14 DAY TRIAL // Lindsay Lohan has often blamed the media and the excessive coverage she’s getting for her personal life for the fact that she no longer receives movie offers that would make the most of her acting talent. Were she to speak the truth, the fact that her latest movie, “Labor Pains,” might see a straight-to-TV-and-DVD release could stand as evidence, as AccessHollywood informs.
Lohan wrapped up shooting for the comedy in August 2008 but, according to movie insiders, the film is too bad to let it run in theaters in the US. Consequently, the movie studio struck a deal with ABC, which would see that the film hit small screens in July this year.
Whether the TV release would be followed by an international one in theaters has not yet been established, but most industry insiders would be inclined to believe this is far from the case.
“The comedy will premiere on ABC Family, a source for the film’s production company, Nu Image/Millennium Films, confirmed to Access. The movie will debut on the cable channel in July 2009, with a DVD release coming in August. […] However, the source did say the movie would hit theaters internationally. No release date was available.” the aforementioned e-zine tells, based on what the insider had to say.
Usually, it has been pointed out, a straight-to-TV or a straight-to-DVD release means the movie in question is highly unlikely to fare well with the public and critics if released theatrically. By doing a quiet launch on TV or DVD, the movie studio manages to keep attention diverted from the project and the stars who appear in it, while also being in a position that allows it to cover at least some of the expenses that have come with making the film. “Labor Pains” seems to fall in this category as well.
“Labor Pains” deals with the story of a woman (Lohan) who lies about being pregnant so as to be able to keep her job. In almost no time, she learns that she has to keep up the lie for the whole nine months, which, of course, would lead to some potentially funny sequences. The last time Lindsay Lohan was seen on the cinema screen was in the completely unintentionally hilarious “I Know Who Killed Me” (2007), and, before that, in “Georgia Rule” (2007) and “Chapter 27” (2007). All three movies were utterly trashed by critics and the public alike.