In The Rain

Author: JG (NY)



"In the Rain"



Directed by Rob Marshall

Written by Bill Condon



Cast:

Patrick Wilson - Kevin Wright

Hugh Jackman- James Pondell

Amy Adams- Alison Roming

Scarlett Johansson- Michelle Dreiner

Richard Gere- Daniel Greenfield



Tagline: Go beyond the singing and dancing and into the rain.



Synopsis:

Famous film director Daniel Greenfield's latest movie once again opened to be a disappointment with both critics and audiences. He and his studio, Greenacre Studios, were in desperate need of a hit. For his next project, he decided he would attempt to revive the classic movie musical, "Singin' in the Rain". He knew that he would have to do the film justice and spend a great deal of time in order to make it perfect and different enough from the original. After a few months of planning and coming up with a basic screenplay, Daniel joined his casting director to audition hopefuls for the prestigious roles. Thousands of hopefuls, including many A-list stars, came out to audition for the roles of the four leads. First to be casted was rising star Alison Roming for the role of Kathy Selden. Roming had the innocent charm and vocal abilities to handle to role of Selden perfectly. Michelle Dreiner, an established star in Hollywood, won the role of Lina Lamont after much begging. The role was going to be different than anything she's ever done, but she was up to the challenge to transform herself into the character. Casting the leading men, however, became a very difficult task. The best candidate for the role of Don Lockwood seemed to be arrogant A-lister, James Pondell. That is, until unknown actor, Kevin Wright came in to audition. He was timid and lacked the confidence of a leading man, yet he nailed the audition with his big voice and likeability factor. Greenfield was skeptical of giving him the part since he was such an unknown but eventually he agreed he was best and gave him the role. Pondell, however, was not happy to be rejected and fought for the role of Lockwood. He was finally able to convince Greenfield to reconsider since Wright would not be able to attract the same audiences that he could. Greenfield was so desperate for a hit that he agreed to the change. As a consolation, Daniel offered Wright the role of Cosmo Brown, which he ultimately accepted.



A few months went by and then filming finally began. All four leads initially all got along and exemplified excellent chemistry on the screen. Michelle was mesmerized with James from the start and instantly began to pursue him. However, he rejected all of her advances, as he was quickly becoming interested in Alison. Alison wasn't really into James though because she disliked men with big egos and knew he was a womanizer. However, she didn't completely turn him away since she liked being pursued, especially by a famous A-list star. James wasn't able to spend as much time as he would have liked on set with Alison because during his free time, he had to work with his dialect coach, since his Australian accent did not fit his character. This allowed Kevin to form a solid friendship with Alison. Kevin knew that James was interested in Alison and as a result, he pushed aside his growing feelings toward her. However, Alison was attracted to Kevin and sent him clear signals that she was interested. He turned down her advancements though, since he did not want to upset James, who he considered to be his friend.



After filming wrapped, Daniel organized a cast and crew party to celebrate the film. James spent most of the night getting drunk and following Alison. During a slurred conversation with her, he accidentally let it slip that he was the reason why Kevin lost the role of Don Lockwood. She was extremely disgusted upon hearing this and ran to Kevin visibly upset. They walked outside and she told him how James convinced Daniel to give him the role of Lockwood. Kevin was upset over James's betrayal and selfishness and the fact that their friendship was all a lie. Alison comforted Kevin, and he finally allowed himself to lean in and kiss her. At that moment, a wasted James came out and saw Kevin kissing Alison. He freaked out and started to fight Kevin. Kevin was still angry at James and therefore wasn't scared to fight back. Some crew members came to break up the fight and the party quickly ended.



The crew and actors would have to wait 11 months before being reunited when the film finally opened. James refused to promote the film because he didn't want to be around Kevin and Alison, who were still together. However, Kevin, Alison, and Michelle were everywhere promoting the film, as it turned them into big stars. The movie opened to be a huge success with critics and became a box-office hit. When Oscar nominations were announced, the movie pulled in the most nominations among its competitors, including a nomination for Daniel for director. Michelle was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Alison for Best Actress, Kevin for Best Actor, and to the surprise of many, James was also nominated for Best Actor. This set the stage for a must-see Oscar event. By the time Oscar night came around, Kevin and James were neck-and-neck as the frontrunners in their category.



What the Press Would Say:

Although it was daring to make a film revolved around a classic movie, Rob Marshall's latest film, "In the Rain" did not disappoint. That's probably because it wasn't actually a remake of the classic hit. It's a story about what goes on behind the scenes when a down on his luck director Daniel Greenfield makes the bold decision to remake the movie musical "Singin' in the Rain". The story unfolds as the relationships between the four leads casted for the new musical develop. However, each one doesn't seem to be able to match their desires with reality.



While everything about this film is noteworthy, the actors truly make the film even more phenomenal. Richard Gere superbly plays the part of Greenfield, the director who tries so hard to make everything about his film perfect. He exemplifies Greenfield's wackiness and uncertainties with great passion and drive. Just like his character within the film, Patrick Wilson is a knockout for his portrayal of Kevin Wright, the actor whose role gets abruptly changed. Wilson brilliantly transforms himself into Wright, making the emotional connection with his character that it is difficult not to sympathize with him. He's perfect for the role of Cosmo Brown as well, and it's such a treat to hear him singing and dancing for part of the film. Hugh Jackman terrifically embodies the role of James Pondell, the selfish and obnoxious A-list star who takes the part that Wright originally won. Jackman nails his character's obnoxious persona, yet is able to charm the audience as well, making his character even more complex and interesting. Amy Adams is a delight as Alison Roming, the woman in the middle of Wright and Pondell. She shares many of the qualities with her character within the film, as she is both a sweetheart and feisty. Scarlett Johansson rounds out the top-notch cast as Michelle Dreiner, the annoying star who seems to be trying too hard to score with both her performance within the film and Pondell. It's a different kind of role for Johansson, yet it allows the audience to see the comedic side to her which is really great.



Rob Marshall's direction combined with Bill Condon's screenplay tie the film together to make it even more remarkable. They shy away from turning this film into your typical extravagant musical movie, and subtly merge the few musical scenes with the core story. The select scenes where we do see the cast portraying their characters from the original musical are mind-blowing as they are perfectly able to tackle the responsibility of playing another role which fits them so well. Overall, "In the Rain" is an outstanding film with a unique twist of one the greatest movie musicals of all time!



For Your Consideration:

Best Picture

Best Director- Rob Marshall

Best Actor- Patrick Wilson

Best Actor- Hugh Jackman

Best Actress- Amy Adams

Best Supporting Actor- Richard Gere

Best Supporting Actress- Scarlett Johansson

Best Original Screenplay- Bill Condon