I have a love/hate relationship with movie trailers. I actually like them before a Feature Presentation (it’s like seeing a few mini-movies before the main event!), and they give me more time to get my dang popcorn.
But if weak trailer doesn’t give you enough sizzle, and a bad one gives away the steak, the worst ones can ruin a movie, entirely. So although we posted a trailer for “Colossal” starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis, I urge you not to watch it. It’s among the worst kinds of trailer.
Written and Directed by Nacho Vigalondo, “Colossal” tells the story of Gloria (Hathaway), who’s been kicked out of her snazzy apartment by now ex-boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens), who finally got fed up with her irresponsibility and constant partying. With no job and nowhere else to go, Gloria heads back to her childhood stomping grounds to stay at her parents’ near-empty old house.
Inevitably she bumps into childhood chum Oscar (Sudeikis), who at once presents a bit of grounding for her, and a welcome distraction from her personal problems. He introduces her to a few of his friends, gives her a job as a waitress in his bar, and trucks over some extra furniture for her house.
But each gift turns into a wedge in their Stockholm Syndrome of a relationship. Oscar begins to exert more and more control over her, and it doesn’t help that he’s now also her boss. Worse still, Oscar too is an alcoholic, and they both work in a bar where the beer flows freely. Both Sudeikis and Hathaway act against type, making the resonance all the more dissonant. Their relationship quickly becomes toxic, affecting everyone around them in sizeable ways, and threatening Gloria’s chances at recovery and a second shot with Tim, himself a harmful presence in her life in his own way. But perhaps he is at least the devil she knows…
Did I mention it’s a comedy? Kind of?
Like many a Sundance offering, “Colossal” defies easy description or categorization. It’s also colossal in more ways than three, taking on such weighty issues as alcoholism, co-dependency and childhood trauma. Its metaphorical device is a brick to the head, but also extremely entertaining, and spoiled by the aforementioned trailer. Its tonal combination may not always be in balance, but with such dysfunctional people at its core, balance would be hard to come by, anyway. What it has instead is a highly watchable story with a satisfying ending.
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Writer: Nacho Vigalondo
Stars: Dan Stevens, Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis
1hr 50min
Here’s the TRAILER, but don’t watch it.
