steve carell - Jezebel

posts about #stevecarell more →
Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
Tina Fey's Date Night Looks Promising
The 41-Year-Old Virgin?
Jon Krasinski & Conan O'Brien Do "The Marionette"
Loose Lips
It's A Stretch For Steve Carell
The Battle Of The Bombs: Get Smart vs. The Love Guru
Loose Lips
Amy Winehouse's Dad Steps In: Is She Grounded?

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

Jack_Burton
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
Call me jaded, but I think this trailer smells funky - I predict a better movie than this portends, based on the talent.
Reply

Jack_Burton was starred Jack_Burton was unstarred

cand86
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
This could be totally fun . . . I dig the mail-order hubby concept. And Steve Carell can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned!
Reply

cand86 was starred cand86 was unstarred

limber
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
I am completely excited about "Date Night", and will likely totally watch something called "Mail Order Groom". Then again, I generally avoid the rom-coms with Kate Hudson or Sarah Jessica Parker -- the ones that look like they're cinematic decoupage from leftover women's magazines. (The only upcoming romcom that's remotely caught my interest is the Amy Adams-in-Ireland one coming up, and that's mostly because of Ireland.)

But funny people who are apparently in a functioning relationship and might behave like thinking beings rather than paper dolls? Sign me up.
Reply

limber was starred limber was unstarred

NorthernLite
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
My gawd, the harshness in comments below - it burns.

I'm a writer who would crawl across country on my belly to have Tina (or Amy Poehler) say just one of my lines. I actually like the mail-order premise. But not just saying that in a suck-uppy way. Because I will add that I think Date Night could be the failure Tina's overdue for. Sad smiley.

And speaking of plots that sound familiar - does any smarty-pants here know of a way to research plots of movies/ plays? (I.e., you input a description/ logline, up pop the titles of "similar" matches.) Because I've been incubating an idea I really like, but feel like it's really close to something that's been done already.
Reply

Edited by NorthernLite at 12/17/09 2:08 PM NorthernLite was starred NorthernLite was unstarred

JRae
12/17/09

@NorthernLite: Everything has already been done. It's how you do it that matters...

I understand you don't want someone to be like "hey that's just such-and-such movie!" though. :P
Reply

Jack_Burton promoted this comment JRae was starred JRae was unstarred

HannahBethD
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
Could someone explain to me why I'm supposed to find Eastern Europeans hilarious?

I know a few, good senses of humor all of them. But this is more playing off the 'Unsophisticated Foreigner' concept that chaps my ass.
Reply

HannahBethD was starred HannahBethD was unstarred

Dalinae
12/17/09

@HannahBethD: Because they, hahaha... they... *chortle* have had a really tough last 600 years, and hahhahhah are poor and *snort* unaware of subtle Western conventions and here's the funniest part - they don't know their fish knife from their bread knife.
Reply

rhymeswithfeather promoted this comment Dalinae was starred Dalinae was unstarred

rhymeswithfeather
12/17/09

@Dalinae: That made me LOL. But yeah, this seems like a tried-and-true "look at the funny foreigner" type of plot. Sigh.
Reply

rhymeswithfeather was starred

Dave J.
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
Someone needs to put Mindy Kaling and Aziz Ansari in a rom-com. Now that is some shit that I would watch.
Reply

Dave J. was starred Dave J. was unstarred

SUNNY1
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
It's 2009. How is the "I walked into a glass door" gimmick still funny? It's as tired as the "man got hit in the crotch" joke. Or am I just being crabby on both counts?
Reply

SUNNY1 was starred SUNNY1 was unstarred

justcallmespartacus
12/17/09

@SUNNY1: Barney's movie had heart, but Football In The Groin had a football in the groin.
Reply

bluebears promoted this comment

GirlFailer
12/17/09

@SUNNY1: Have you ever seen someone walk into a glass door in real life? Walking into glass doors will always be funny.
Reply

GirlFailer was starred GirlFailer was unstarred

SUNNY1
12/17/09

@GirlFailer: I guess I find it funny in real life because it's so random and unexpected. Whereas in movies, I find it played out.
However, I am also an ogre, especially this week. So don't pay me any mind.
Reply

