Back in 2003, Catherine Hardwicke made her directorial debut with the enjoyably trashy teens-in-turmoil drama Thirteen. Ten years later, she appears to be giving us an epilogue to that film with the rock star stalker thriller Plush, which could realistically be where Evan Rachel Wood’s character Tracy ended up following the events of Hardwicke's earlier film. This could just be wishful thinking on my part, because as is, I think this trailer, courtesy of iTunes Movie Trailers (opens in new tab) looks like a complete piece of eyeliner-laden junk. I know there are probably a score of 14-to-24-year-old people who are amped up for this, but how is this supposed to appeal to wide audiences?
On its face, I have nothing against the film’s story, which follows Emily Browning as Hayley, lead singer of the rock band Plush, whose debut album cemented them as the hot new act. Hayley is married to Carter (Cam Gigandet), with whom she gives birth to twins. Tragedy strikes when her bandmate and brother Jack (Thomas Dekker) dies of an overdose. His replacement Enzo (Xavier Samuel) ends up being a great songwriting partner for Hayley. They eventually make things sexual, after which Enzo goes way over the line and becomes obsessed with Hayley, hiding some deep dark secret that almost has to have something to do with her brother. Things take a turn towards Fatal Attraction, and no one is safe!
As I said, this isn’t the worst story and could have been turned into something that at least looks enjoyable. Instead, this trailer is clouded by noise, hairspray and makeup, and just when I start to think it might be an ironically enjoyable escape, they bring out the digitally manipulated deep threatening voice, and I have to stop from slapping my forehead repeatedly. And then it ends on two shots that showcase a fly. What’s with the fly, man? It even shows up on one of the film’s newest posters, seen below.
Maybe I’d feel differently if a different musical genre was used. Almost every time a film is set around a fictional musician, the songs that make the character popular tend to be the absolute worst pieces of shit imaginable - and that seems to be the case here. Walk the Line, this isn’t.
There’s a good chance the twists and turns Plush takes could make me eat all of my words, but I’m guessing it would rely totally on Hardwicke and Arty Nelson’s screenplay, since this cast is about as average as it gets (though I did love Samuel in The Loved Ones).
Did you disagree with everything I’ve said? That’s fine. This movie does need an audience, after all. You can rock your asses off in theaters when the film releases on October 15th. Check out the other, admittedly enjoyable poster below.
