'd imagine myself in ridiculous situations where, ultimately, I could save the day. Since I was always at the mall (big shout out to the Staten Island Mall -- holla!), occasionally I'd concoct a day-dream that involved armed men taking over the mall, with me as the only one who could put a stop to it. I know, I was 10 -- what can I say? Don't you love these little personal stories? Anyway, Kevin James somehow snuck into my dreams and decided to turn them into a feature-length movie. Damn him!

Variety reports that James will write, produce and star in a comedy called Mall Cop. And if you paid any attention to my previous paragraph, you probably already know what it's about. Yup, James will play a mild-mannered security guard who's forced to take action when a group of organized thieves take over his mall. Look for plenty of product placement and mall cop jokes to ensue. Columbia Pictures will shovel this one out, with Happy Madison producing -- which means, yes, Rob Schneider will most likely show up in some capacity. While I like James, he still hasn't convinced me he can hold down an entire film by himself. But it's an idea that has potential, so we'll see where they go with it. No director, cast, production schedule or random Adam Sandler cameo has been announced at this time.

I really loved the early Adam Sandler comedies, but his comedic output has been pretty grim lately. I expected better things from I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry for two reasons: co-screenwriters Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. Along with the involvement of Steve Buscemi (and I'll be honest, the Jessica Biel underwear shot in the trailer), seeing Payne and Taylor's names in the credits had me downright excited to see the film. They're two of my favorite screenwriters -- Citizen Ruth, Election, Sideways, the beautiful About Schmidt -- these dudes can write. They did an uncredited polish on one of my favorite comedies of this decade -- Meet the Parents -- and I had high hopes that they'd take the struggling Sandler formula into similar territory. I hoped they'd make Chuck and Larry darker, more interesting, more truthful. And apparently they did. You just won't see that version on the screen. Over at Hollywood Elsewhere, Jeffrey Wells discusses the Payne/Taylor draft of the film.

According to Wells, the Payne/Taylor version "is way more invested in realism -- recognizable human behavior, logical bits and plot turns, real-seeming textures. It's obviously a "comedy" but the tone is less slap-sticky, more naturalistic." Wells discusses a lot of differences between the Payne/Taylor script and what wound up in theaters (like a Sandler/James kiss that didn't make it to the final cut), and closes by writing "I've thought and thought about this, and I know a Payne-Taylor version would have gone over better than the one opening on Friday. I know it. Certainly with the critics and the genuinely serious comedy fans (i.e., the ones who own DVDs of Some Like It Hot and Tootsie and Flirting With Disaster)." I do often wonder how many Hollywood movies start out in script form as strong and original and different and weird, and wind up lifeless and unimaginative and boring and stale. I'd imagine a whole lot of crappy films started out great on the page. I hear all these horror stories from writers who had their visions massacred by studios and executives, stars and directors, and it makes me sad. I'll still see the film (hey, it's got to be better than Click, right?), but with lowered expectations. If you get Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor to work on your script, doesn't it make sense to listen to absolutely everything they have to say?