Poor Justin Bieber. Not only did he have to suffer the indignity of losing at the Grammys last night, but he had to watch in what I imagine was good-natured incomprehension — you know, like a cocker spaniel — as his concert movie, “Never Say Never” was edged out at the box-office by the abominable Adam Sandler comedy “Just Go with It”.
Yup. Sandler’s audiences ignored the scathing reviews (and the Twitter hashtag) to push the lazy remake of “Cactus Flower” to the top with a $31 million gross — enough to squeak past “Never Say Never”, which earned $30.3 million. I’ll forego the usual finger-wagging this week; really, if you saw “Just Go with It”, you’ve suffered enough.
The ultimate irony? If Bieber’s fans hadn’t stayed home Sunday night to catch their idol on the Grammys and gone to see his movie instead, “Never Say Never” might have come out on top.
Then again, it was a school night.
So if Just Go With It is a remake of Cactus Flower, Sandler is Walter Matthau, Aniston is Ingrid Bergman, and Goldie Hawn’s Oscar winning performance is played by…Brooklyn Decker’s breast implants? Very sad.
(And following up on your recent chick flick column, there’s an important likeability factor. Bullock has always had it. Aniston has it. Heigl just doesn’t.)
Take this test: If Bieber were your little brother or son, or even your nephew, wouldn’t you be proud as hell? That a kid so young, from his background, could have come so far? That he’s brave enough to live in a foreign country, travel the world, take the stage at Madison Square Gardens, do the best that he has with all that he’s got? Who cares if the music is not up to par at this point in time? Everybody starts somewhere. Twenty years ago Marky Mark was a laughably bad rapper who walked around in his underwear; now he’s an Academy Award winning actor and producer of HBO dramas. Nobody holds it against Wahlberg because he learned, and grew, and moved on. You never know where people will wind up. I’m not a fan of the kid’s music, but the condescending, eye-rolling nature of all the good-natured animosity directed at this teenager kind of confirms Canada’s tall-poppy syndrome to be still in full bloom.
Academy Award NOMINATED actor, Wahlberg is. My bad. But, you know, still. The sentiment still holds true. I think.
@ Scott — I’ve never been big on celebrating someone just because that person has achieved some measure of success. Mel Gibson has a production company and actual Oscars, but … well, you know. It’s an extreme example, but you see where I’m coming from.
And honestly, I’d be just as dismissive of an American or English pop star were that person as insubstantial as Bieber seems to be. It’s not a Canadian thing at all.
@ Chris — I’d be willing to bet that Brooklyn Decker has not had implants; she’s curvy. But put her on-screen next to the distressingly thin and overly toned Aniston and Kidman, and she looks freakishly disproportionate. Only in the movies, you know?