In an article in today's LA Times, writer Claudia Eller posits that the reason several recent summer films have failed is that audiences are no longer drawn to A-list actors.  She cites the dismal box office performances of three films as part of her argument: The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 (starring John Travolta and Denzel Washington), Land of the Lost (with Will Ferrell), and Year One (which boasted Jack Black and Dana Carvey).  She also mentions the earlier in the year drubbing of State of Play and Duplicity, films that starred Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck, Julia Roberts and Clive Owens, respectively.

Even without quibbling over Eller's definition of a star (C'mon, Jack Black?  An actor, yes.  A celebrity, perhaps.  But not a star in my book), I think she's got it wrong.  The reason movies like Up, The Hangover and Star Trek have hit it big this summer is twofold:

1.  Innovation.  Up is the latest movie from Pixar, the animation geniuses who turned the genre on its ear with Toy Story.  The Hangover takes a "should be predictable" premise and livens it up with mystery, unexpected twists and a genuine story of transformation in the middle of all its antics.  Star Trek took a classic series and reworked it in a way that drew Trekkies and their grandkids.  (Trekkies may not have liked it, but they had to see it.  Their kids and grandkids loved it.)

2. Audiences are tired of reruns.  Pelham is a remake.  Land of the Lost is another in a series of Will Ferrell films that seems increasingly desperate for an audience (think Steve Martin in the late 80's).  Year One is Dumb and Dumber set 2008 years ago.  Similarly, State of Play and Duplicity both had a "been there, done that" sort of feel to the trailers.  State of Play was too close to Michael Clayton and Duplicity seemed like a pared down version of any of the Oceans films (11, 12 or 13).

What Ellers did get right is that this movie going season, word of mouth moves a lot quicker than it used to.  Films are instantly reviewed by bloggers, like yours truly; via tweet and text.  I think that's a good thing.  The audience is showing, I believe, that its hungry for a story that either surprises or touches off emotions (laughter, tears, something).

Studio heads shouldn't eschew stars in an attempt to "fix" this issue.  They should eschew tired stories and poor writing.

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