Welcome to the weekly column Trailing Off in which I take a look at a trailer from the past week and analyze its potential. This will be done using an obnoxious amount of analyzing and personal thoughts on the cast and crew as well as expectations. Coming every Sunday (it's called Trailing Off for a reason), I will attempt to highlight films ranging from new blockbusters to lesser known indies and give them their due. Partially to spread awareness, I do believe that there is an art to the sell and will do my best to highlight why these trailers matter or don't with approval (trove) or disapproval (trash). So please stop by, recommend some trailers, and I will see you next time.
Trailer in Discussion
Directed By: Bryan Buckley
Written By: Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch
Starring: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Haley Lu Richardson
- Preamble -
File this one under the category of movies that I heard about coming out of Sundance. Speaking as this was the opening night film, it was quick to receive word on what the film actually was and how good it is. Frankly, I haven't heard too much that is reassuring about The Bronze. Part of me mostly chose it because the alternatives weren't that great. More than anything, that's the reason why Trailing Off has been, well, trailing off with its weekly entries. As much as I could easily review a trailer for a film that I know that I won't like, I have felt more obligated to try and find work that is at least worthy of discussion. I don't exactly think that The Bronze is going to be that, but one can only imagine that the consensus is a little off.
In fact, I know little about this film other than it's a comedy about gymnastics. True, there aren't that many of them. Maybe Stick It comes to mind. However, it's still hard to find any evidence that this sport is particularly worthy of mining comedy from. In fact, that's likely why this trailer intrigues me a bit. Maybe there's territory that I haven't even thought about. Maybe gymnastics are actually a lot funnier than I had given them credit for.
I also don't have high thoughts on Melissa Rauch. While The Big Bang Theory is a show that I have a tepid feeling about, I don't necessarily find anyone on that show to be particularly awful. It's more of a show that lives and dies on its writing. Rauch isn't the most noteworthy performer on the show, but she does add some personality and charm when she does get something to do. That's probably one of the bigger things that I am looking forward to going into this. Is Rauch able to be funny outside of The Big Bang Theory's contexts. I don't know. Let's just hit play and give it a shot.
- Dissection -
So... the joke is that she's bitter? I will accept that the set-up is very stock. I am willing to go along with it if it provides something deeper about the characters. However, what is on display is basically a character who is bitter from breaking her foot and thus winning bronze. She's having to go back to town and deal with new people complaining about her problems. This seems needlessly mean. It's not even an even sided mean. Everyone is mean, and I don't know if I even want to deal with Rauch's character. She's nowhere near compelling. Even at the end when it looks like she's about to stage a comeback, she cannot help but just be vile about the judges of whom she is trying to impress.
This whole film feels like it's one big attempt to be funny by showing off the vulgarity. After all, there's a rather uneven joke about how gymnastics and nasty share letters. It's there, but it doesn't really work. That's pretty much the gist of the trailer, and I don't know that it's enough to sell me. Even at 90 seconds, there's not really a good selling point other than that Rauch is meant to be vulgar and bitter. That's the joke. There's no character at all in this. Yes, I admit that it worked in Young Adult and maybe the trailers focused on the smite. Maybe that's the case with this film. However, there's too much of a sense that we're supposed to care about Rauch when she doesn't give us anything of the sort.
- One Sentence Sell -
The Big Bang Theory's Melissa Rauch stars in a gymnastics comedy in which being mean is the joke.
- Trove or Trash -
TRASH
Try as I might, there's not a whole lot for me to even care about here. Maybe they didn't put their best foot forward here. However, it's not wanting me to see the other foot as it is.
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