14 DAY TRIAL // “Fifty Shades of Grey” is coming to a theater near you on February 14, 2015 and, judging by the buzz online alone, it’s a safe bet to say that it will be an instant box office hit. However, considering the reviews to the book it is based on, E.L. James’ adult novel of the same name, and reactions to the first trailer, what it will not be is a good film.
Quality and popularity are no longer inseparable these days, and many film critics are convinced that, while “Fifty Shades” will be a hit, it won’t be in any way “good.” They even compare it to “The Twilight Saga,” which, despite a million-dollar budget and solid talent signed on, is still one of the worst-received film franchises ever.
Here’s one writer to tell all those critics they’re wrong: Kelly Marcel, who worked on the script for the film, tells Reza Aslan during the event An Evening in the Writer’s Room, that leading man Jamie Dornan’s performance in the film, particularly during the love scenes, is awards-worthy. Seriously.
According to the Daily Mail, she’s referring to one scene in which the line “you are my popsicle” is uttered by Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson). Dornan’s turn in front of the camera was nothing short of spectacular, she promises.
“It's genius. They apparently did that scene great. Apparently Jamie is great at being soft and hard at the same time. Which is hard to do for an actor! He's going to get an Oscar!” Marcel is quoted as saying.
Jamie Dornan is now on the small screen in the series “The Fall,” which has earned him some solid reviews from both critics and fans. So it’s not like he hasn’t already proved, to a certain extent, that he’s a good actor, that he’s not just a pretty face and a hot body who can model underwear.
However, don’t hold your breath that the Academy will honor him with an Oscar any minute now for faking a love scene in a movie that’s based on what has been described as “the worst book ever written.”
The Academy is having a hard time as it is recognizing accomplishment if it implies thinking outside the box, which means that there are times it doesn’t even consider movies if it deems them “too popular.” So even if “Fifty Shades of Grey” really did turn out to be this good, it would probably get no Oscar love for this reason alone.
Here’s the trailer. If you want to see more of Dornan’s “Oscar-worthy” performance, keep an eye on this space.
