Yes, that’s right ladies. Michael Fassbender‘s dong guest stars in Steve McQueen‘s “Shame.” It’s his very member, along with some pretty graphic sex scenes, that will determine whether or not you’ll be seeing this movie at a theater near you.
While reviews out of Venice, Telluride and TIFF have been very good for “Shame,” most wondered how on Earth the film would get any kind of theatrical release. The film opens with Fassbender walking around his apartment naked with what God gave him swinging to and fro, and unless they went with some kind of “Storytelling“-esque black box or maybe more kind of pixel blurring effect, aside from some major cuts not only to that sequence, but to a handful of sex scenes, there is really no way “Shame” was going to theaters with anything less than an NC-17 rating. When Fox Searchlight picked up the movie at TIFF they assured folks that they would be making no edits to the movie, and they expect the movie to earn that notorious rating.
Well, they are staying true to their word, giving the film a limited release starting on December 2nd. But the bigger question is, how they are going to market the film. In addition to severely limiting the number of theaters the movie can play (many multiplexes will not show NC-17 rated movies), advertising will also be a challenge. Some traditional outlets refuse to run ads for NC-17 movies, so you can expect a heavy web campaign for the picture. But all this being said, the subject matter of the film was never going to make this movie a potential breakout hit like “Black Swan” anyway. It’s a tonally assured, masterfully performed piece from both director and actor, but it is a brutal, draining experience about emotional toll of sex addiction. It’s a sex movie that’s not sexy in the slightest. Its appeal was always going to be limited, but at least Fox Searchlight can hopefully get some additional shine on it by drawing up some awards heat around Fassbender.
“Shame” will battling it out with “We Need To Talk About Kevin” and Takeshi Kitano‘s “Outrage” for your arthouse dollar that weekend, that surprisingly has nothing going into wide release (yet). [BoxOfficeMojo]
@ Nik "You girls are really funny sometimes." I don't know why but that sentence made me cringe a little bit. If your point is to tell us funny girls that we make a big deal out of women being overly sexualized and the annoyance of having male nudity be so scrutinized then please don't begin sentences like that.
And yes, I'm psyched about the full frontal showdown.
I cannot wait to see this movie and I\’m going to be pissed if theaters near me won\’t show it b/c it\’s NC17. More than that, I really hope Fassbender gets an Oscar for this movie. For some reason, the academy shies away from groundbreaking work. Remember when \”Crash\” beat out \”Brokeback Mountain\” several years ago? Travesty. If Clooney\’s name is being thrown out there, it would be a joke not to nominate Michael and I hope he wins b/c he\’s more talented than 5 George Clooneys.
The Shame of It All Is That People Are Missing The Sadness of the Storyline. While focusing clearly something else. assbender has been described as the new Marlon Brando and his range is impressive. What is a Shame is that many believe the dark voyeuristic story of a passion addicted Manhatten yuppie will be too much for American audiences. That’s a shame because if it is a social critique it is a compelling tale of the loss of connection in a harried busy world and the meaningless tryst that only deepen the void. Fassbender was brilliant as Irish MP Bobby Sands in 2008’s Hunger which was also a film by Steve McQueen. What is the biggest shame of all is the rumor that the powers that be are pushing Clooney in the Oscar race for his role in Descendants. Clooney is also a fine actor but Shame goes beyond the obvious R rating scenes to reveal the despair of loneliness and how meaningless random hook-ups can get. Addiction is no joke and one thing about Fassbender’s character is that he is in a chronic misery that he tries to find relief for through the strange encounters all over New York.
@Blah: It\’s cut and apparently side-show huge. Commensurate with his acting talent.
Wow, now I know what I want to do on my birthday.
Penis
I can\’t wait for the penis.
YES! You just made my day Kevin. Cheers!
Hey Nik, It\’s playing the Festival Du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal this month. Check those listings, yo.
You girls are really funny sometimes. Sure the article is not very originally titled because it\’s jumping on the bandwagon a little bit, but that\’s because everyone seems to be talking about Fassbender\’s performance and penis when they see this movie.
It\’s a way to get you to read the article and it\’s supposed to be amusing, not an anti-feminist statement.
Almost every girl i talked to started drooling when i told them Fassbender is naked in this movie, much like guys drool when they hear about women …
I get what you\’re saying, and it\’s true that people in general make a bigger fuss over naked men than women, but that\’s coz they are not used to it as much. It\’s not right but don\’t make everything into a woman vs. man thing, especially when the actual article has absolutely nothing to do with that debate.
Rellaaax and enjoy the movie when it comes out.
I just hope it comes unrated to Montreal.
\”It’s a tonally assured, masterfully performed piece from both director and actor\” — you\’re right liz, we\’re total penises.
Male insecurity at its very finest. Perhaps this article could have mentioned the standing ovation the film received at this year\’s Venice Film Festival or the fact that Fassbender, one of the most exciting actors working today, won the award for best actor.
I for one look forward to seeing Magneto\’s other helmet…..the movie looks promising and the immanent NC-17 makes me want to see it even more….I agree with Natalie by the way….Dunst\’s Boobs: Oscar Worthy…Fassbender\’s Dong: Fall of Man…..I love the writers here but y\’all give us some head scratching moments from time to time….
I expected a more mature headline and article from The Playlist. This is childish. You guys really are embarrassed that an actor like Fassbender is totally nude aren\’t you? He has what every other man has on this planet. Why are you mocking male nudity?
Anyway, I\’m glad Shame got a release date so that it can get the Oscar marketing machine gunning for Fassbender.
And I thought Jason Segal had opened the door for male penises in movies…funny or unfunny. I agree with Natalie on this. It\’s always the same – women are appreciated for showing their breasts and what not, yet the very idea of a man showing their penis must be mocked. The fact that this deals with Michael Fassbender is glorious.
Meh. He\’s European, so probably uncut. Not my thing lol.
Hey guys, Natalie is right. Plus it just makes those monthly circle jerk get-togethers even more bizarre. Yes, Gabe is always the slowest to ejaculate and there\’s never any fear that YOU will have to eat that pizza, but yeah, this sort of cuts to the core. I\’m officially out, guys.
Let\’s hope FOX Searchlight has a better campaign strategy in mind than \”Michael Fassbender\’s penis\”.
That being said, his performance is supposed to be remarkable. Common sense says they\’ll use it to spearhead the film\’s push.
I think most of the skittishness about NC-17 is gone. Who cares about newspaper ads? Newspapers are for lining birdcages. This sort of film was never going to play mainstream theaters even if it was schlong free. It will be at arthouse theaters, which don\’t care about ratings.
Natalie: agree on the part about male insecurity. I thought those immature nerd s on ainitcool.com wrote this. Americans and their problems with sex and penises.
Maybe the reason is also that Fassbender, by those who have seen the film, is very blessed.
Normally, Natalie and WTF, you\’d be right; however, since this is Fassbender\’s love tool we\’re discussing, exceptions are to be made, and celebrations are to be had.
Bring on the dong!
Love how when it comes to female nudity the Playlist is all about using serious words like \”brave\”, \”outstanding\”, \”Oscar potential\” etc. When it comes to male nudity, they revert to junior high school humor. Male penis insecurity at it\’s best and reflected by the male writers at the Playlist. Not surprised.
love the headline. definitely got my attention. ha.
Is this an appropriate title to such a well reviewed film? Making it sound as if it\’s some porn to titilate pervs?
Really?