SUNNY1 was starred SUNNY1 was unstarred

GirlFailer
12/17/09

@SUNNY1: I agree, it is funnier in real life. Ogre away, my friend.
Reply

GirlFailer was starred GirlFailer was unstarred

Zombies make the heart grow fonder
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
Is anyone else a little over Tina Fey always playing a woman who can't find a man? Mean Girls...Baby Momma? Anyone?
Reply

bluebears
12/17/09

@Zombies make the heart grow fonder: uh, yes. As much as I love 30 Rock I'm also over jokes about what a "fatass" she is.
Reply

bluebears was starred bluebears was unstarred

judgingamy
12/17/09

@Zombies make the heart grow fonder: Thank you! I was just going to write that. In real life, she's still a smart, beautiful successful woman, except she has a kid and a husband. Not that that makes you complete or anything, but it seems misleading to have her constantly play this character when a lot of her is like her.
Reply

judgingamy was starred judgingamy was unstarred

Zombies make the heart grow fonder
12/17/09

@bluebears: It's all so "aw shucks, I am so successful. Guess I'll never find a guy who can appreciate me. Gee whiz"
Reply

morninggloria
12/17/09

@Zombies make the heart grow fonder: It's also sort of annoying because (at least on 30 Rock) she's always attracting hot guys. Jon Hamm? That guy who turned out to be her cousin? Even (as annoying as his character was) Wayne Brady.
Reply

morninggloria was starred morninggloria was unstarred

meritxell: an erotic life
12/17/09

@Zombies make the heart grow fonder: Agreed. I mean I "get" that it's supposed to be ironic when contrasted with her success, but it's a fine line to walk and I think 30 Rock isn't doing it well when people are getting exasperated with the constant jokes about how ugly/fat/lame Liz Lemon is, while Tina Fey is widely known to be hot/slender/not-lame.

After awhile it ceases to be ironic funny and just starts feeling like the honchos actually think that Tina Fey = fug.
Reply

Edited by meritxell: an erotic life at 12/17/09 11:22 AM

bluebears
12/17/09

@morninggloria: good point. I don't mind it so much when, like a couple weeks ago they poke fun at how she looks on TV but just in day to day life? She's clearly attractive and like you say, clearly attractive to men on the show.
Reply

bluebears was starred bluebears was unstarred

ameliabearhart
12/17/09

@Zombies make the heart grow fonder: I don't know, I actually think that on 30 Rock she's starting to make fun of that whole idea. Remember when she desperately wanted a baby? That storyline is basically dead in the current episodes--because it's supposed to show that Liz Lemon falls for what she thinks (i.e., what she's told) will make her happy. And in terms of how good she looks, I think that's supposed to be a joke as well as a defense mechanism. Jokewise, Fey is reminding us that if she wasn't so famous, she wouldn't be considered beautiful. And in the show, she still attracts really good looking guys because she is simultaneously milking the rom com fantasy, but pushes it towards real world weirdness and awkwardness (see: her first date with Jon Hamm's character) AND she's illustrating how stupid it is that she shouldn't get the awesome guys, because she is successful and beautiful and such--her character just can't see that.

Finally, the defense mechanism: if Liz Lemon started calling herself beautiful, it means that Tina Fey will start calling herself beautiful (which she probably does, but this would be done openly), and not only will that will sound really strange in 30 Rock's ironic tone, but--honestly, we haven't gotten to a point yet when a woman can be completely confidant (which, seriously, Tina Fey probably is) without someone wanting to take her done a notch.
Reply

hortense promoted this comment ameliabearhart was starred ameliabearhart was unstarred

ceejeemcbeegee is not here
12/18/09

@Zombies make the heart grow fonder: Honestly! I don't get why she's such a feminist icon when she's constantly falling into "successful women must also be alone" category.
Reply

meritxell: an erotic life
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
Well, I am officially over Steve Carell's "crazy antics" schtick and Tina Fey you are on notice. This movie looks really stupid.

Side note: why always the same few people in comedies anymore? I spy James Franco (Pineapple Express) and Mila Kunis (that movie about Hawaii with Veronica Mars). I'm pretty sure there are more funny people in Hollywood than simply people Judd Apatow knows. It's all getting to feel a little incestual (pun totally intended as I see me some McPoyle action)
Reply

Edited by meritxell: an erotic life at 12/17/09 10:51 AM

SUNNY1
12/17/09

@meritxell: an erotic life: I'm gad I'm not the only one getting tired of those two. I love me some Carell and Fey, but they are growing old and they do not have some sort of Midas touch. They will have to work hard to impress me with this.

