ken kwapis Tagged Articles at Cinematical

It has been a depressing month. First Scott told me that Jennifer Connelly is just not that into me. And today the Hollywood Reporter informs me that Jennifer Aniston feels the same way. In He's Just Not That Into You, Miss Aniston will play a role just bursting with originality -- "a woman in a long-term relationship with a boyfriend who will not commit to marriage." Aniston joins one of the most attractive casts in recent memory. You've got the previously mentioned Jennifer Connelly, Entourage's "E" Kevin Connolly (that's going to get confusing on set), Bradley Cooper (the jerk boyfriend in Wedding Crashers), Justin Long (who should be commended for not ruining Live Free or Die Hard), Ginnifer Goodwin (the youngest wife on Big Love, I've got a huge crush on her), and Drew Barrymore (you know who Drew Barrymore is, right?).

Barrymore is also a co-producer on the film, which will be directed by Ken Kwapis (director of License to Wed - boo! But also several episodes of The Office - yay!). The script was written by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein (writers of Barrymore's Never Been Kissed, which I enjoyed more than I expected to). It is based on the wildly popular book by ex-Sex and the City writers Liz Tuccillo and Greg Behrendt (if you never saw Behrendt's daytime talk show, you're a luckier person than I). It's good to see Aniston returning to romantic comedy after...oh wait, that's pretty much all she does. She does it well though. After Rumor Has It almost caused me to walk out (and I was on an airplane!), she hit me with the one-two punch of Friends With Money and The Break-Up. I liked both of those a lot. Into You is set in Baltimore and will consist of "interconnecting story arcs dealing with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior." Interconnecting story arcs set in Baltimore, eh? Any chance we can tie this all in to The Wire somehow? Brilliant as that show is, I always felt it could use a romantic comedy element.

For those of you currently in the middle of writing your wedding vows, might I suggest including the following: "I vow to never to force you to watch License to Wed against your will ... even if it does look sweeter than a piece of apple pie." Harmless squabbles between two people in love are hard enough to watch when you're one of those people. Well, imagine spending 90 minutes right smack in the middle of someone else's argument -- one that's so trivial and meaningless, the thought of knocking yourself out quickly becomes the best idea you've had in years. And half-way through License to Wed, I imagine everyone involved felt the same way; after a somewhat humorous start and one decent set piece, the film becomes duller than a two-hour PowerPoint presentation on how to pick the right wedding hall. Chock-full of more "seen it" and "done it" moments than the latest Scary Movie entry, do yourself a favor and say "I don't" to License to Wed when it comes time to walk down the aisle at your local cineplex later this weekend.

It's a shame, really, because License to Wed sports a cast capable of way more laughs than this. Making his big-screen debut in a starring role, John Krasinski (The Office) plays Ben Murphy; the type of character Ben Stiller channels in his sleep -- the dim-witted "voice of reason" who can't seem to do or say the right thing no matter what the situation. After a "here's how they got together" montage, Ben proposes to his girlfriend, Sadie (Mandy Moore), and the two are on their way to planning a fantastic wedding. Only problem is Sadie wants to exchange vows in her hometown church under the guidance of Reverend Frank (Robin Williams); the eccentric spiritual leader who baptized her. And with the only available slot three weeks away, Reverend Frank insists the couple attend a rigorous marriage prep course that takes invasion of ones privacy to a level that's not only awkward, but also a tad creepy. Do they have what it takes to keep it cool and stay together long enough to get hitched? Trust me, you won't care.

Is there anything funnier than taking a kid, especially one who is having a rough or sluggish go of things, and put him in an unreal situation? Or, better yet, make him a child prodigy, an every-man's Doogie Howser? Well, probably, but we still seem to eat these things up with a spoon. The latest in the thrush: the story of a high school slacker who needs something extra-curricular for his college applications. Instead of joining a club, helping senior citizens or the usual teen activities, he decides that he will run for mayor. Of course, since this is the land of cinema and surprise, he wins.

The Hollywood Reporter says that "he realizes that getting into college was the easy part," but I wonder if that should be "becoming mayor was the easy part" since the plot is only talking about his application, not admission. Then again, the kid could have to deal with mayoral duties from college, so we'll see. Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse are currently writing the script for Ken Kwapis to direct. Kwapis has helmed a bunch of television episodes from Freaks and Geeks to The Bernie Mac Show, and he's also the guy behind He Said, She Said and The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants. Although it will probably be a while before this project gets really up and running, you can see his work in the upcoming License to Wed -- that weird comedy with Robin Williams, Mandy Moore and John Krasinski.

According to Variety, director Ken Kwapis, whose resume includes the less-than-stellar feature The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the upcoming License to Wed and the pilot of TV's The Office has been tapped to direct the relationship comedy He's Just Not That Into You for New Line Cinema. The project, based on the bestselling book by former Sex and the City writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, is being produced by the super-cute Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen through their Flower Films production company.

No word yet on casting for the film, and particularly whether Barrymore will actually be in the movie or will just be producing. Since it seems so much up her alley, I think it's only a matter of time before an announcement is made that Barrymore will star in the film. Really, this is exactly the kind of project she usually likes to make. Romantic comedies with quirky relationships, big obstacles, some hardships and love finally conquering all at the end. Go watch The Wedding Singer, Fever Pitch or 50 First Dates. On top of that, the writers who are adapting this film from the book, Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, also wrote another romantic comedy in which Barrymore starred, the somewhat delightful Never Been Kissed. No word yet on a start or release date for the film either.