Timothy E
Reviewer
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
- Messages
- 1,517
- Real Name
- Timothy Ewanyshyn
In anticipation of the release of Dinner For Schmucks on Blu-ray and DVD on January 4, 2011, Paramount Home Video recently hosted a "Dinner For Journalists" at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California on December 8, 2010. Invitations were limited to 20 journalists, and thanks to Derek Pruett and Alan Meier from Paramount, the Home Theater Forum was among the select few media outlets extended invitations to this exclusive event.
Thankfully, the invited journalists were not the subjects of mockery and ridicule as the guests were in the film. Director Jay Roach(Meet the Parents, Austin Powers) was present, as were several of the actors who also attended in the dinner within the film. The actors present included Bruce Greenwood(Lance Fender), Rick Overton(Chuck the beard champion), Octavia Spencer(Nora the pet psychic), and Andrea Savage(Robin).
The Dinner for Journalists began with a cocktail hour accompanied by "schmucky" entertainment in the form of a juggler, a contortionist, and a sword-swallowing woman.
Pictured above from left to right are Rick Overton, Jay Roach, Octavia Spencer, Andrea Savage, and Brianna the sword-swallowing woman.
An elegant dinner was served by candlelight while the journalists conversed with the special guests. The dinner table was surrounded by several portraits of the mice posed by Steve Carell’s character in the film. (These portraits were shown during the credits of the film.) I was seated with Jay Roach directly across from me with Octavia Spencer seated to my right. Octavia was a lot of fun and even channeled her pet psychic character briefly. Jay Roach spoke at length about producing and directing Dinner For Schmucks and reminisced about filming the dinner scene in the film, which took approximately 3 weeks and gave the actors full reign to improvise some amusing scenes. He said "I still can’t believe that we filmed with a vulture over the table for three weeks."
Pictured above from left to right are Andrea Savage, Jay Roach, Octavia Spencer, Bruce Greenwood, and Rick Overton.
Roach also spoke in detail about Used Guys, which he stated to be the greatest unproduced comedy in Hollywood. Ben Stiller and Jim Carrey were attached to star in this high concept film. Imagine a future in which women rule the world. (Jay Roach’s suggested title for the film is "When Women Ruled The World.") Men have become extinct due to their overindulgence in sports drinks and male enhancement medications. The only men around anymore are clones used for manual labor. Stiller’s character was to be a man who, unknown to himself, was actually birthed rather than cloned and both Stiller’s and Carrey’s characters would make efforts to avoid a clone product recall. The film would exaggerate the differences between men and women to humorous effect. One set piece would be a tour of the Museum of History which would show how women used to suffer under the oppressive thumbs of men. The characters would tour the museum which would have mannequins or actors demonstrating women suffering in agony as they wore stiletto heels and received breast implant surgeries. The piece de resistance of the museum pieces would be a depiction of a woman giving birth, which would be horrific and unknown to a future society populated by clones. Unfortunately, after Idiocracy failed to light up the box office, studios are reluctant to fund production of this film on the basis that audiences are not interested in comedies set in the future.
Thank you to Alan Meier, Derek Pruett, and the other publicity people from Paramount for hosting a terrific and memorable dinner party.
Thankfully, the invited journalists were not the subjects of mockery and ridicule as the guests were in the film. Director Jay Roach(Meet the Parents, Austin Powers) was present, as were several of the actors who also attended in the dinner within the film. The actors present included Bruce Greenwood(Lance Fender), Rick Overton(Chuck the beard champion), Octavia Spencer(Nora the pet psychic), and Andrea Savage(Robin).
The Dinner for Journalists began with a cocktail hour accompanied by "schmucky" entertainment in the form of a juggler, a contortionist, and a sword-swallowing woman.
Pictured above from left to right are Rick Overton, Jay Roach, Octavia Spencer, Andrea Savage, and Brianna the sword-swallowing woman.
An elegant dinner was served by candlelight while the journalists conversed with the special guests. The dinner table was surrounded by several portraits of the mice posed by Steve Carell’s character in the film. (These portraits were shown during the credits of the film.) I was seated with Jay Roach directly across from me with Octavia Spencer seated to my right. Octavia was a lot of fun and even channeled her pet psychic character briefly. Jay Roach spoke at length about producing and directing Dinner For Schmucks and reminisced about filming the dinner scene in the film, which took approximately 3 weeks and gave the actors full reign to improvise some amusing scenes. He said "I still can’t believe that we filmed with a vulture over the table for three weeks."
Pictured above from left to right are Andrea Savage, Jay Roach, Octavia Spencer, Bruce Greenwood, and Rick Overton.
Roach also spoke in detail about Used Guys, which he stated to be the greatest unproduced comedy in Hollywood. Ben Stiller and Jim Carrey were attached to star in this high concept film. Imagine a future in which women rule the world. (Jay Roach’s suggested title for the film is "When Women Ruled The World.") Men have become extinct due to their overindulgence in sports drinks and male enhancement medications. The only men around anymore are clones used for manual labor. Stiller’s character was to be a man who, unknown to himself, was actually birthed rather than cloned and both Stiller’s and Carrey’s characters would make efforts to avoid a clone product recall. The film would exaggerate the differences between men and women to humorous effect. One set piece would be a tour of the Museum of History which would show how women used to suffer under the oppressive thumbs of men. The characters would tour the museum which would have mannequins or actors demonstrating women suffering in agony as they wore stiletto heels and received breast implant surgeries. The piece de resistance of the museum pieces would be a depiction of a woman giving birth, which would be horrific and unknown to a future society populated by clones. Unfortunately, after Idiocracy failed to light up the box office, studios are reluctant to fund production of this film on the basis that audiences are not interested in comedies set in the future.
Thank you to Alan Meier, Derek Pruett, and the other publicity people from Paramount for hosting a terrific and memorable dinner party.