Harrumph
Reply

SUNNY1 was starred SUNNY1 was unstarred

cand86
12/17/09

@meritxell: an erotic life: Seriously! Rom-coms seem like one of the best places to really try out adventurous casting (newcomers, folks who usually do other genres, etc.), given that the formats are generally so stable, and that almost all except the truly horrible get a nod as an okay movie to watch.

And yet nobody does it! Grrr.
Reply

cand86 was starred cand86 was unstarred

That_little_attention_whore
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
wait - isn't this basically "Green Card" without Gerard Depardieu?
Reply

That_little_attention_whore
12/17/09

@That_little_attention_whore: "Mail Order Groom," not "Date Night."
Reply

ardentlilac
12/17/09

@That_little_attention_whore: I think this is basically The Out of Towners and Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery with a touch of Collateral.
Reply

That_little_attention_whore promoted this comment ardentlilac was starred ardentlilac was unstarred

DinaRonson : Elizabeth Cady Stanton
12/17/09

@That_little_attention_whore: The whole concept is a BAD idea. Bad. This story line is a Liz Lemon one episode joke. (on a drunken whim) NOT a movie.
Tina, noooooooooooo.
Reply

That_little_attention_whore
12/18/09

@ardentlilac: actually, more like "the man who knew too little" but with a couple instead of Bill Murray.
Reply

Penny
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
I love both of them to pieces, but this movie looks like crap. Also, do we really need another rom-com about a naive single (desperate) woman who cannot find love? I think not.
Reply

Penny was starred Penny was unstarred

judgingamy
12/17/09

@Penny: Why can't we bring back Sleepless In Seattle or When Harry Met Sally type comedies? I don't think we did those types of stories to death. There's still room!
Reply

Edited by judgingamy at 12/17/09 11:04 AM judgingamy was starred judgingamy was unstarred

Trulymadlyme
12/17/09

@Penny:oopos!
Reply

Edited by Trulymadlyme at 12/17/09 11:10 AM Trulymadlyme was starred Trulymadlyme was unstarred

IndignationCoordinator
12/17/09

In reply to Can Tina Fey And Steve Carell Help Fix The Rom-Com Rut?
Mail Order Groom

Why is it that this movie isn't even in production yet, but I feel like I've already seen it, can imagine the gags they'll feature in the trailer, and can almost hear the accent Carell will be using ringing in my ears?

Hey, I actually like these people, but sometimes you gotta say yikes.
Reply

Alessar
11/12/09

In reply to Tina Fey's Date Night Looks Promising
I thought this was going to be a low-key romantic comedy. Tina Fey in an action comedy?? OH HELL YES. #datenighttrailer
Reply

Alessar was starred Alessar was unstarred

Penny
11/12/09

In reply to Tina Fey's Date Night Looks Promising
This looks like Adventures In Babysitting.

Except 100 times worse.

Promising, really? I respectfully disagree.
Reply

Edited by Penny at 11/12/09 12:00 AM Penny was starred Penny was unstarred

meritxell: an erotic life
11/12/09

@Penny: Yeah, this is simply terrible. #datenighttrailer
Reply

mariamariamaria
11/12/09

@Penny: "This looks like Adventures In Babysitting." And that is bad why?!!!! #datenighttrailer
Reply

mariamariamaria was starred mariamariamaria was unstarred

ItchykooParker
11/12/09

@mariamariamaria: One of my favorite movies. #datenighttrailer
Reply

ItchykooParker was starred ItchykooParker was unstarred

Penny
11/12/09

@mariamariamaria: Not bad, I love that movie! #datenighttrailer
Reply

Penny was starred Penny was unstarred

Acquanetta
11/11/09

In reply to Tina Fey's Date Night Looks Promising
-comment self deleted for lack of a better option-
Reply

prestocaro fears the culling promoted this comment Edited by Acquanetta at 11/11/09 10:29 PM Acquanetta was starred Acquanetta was unstarred

prestocaro fears the culling
11/11/09

@Acquanetta: I'd double-heart you if
I could. #datenighttrailer
Reply

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

SUBSCRIBE TO Jezebel

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment