Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Nine "Also Starring..."

A reader who has seen Nine already, was invited to another preview screening. The luck of some people, I swear! He couldn't make it a second time but he did share the promotional text which read like so
"Nine." Rob Marshall, (Academy Award nominated director of CHICAGO), and an all-star cast including Academy Award winners Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman and Sophia Loren join forces on the vibrant and provocative feature film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical NINE. This inventive new film tells the story of world famous, genius film Director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he reaches a creative and personal crisis of epic proportion while trying to begin his latest production. On the verge of collapse, he finds inspiration from the numerous women in his life including his loving wife, his sultry mistress, his beautiful film star muse, his faithful confidant and costume designer, a sexy American fashion journalist, the village whore from his youth and the spirit of his mother. The movie also stars Kate Hudson and Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson
He notes that the "also stars" for Kate Hudson seems odd writing "I guess I'm one of the few to praise Hudson on those feedback forms considering she has more screen time than Kidman and Loren combined."

It may seem silly to post this but that's the thing with long awaited purposefully delayed releases. They make people so hungry for information that they're willing to gnaw on crumbs and digest them like they're full course meals. It's not just me, I swear! Since we can only make wild conjectures at this point, do you think ol' Kate's been purposefully demoted in promotional efforts or this is a mere quirk of star billing or copywriting?
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31 comments:

adelutza said...

I am not sure why Kate Hudson was even cast in this at all. I mean , really, with the likes of Kidman, Cruz, Dench and Sophia Loren on the poster she should be glad her name is even printed.

john said...

To be honest the Hudson character should n't even be in it at all. I mean Marshall and co. already have to spread the wealth with 6 other women and a constricting running time. The fact they created the character especially for the film is odd, as they could have spent more time developing Kidman and Loren's role, which, has just been said are less than Hudson's. But obviously they needed a 'young' American in the cast to appeal to a more mainstream audience.

Anonymous said...

Has Kate Hudson more screentime than Kidman? That's a good reason to dismiss Nine

mirko

Anonymous said...

I think Hudson can deliever, I think we'll be suprised. Her song is said to be the best of the three new songs and that her number is visually great. Let's see....

NATHANIEL R said...

I'm completely (i mean COMPLETELY) worried knowing that the mom and the actress/muse are now essentially cameos... and a new character has more screentime than both?

it doesn't really make sense with the emotional content / theme of the story (i guess i'm still reeling from the news that the beautiful TITLE song was cut) but like "anon" says 'let's see'

we should all keep an open mind.

A Reader said...

It's "A reader." Yes, that "A reader."

Hudson's character is brought in with the flashiest new song that will probably win Original Song if the category exists this year (stupid rule changes). She has two really nice, funny scenes directly opposite DDL and signals a major turning point in his character.

Compare this to Loren, who has half a song and a brief scene in a car, and Kidman, who gets 8-10 minutes on her own opposite DDL and a brief (maybe 15 seconds?) sequence earlier in the film, and the reshuffling concerns me.

Hudson should be pimped to high heavens for this just to guarantee the Original Song nomination. I'm still singing it months later.

No question on Fergie's dismissal. Worst performance in the film, by far.

They seemed pretty secure in the cut of the film a few months ago (sans some sound mixing issues), but you never know what those feedback forms could do to a Weinstein production. Hudson's role could easily have been shaved down and Loren probably shot a lot more footage than was included before. If they didn't send me the e-mail 10 minutes before the screening (40 minutes away from me), I would have gone to see if they recut the film.

A Reader said...

Forgot to say the original Yellow Sheet Invitation listed all of the actors, Fergie and Hudson included, as starring in the film. Now two are singled out in a separate category. Curious.

Jude said...

Nine keeps throwing surprises at us, none of which I'm too fond of (Marion being promoted as lead, Kate having a bigger part than Nicole, the eliminaiton of the title song, moving the release date, Sophia playing second fiddle to all of these youngsters.) Hopefully Nine won't disappoint.

Hilary Swank said...

not NINE related, but I thought you'd find this interesting. http://twitter.com/ScottFeinberg/status/5578697353

j said...

Damn!. Given that there's got to be at least one Nine girl and one Up in the Air girl, this could only hurt Moore'chances. (and my dear Gylenhaal's, assuming she had any)

Jim T said...

That was me.

Jim T said...

Hilary Shank can bring nothing more than bad news!! ;p

Jim T said...

Oh, and one Lovely Bones girl (Susan or Rachel). I'm done, I swear. :p

Rafael said...

It is less strange than showing Ewan McGregor at the Amelia trailers and omitting his name on the essential voice-over title shot. Can anyone explain what was that all about?

kin said...

"an all-star cast including Academy Award winners Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman and Sophia Loren"

So Hudson's "demotion" can be blamed on Marcia Gay Harden, I guess.

nancy lugosi said...

Why are people still surprised that Kidman's role is small ? It was supposed to be. She has 10 minutes on her own opposite Daniel to shine.

It's her Shakespeare in Love moment (it was 8 min mind you), only she won't win an Oscar for it like La Dench

Ryan Ray said...

Nathaniel, I know if I was such a fan of musicals and those 2 actresses I would probably be irked that characters and songs have been changed and added. Didn't that happen to Cabaret? Weren't a couple characters lopped out for the film and musical numbers changed? I actually haven't seen that movie but apparently it's a classic. We never know how it could turn out.

DJ said...

I think I'd be much happier if they ditched her part and added another song or to: "Simple" and "Be On Your Own"

Alex said...

I'll never blame Marcia Gay Harden for anything (why do I love her so?) but I agree that's probably why Hudson got shafted like that.

I'm still not really sure which of the "Nine" supporting ladies have the best chance of getting in. I feel like Marion Cotillard could easily swing back into supporting and I'm not so sure Penelope Cruz has the edge over Judi Dench that everyone seems to think she does. She's JUDI DENCH and Cruz just won. It seems like that would mean people more ready to predict Dench over Cruz, but I don't know...

Chris Na Taraja said...

All the women are cameos! That's the whole point of the show, isn't it? They are all the inspiration or irritation for the Director, for his creative process.

I think the reason Kate and Fergie are getting the afterthought mention in this write up simply has to do with "ACADEMY AWARD WINNING...."

I loved Kate in AMOST FAMOUS, and would love to see her shine again.

The Pretentious Know it All said...

Is Kate Hudson's character technically a "new character?" Is she a representation of that journalist in 8 1/2 with the white furry hat? Or is she a new character where the musical's concerned?

NATHANIEL R said...

arlo -- you're right. and Cabaret was better for it (i've seen the stage show too) and really benefitted from the narrowing of the focus. But here they're not narrowing so much as shifting the weight... and shifting weight AWAY from the muse and the mom seems highly strange to me, since both are so important to both 8 1/2 (the film) and 9 (the stage musical), you know?

at least that's how i remember them... but i haven't seen both in awhile so maybe they just feel crucial.

City Of Lights said...

I don't know the musical and haven't seen 8 1/2 so I have nothing to compare the casting choices to. But it amazes me that some feel casting Kate Hudson is akin to casting Lindsay Lohan! Give the girl a chance!

I also think many of Kidman's fans have blown her part, which we knew to be small from the beginning, out of proportion. I don't have any doubts there will be many upset viewers when Kidman is onscreen for her less-than 15 minutes. But this won't get her an Oscar nomination and it is not a Kidman movie. Leave that to Danish Girl and Rabbit Hole. She consistently has such an unwavering and beautiful presence onscreen I doubt I will be let down by it's short but sweet appearance.

Alex said...

Oh man, I really hope Rabbit Hole does really well and doesn't go the way of the do-do like Proof did. I think Kidman could even win for Rabbit Hole. If Hilary Swank could win a second Oscar in 6 years, 8 should be enough for Nicole to be back up on her feet again...

Anonymous said...

To "A Reader":
It's clear you loved Hudson's performance. Can you explain why some are saying it doesn't "fit" into the movie well? Do you suppose that might be a reason they are still editing?

A Reader said...

I'll gladly explain the issue with Hudson, Anonymous. Her character isn't in the stage musical. That's throwing people off. As was mentioned here already, the character was pulled in from 8 1/2, so she's not a brand new invention.

To summarize briefly, Hudson is an American reporter who catches DDL's eye at a press conference, then later gets the chance to slobber all over him and take him back to her hotel room. Her song is in a very different visual style from the film, which I loved because it was a representation of how idolized DDL's Guido is as a flashy Italian film director. Hudson's reporter doesn't love him, she loves his films and the freedom of Italian cinema. For DDL, Hudson is just the latest conquest in his never ending string of women. He doesn't get that many of the women in his life are simply using him for fame or pleasure and how much he is neglecting the women who truly care about him.

I was expecting her to be awful, but her singing was surprisingly strong and she held her own against DDL. The flash and impact of the new song helped her stand out in a film where all but DDL and Cotillard are on even footing: one song each (Cotillard/DDL get two).

I get the description says "Academy Award Winners," but that wasn't in the promo material in July. It simply said "starring" the whole cast. Now they've changed it in a way that pushes Hudson and Fergie to an afterthought at the bottom of a press release.

Bailey said...

Kate Hudson is the cinematic equivalent of a yeast infection. Forever and always.

noodlemantra said...

I have a good feeling for Rabbit Hole. It could be 2010's Doubt, which means multiple Oscar noms for its cast.

Kidman will be back on the awards circuit with Rabbit Hole and Danish Girl. And who knows what will happen with Little Bee ? The novel was powerful after all, it could translate well to the screen.

Anyway I think she's getting good choices again. It also seems like there are only three women in Hollywood now who can get lead roles in films : her, Streep & Jolie.

Anonymous said...

How the hell does Kate Hudson get more screentime than Nicole Kidman and Sophia Loren????? Their characters are far more important to Guido's life. I'm baffled.

Lindsey said...

Everyone was worried about Fergie being in the musical, but she was way better than Kate Hudson. Kate should not even be in this movie.The role makes no sense except to try to get the younger audience. She sucks in everything she does since Almost Famous. She is boring and blah in this movie and out of place. Fergie surprised me and is way more essential and has a better voice and portrays the emotions of her character very well. Kate is an overrated "actress".

Criticlasm said...

Late to the party here, but my big question is why Cynthia Nixon didn't get to do Rabbit Hole. She won a Tony for it and it's not like people don't know her. That makes me sad.

I'm so excited about Nine, though with this seemingly much larger character by Hudson, it's obviously just going to be a very different piece. If you cut Nine, Simple, and Getting Tall, you kind of miss the whole point of the musical, but maybe it's just about something else--like fab costumes. I'd watch DDL make shoes, so I'm in.