Image Credit: http://ewinsidemovies.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/robin-hood-cannes_510.jpgLast year’s opening night Cannes movie, Up, ended up scoring a Best Picture nomination. But the Oscar gods haven’t been smiling on Robin Hood. Most of the prerelease reviews have been negative (including one from my EW colleague Owen Gleiberman, who calls the film a “dense, dark forest of high-minded murk”), director Ridley Scott’s recent knee surgery kept him from attending the festival, and wouldn’t you know it, the minute the movie’s post-party began last night here in France, it started to rain.
The film’s star, Russell Crowe, was still a trooper: He was the first cast member to arrive at the party, and when I left at 2 a.m., he was still there, alternating between whooping it up with his fellow “merry men” Scott Grimes and Kevin Durand and engaging in serious conversation with festival jury member Benicio Del Toro, who won his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Traffic the same year Crowe picked his up for Gladiator. We shouldn’t expect a repeat of Gladiator‘s Best Picture and Best Actor wins, however. Some of my Oscar-blogging pals I bumped into at the party wondered if Robin Hood might have a shot at nods in the costume design and cinematography races. My feeling is that its best shots will be in the sound races, with all that nifty whooshing whenever someone shoots an arrow across the forest. But if the film is as much of a box-office flop as some people are predicting it to be, then all bets are off.
I really wanted this to be really good (like ‘Gladiator’), but I’ll probably just rent it now. It’s 46% on RT – yikes!
Don’t let a bad review prevent you from going to see it. You might like it.
I still plan to see it. Film critics usually don’t like the films that the public ends up loving, and I sometimes have to remind myself there’s a reason they’re film critics and not actors, producers, screenwriters, directors, crew people, or studio executives.
First!!!!
That’s embarassing….
NOT FIRST!
A lou who zer er!
Spongebob – lol.
What a sad little man.
The trailer just looked like a “C” movie to begin with. I really did not have high hopes, especially when Russel Crowe screams with the 300/clash of the Titans/Braveheart style…something we’ve all seen way too many times.
I agree. I wish Hollywood would move beyond the cliches of Braveheart-style speeches and 300-style outcries.
Exactly! It has become a cliche, and I was hoping Ridley Scott would not have fallen into that trap, but alas…
@Will. It happened in Gladiator so it’s not anything new in Robin Hood. “What we do in life echos in eternity!” Come on boys. How else would you pump up the troops for battle? A silent reflection?
When will producers figure out that nobody wants to watch an aging obnoxious rude increasingly-heavier jerk like Russel Crowe?
As soon as they stop counting the money they’ve made from people watching Gladiator, 3:30 to Yuma, Master & Commander, and the residuals of the endless reruns of the Quick & the Dead on TBS.
Badly ill-informed. Crowe has been nothing but charming and funny in all his PR to date for the film as well as last year when he filmed it.
“Increasingly heavier” – obviously you have NOT seen him lately.
Jon, I will certainly pay to see Russell Crowe!
I remember renting “The Piano” because the critics loved it. What a waste of money!!!!
Russell Crowe was a trooper? As in did he ask Cate Blanchett for her license and registration? Did you mean “trouper”? As in part of an acting troupe?
Get off your high horse, I know what he mention and I believe that I’m not the only one. Stick to teaching your first graders.
Trent: Dave Karger is a professional writer and EW is a high-end entertainment magazine and web site. Correct spelling should be a priority and Margaret was right to point out the error. More and more, spelling and sentence construction is getting shoddier and shoddier, especially on web sites. That does not bode well for the content providers or their readers, on any level.
If only first graders would listen to teachers like Margaret, we’d have more literate people in this country who know correct grammar and punctuation, so back off, Trent!!
Trooper as in soldiering on, a legitimate usage. Might see the flick.
That’s how I interpreted it too.
No, it is not correct. The word ‘trouper’ means to rise to an occasion in spite of adversity, which was the context in which it was used. That is what Karger meant, not a convoluted version of ‘trooper’.
Margaret, “trouper” would be more accurate, but “trooper” plenty acceptable. Now go pet your cats and calm down.
Trooper is acceptable only if you don’t care about correct spelling, word usage, and context.
seriously, dude? get a life
—Idiom
6.
like a trooper, with great energy, enthusiasm, or display: He swears like a trooper.
Trouper: [informal] a person who is steady, dedicated, dependable, etc., especially during trying times (though we know russell crowe does swear like a trooper, and we love him for it!)
I am thinking it would be more accurate to write:
Trooper –idiom
6. Like a trouper, with great energy…He swears like a trouper.
A trooper being one who impersonates or personifies a trouper, in both deeds and words.
Oh yeah, the Gammar Police have arrived. Seriously, aren’t there more important things in the real world to be worried about?
Oh yeah, the “Gammar” police, huh? Is that anything like the speelling police? lol
I share your concern; however, my dictionary (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate, 11th Edition) gives the following third definition for “trooper”:
“3: TROUPER 2″
In other words, “trooper” has become an acceptable alternate spelling for this meaning of “trouper.”
Language changes over time. We can lament the passing of distinctions like this one (and I often do), but when a respected dictionary acknowledges a given spelling (without so much as a usage note!), it’s probably time to let go of our complaints about it.
you’re right. my dictionary has the number 6, sense 3 thing in it too. my bad. (at least russell’s wearing his trooper shades anyway!)
The Vicster
Thu 05/13/10 10:00 AM
First!!!!
HA… YOU MEAN DOUCHE??
The first time I saw the trailer I knew I had no interest in seeing this movie. It’s the whole “been-there-done-that” element of it all. Watch Russell Crowe swing another sword! Witness Cate Blanchett don yet another corset! Why?
absolutely! when will they figure it out! they’re supposed to be the movie experts, show us something new and interesting. robin hood, again, really? and russell crowe, again, really!
Joaquin Phoenix was pivotal in the success of Gladiator. His smarmy rendition of Commodus was paramount; besides, these epic films with well choreographed fight scenes and the obligatory accented villain, are starting to get played out!
So is the phrase “played out”.
I saw a preview screening of “Robin Hood” on Tuesday and really enjoyed it. It’s not a perfect movie but I think if people want to see a good epic movie, they’ll be satisfied. I completely enjoyed Russell Crowe’s and Cate Blanchett’s performances. The scenery and costumes were luscious.
I expect it to do as much as the King Arthur movie did a few years ago. The one with Kiera Knightly and Clive Owen? I think, don’t even remember. I wouldn’t be surprised if it made only 50 mil its entire run. It could surprise and make like 100-120m tops.
Who cares?
Another tired, worn out retread of the Robin Hood story? If these people knew their business they would have handed the movie over to Mel Brooks and ended up with a comedy hit.
I just saw the movie and to be honest it wasn’t that bad. Crowe versus strong works well and after a boring start the movie ends relatively strong. The amount of effort into the product is worth the ticket price alone.
Its booooring.
Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett are two of my favorites – which is the main reason I’ll go see this movie. who cares what the reviews say? All this talk of oscar awards and failed box office take already …. can the movie open first!!
That’s the reason I’m seeing it, too!