To put it quite simply: “Passion Play,” starring Mickey Rourke and Megan Fox, was the worst film we saw at TIFF last year (though Dustin Lance Black‘s “What’s Wrong With Virginia” comes a close second). Our man on the ground called it “a cliche-riddled, risible and utterly painful experience that boasts hallmark sentiments and TV movie-of-the-week sensibilities mixed in a disastrous attempt to make a love story about unearned redemption.” And most critics agreed with that sentiment. It was the directorial debut of screenwriter Mitch Glazer and it’s sure to be his last time behind the camera for a long, long, while.
Image Entertainment picked up the film last year and were somehow convinced to part with seven-figures for the film. And while a theatrical bow was promised, it looks like that idea has been wisely tossed in the bin (or it will get a contractual screening in buttfuck Kansas or something). “Passion Play” will now quietly hit shelves on May 31st and perhaps somewhat fitting, the DVD cover can’t even be bothered to show to their faces of the film’s stars and instead uses silhouettes from two painfully obvious stand-ins.
To go over the plot would be an exercise in tedium, but it’s a fairy tale-like story about a down-and-out jazz trumpeter (Rourke) who goes on the run with a mysterious angel-looking woman with wings named Lily (Fox). It gets even more absurd from there. And by the way, while everyone is currently drooling over Megan Ellison and her recent run of good taste; she was actually a producer on this turd. So yeah, it’s great that Ellison is getting behind great projects, but just remember, everyone makes mistakes too and sometimes a picture on paper just doesn’t turn out the way it should on screen. [via Vulture]
sorry to upset you but I just read that Mitch Glazer has a huge new show on starz starting in early 2012… word is it\’s the show everyone is talking about. I work as an editor in the biz. He\’s thought of as one of the good guys and is well regarded in Hollywood… I think his mistake with Passion Play was trying to put something romantic out in this cynical time… we just don\’t have the heart for it. So sad…
It will actually have a platform release May 6, 2011 in NY and L.A.
isn\’t \”Dustin Lance Black\” a fucking hack? yes.
With the exception of True Grit, the films that have come out so far with Megan Ellison\’s name attached all carry rather dreadful reputations. I don\’t know if in the last year or so she had some sort of I-should-stop-wasting-my-dads-money-on-shit awakening or has someone new making decisions for her, but something changed.
Buttf**k is in Montana…