[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX9Y40efqAY[/youtube]
Nikki Finke (much to David Poland’s utter horror) reports on Deadline Hollywood Daily that Warner Bros. is indeed going to take another look at The Women:
English has told the media that the most brutal part of her 15-year battle to make The Women “was getting financing. Studios still think it’s a fluke when a women’s picture succeeds. I’m going to prove them wrong — again.” I say Diane should be kicking up a big fat fuss right now for a major and wide release. After all, even if the movie is no good, its marketing campaign could be fabulous not to mention obvious: “If you loved Sex In The City, then you need to see The Women that started it all.”
UPDATE: Well, this is an interesting development for The Women. A top Warner Bros exec just phoned me and said, “We should give it another look.”
Finke, if you’ll recall, also broke the story about Jeff Robinov who, on the heels of The Brave One taking a tumble, declared “women’s movies” DOA. She follows it up with:
2nd UPDATE: One of the Warner Bros films which Jeff Robinov cited to the Hollywood community while defending himself against my he-man women-haters club story was the comedy Spring Breakdown, starring a top-notch cast of great female comediennes including Parker Posey, Amy Poehler and fellow SNL alumna Rachel Dratch who also stars in and co-wrote it. “The studio has decided, despite excellent test scores with women of all ages, and Amy Poehler’s rising stardom (Baby Mama), that it should go straight to DVD,” a source tells me. “This is pure and unadulterated hatred of female driven projects, especially comedies, at that studio. It’s a real shame about this film, because women love it.” Personally, I’m not at all sure the more sophisticated female audience for Sex And The City and The Women is clamoring for a dumbed-down women’s comedy. But could it be worse content-wise than the Harold & Kumar franchise?
I’m not so sure either but I’d wager that if it stars Poehler there’s a god chance it would do well, or at least better than expected. Let’s kick down those doors.
As for The Women, the original is fantastic. It was, for its time, a kind of Sex and the City. Lest we forget, Sex isn’t your typical Kate Hudson or Julia Roberts sappy chick flick, nor is it Steel Magnolias or Terms of Endearment – no, it’s straight talk. This is what makes us laugh – unwaxed pubic hair on the upper thigh, food that gives you gas, funky tasting spunk, how hard it can sometimes be to stay faithful (even though, gasp, we’re women!). It’s the straight talk, the raunchy talk that makes Sex so appealing. It’s funny. Maybe only funny to women but funny nonetheless.
Meanwhile, Steve Mason at Fantasy Moguls has whipped up a revelation that states that most of the negative reviews for Sex and the City came from male critics.