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kristen gore Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Catherine Keener, James Marsden and Tracey Morgan Get 'Nailed'

Filed under: Comedy », Independent », Romance », Casting », Newsstand »

This is one of those movies that has a premise so incredibly bizarre, yet has cast so strong, that I figure there is some promise I am simply not seeing. David O. Russell's romantic comedy Nailed already stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel, and The Hollywood Reporter says that the film has now added Catherine Keener, James Marsden and Tracy Morgan to the cast.

The plot follows a naive waitress, Alice, who is shot in the head with a nail. The injury causes her behavior to be erratic and outrageous (the IMDb says it causes her to become a sexually adventurous bombshell), and she heads to Washington to campaign on behalf of better health care for the freakishly injured. She ends up falling for a young and clueless new congressman, who must summon up his political courage to save her. Biel plays the waitress, Gyllenhaal the congressman. Keener will be playing a self-serving congresswoman, and Marsden the small-town boyfriend of Alice. Hopefully he's not the one who shot her with a nail. Morgan's character has yet to be decided.

Like I said, there is probably something I am not seeing. The script is penned by Russell and Kristen Gore, so the charm must lie there. But is the waitress' naivete the reason she was shot in the head? Or is she naive because she thinks her insurance will cover the cost of her injury? And must James Marsden lose a girl not only to Wolverine, to Superman and to Patrick Dempsey, but to Congressman Jake Gyllenhaal too?

To be fair, I'm willing to give Mr. Russell a fair shot after the surprisingly unique Three Kings -- although people still keep dissuading me from seeing I Heart Huckabees.

David O. Russell Finds Next Directing Project -- You Got A Problem With That!?

Filed under: Comedy », Deals », Newsstand »

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in front of the camera, David O. Russell (Three Kings, Outrageous YouTube Video) strikes again -- this time, by attaching himself to the Columbia Pictures comedy Sammy's Hill. Pic will be based on Kristin Gore's novel ... and if that name sounds familiar, it's because she's Al Gore's daughter. Screw Washington, this family belongs in Hollywood baby! Russell will pen the screenplay, as well as direct; currently, there's no word on whether anger management classes were part of the deal.

Book tells the story of a girl desperately trying to balance her career as a congressional aide on Capitol Hill, while at the same time attempting to find love in the seedy, depressing, money-hungry town. Doug Wick, who's producing along with Lucy Fisher and Red Wagon, says the film "will do for Washington D.C. what Talladega Nights did for race car driving." Wait, so audiences will feel the urge to camp outside the next congressional meeting with a few kegs of Budweiser? I don't get it. However, the book is then compared to Thank You for Smoking and Election -- two of my favorite dark comedies in recent years -- and so if Russell can somehow manage to churn out a smart, successful comedy without accidentally killing one of the cast members, Sammy's Hill could be a film to watch out for.

 
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