I'll say it again: Chris Columbus is not a great director.
I wouldn't say Columbus shows an incredible amount of symbolism in the shots of his films or creates necessarily stand-out performances from his actors. But he is a director who has helmed some well-known, well-respected movies. However, I viewed the trailer for
I Love You, Beth Cooper (view at your own risk) a few weeks ago and failed to realize who the director was. Until I came across it on another blog: Chris Columbus is the director of the film. Not only that, but he is a
Producer!
Columbus has helmed some respectable movies that I have enjoyed:
Mrs. Doubtfire, Harry Potter (1 and
2),
RENT. All of these films have their issues (what film doesn't?) but I enjoyed them. And one reason why I enjoyed them was because they have obviously been a different kind of challenge for Columbus.
Columbus started out with some very family-friendly films such as
Home Alone and
Mrs. Doubtfire and moved on to something a bit more controversial with
Bicentennial Man, which garnered a great, challenging performance from Robin Williams. Then, Columbus went on to direct
Harry Potter, what I would consider to be his greatest challenge. Columbus had to hold the weight of many obsessed
Potter fans while being pressured to retrieve a ton more (and he succeeded) along with dealing with a foreign territory (literally) of special effects work and even more children to direct. Then he went on to adapt a very well-known musical,
RENT, here again with the weight of thousands of Broadway musical fans (which are arguably just as persistent - if not more - than
Potter fans), broadening his abilities as a director. Even before
RENT, Columbus tackled the comeback of 3D film, a technology that once failed and is now returning to theaters with packed audiences.
And now he has taken on
I Love You, Beth Cooper. Sure, this would probably be considered "new material" for Columbus, but this certainly cannot be any more challenging. From the trailer, this appears to be the same generic teen comedy film: the geek falls in love with the out-of-reach hot girl who already has a "hot" boyfriend and all teenagers drink lots and lots of alcohol and can do anything they want.
So why
Beth Cooper? Because it will make money. A producer should set out to do something they are passionate about, and maybe Columbus is, but I think this is a decision based on monetary value alone - which is what studios look for the most. Teens are familiar with Hayden Panettiere and will enjoy the simple, familiar plot. But I just wanted to take a moment to say that I am disappointed in you, Chris Columbus. This is a disgrace for a director who has taken the steps to challenge himself with each film and who helped create one of my favorite franchises. I will not support
Beth Cooper because I consider this a failure for you as a director (and becuase the film just doesn't look good). Shame on you. I do not love you, Chris Columbus.
