Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst make an awkward couple. I’m a fan of Across the Universe and even though 21 isn’t a quality film, Sturgess still shows he’s harboring major potential. On the other hand, Dunst is still as washed out as when she sported Mary Jane’s red locks in the Spider-Man movies.
According to Slash Film, the two will team up for Juan Diego Solanas’ Upside Down. The concept is rather complicated, so here’s the synopsis straight from the 2009 European Film Market Brochure:
Look up towards the sky and rub your eyes because you won’t believe what you see: cities, forests, and oceans with their own inverted gravity, only an arm’s length away, yet completely unreachable. Take a leap over to this alternate reality, two worlds – one above, one below - facing each other, and you’ll land in the extraordinary world of Upside Down.
Adam is a seemingly ordinary guy in a very extraordinary universe. He lives humbly trying to make ends meet, but his romantic spirit holds on to the memory of a girl he met once upon a time from another world, an inverted affluent world with its own gravity, directly above but beyond reach… a girl named Eve. Their childhood flirtation becomes an impossible love. But when he catches a glimpse of grown-up Eve on television, nothing will get in the way of getting her back… Not even the law or science!
Apparently Emile Hirsch was originally in talks to play the role of Adam until it was offered to Sturgess. Except for the fact that Dunst might be a tad taller than Hirsch (certainly if she’s wearing heals), the two would have made an appropriate couple. Based on appearance, past roles and er – tabloids, Sturgess just seems too nice for Dunst. I’m not implying that Hirsch isn’t a good guy, but it’s hard to stop looking at him as the ultimate jerk, Johnny Truelove, from Alpha Dog.
Still, I have no doubts that Sturgess can provide a stellar performance; it’s really just Dunst I’m skeptical about. Unless she’s the primary character in a film, she’s dull and fades into the background. As long as Upside Down isn’t just about a lowly guy chasing a well off girl, this could be something interesting.
