At the start of A Little Bit of Heaven's trailer, it looks like another painfully predictable romantic comedy. There's Kate Hudson being all cute and quirky. She's got a très chic job in advertising, an adorable pet bulldog, and her name's Marley—how unconventional yet cool! Then, there's an abrupt detour as Gael García Bernal enters as her doctor—who of course she'll fall in love with—but first delivers some shocking news. No, it's not that this rep for condoms is pregnant, but that she has cancer. Still, this plucky heroine wants to live life to its fullest!
At this point in the trailer, I was still a little underwhelmed, but then enters Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage as a male prostitute named Vinnie, who sidles into Marley's place and delivers the blush-inducing line, "You should know, that I definitely live up to my nickname: A Little Bit of Heaven." (Swoon!) Check it out below, or in HD at Apple: (opens in new tab)
I realize it would probably be a mistake for me to see this movie solely for Dinklage, but I'm hoping his involvement indicates that A Little Bit Of Heaven will be markedly better than the treacle Hudson's been part of lately. Plus, he's not the only enticing cast member. Beyond Bernal, this offbeat rom-com also co-stars the always sharp Kathy Bates as Hudson's mom who believes a good steak will help her cancer-stricken, vegetarian daughter, The 40-Year-Old Virgin's Romany Malco as her confidante who seems to call in Dinklage's services, and the incredibly talented Rosemarie DeWitt and always funny Lucy Punch, presumably in gal pal roles. A cast like that directed by The Woodsman helmer Nicole Kassell could make A Little Bit Of Heaven something that exceeds the expectations of the often rightfully derided rom-com genre.
A Little Bit Of Heaven opens May 4th, but will be available on iTunes April 3rd.
