Rumours Of A Knightley/Carrell Project

Rumours have started today of a possible film in which Keira Knightley will star alongside Steve Carrell for the first time. Deadline reported that Knightley is considering a role in the upcoming film 'Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World' (long title I know), which will mark the directorial debut of Lorene Scafaria. If Knightley takes the role she may be starring opposite American funnyman Steve Carrell who is tipped to play the male lead.

Carrell's character is set to be a man who finds himself all alone on the bring of an apocalypse and decides to travel the country looking for his high school sweetheart accompanied by his neighbour (Knightley). I've got to say that this sounds pretty pants. I'm imagining the two in a scene together and what I'm getting isn't particularly good. I doubt the two will work well together. Knightley's very English and proper persona will surely clash with the laid back comedy of Carrell. Maybe this will work but I don't get it yet. The film is due to start in May and the genre? Rom-com. Shit.

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                                   The 40 Year Old Virgin Review
                                 
                                   

Date Night (2010)

Carell's Best Film - 4/5

So I saw this film yesterday called 'Date Night' with the ever wonderful Steve Carell. I've got to say, I think this is my favourite Carell film to date. When you think about it, Carell has really not been on the big scene for very long. The first thing I saw him in was 'Anchorman' and that was only in 2003. For the amount of time he has been around it is amazing at just how successful he has become. The reason why I say 'Date Night' is his best film yet is that it differs somewhat from everything else he has done. 'Evan Almighty' was exactly like 'Bruce Almighty' which didn't differ enormously from 'The 40 Year Old Virgin'. In fact the only two films other than this one that I found him memorable in were 'Dan In Real Life' and 'Little Miss Sunshine' again because these were films unlike what we had seen from him before. Although Carell brings his normal brand of outlandish comedy to us again in 'Date Night', he manages to do so with much more emotion and a more genuine feel to his performance.

The stand out for me in this one was Tina Fey's role as Carell's wife Claire. I never knew she was so funny! Her quirkiness and alternative style to comedy fitted this film so well. We normally see Carell with wife that a man of his personality would never get but here we get a perfect match in which they were both able to bounce off each other and come up with some very funny stuff.

Possibly the funniest moment of the film was a nice double act scene with James Franco and Mila Kunis. Kunis has made a very quick leap to stardom recently having only been involved in blockbuster films since 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' in 2008. Franco has made an almost equally rapid journey to success and in this scene we can clearly see why. The two work so well with each other and even though it was just a fleeting moment of hilarity it was my favourite scene of the film.

This film brought to the table real life emotional events mixed with hilarity and absurdity and left me with a smile on my face. I would recommend this to anyone.

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

Barrel of Laughs - 3.5/5

So I saw this film called 'The 40 Year Old Virgin'. It's a barrel of laughs isn't it? With a stellar cast including funny-men Steve Carrell and Seth Rogen you can't help but find this film hilarious. There's a guy in this called Gerry Bednob too! Add to this a title which tells you straight from the start that this is going to make you laugh and you've got yourself a movie. Now I won't pretend it's the funniest film out there but it is genuinely laugh out loud hilarious in places. Judd Apatow delivers his brand of comedy and it appeals to almost everyone.
I must digress slightly here as I remember what a friend said to me last night in the pub. What is Seth Rogen's main film? In popular films he features but rarely plays a big role. I know he was the main character in 'Observe and Report' and to a degree 'Pineapple Express' but somehow he manages to fade into the background. Everybody loves him but when I was asked the question I was like uhhhhhh... You probably think I'm crazy and disagree with me but it's something to think about.
Back to the film then. I didn't like Romany Malco's character Jay one bit and I don't think he was acted as well as he should have been. You put in the token black guy of the group and make him a stereotypical 'bitch' hunter. It's wearing a bit thin. Why not swap his character with Seth Rogen's? That could have made for some funnier stuff.What I liked about how this film was laid out however was that, in places, you could see the actors bringing in their own material and it's nice to see that, you know that the actors are having a laugh and this draws you in to having a laugh with them. Parts of the storyline sagged slightly and the ending did let it down a bit but overall I'd say it was a success.
Would I recommend it? If you want some laughs, go for it.