Tag: kathryn hahn

random thoughts on: glass onion: a knives out mystery

The first Knives Out movie from writer/director Rian Johnson was such a breath of fresh air back in 2019 it became an immediate sensation for a variety of reasons, including its incredibly meme-able dialogue and settings and the A+ sweater game from costume designer Jenny Eagan.

It was so good it was hard to imagine what a sequel might look or feel like. Thankfully Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, released late last year on Netflix, lived up to the reputation of the first movie and, now that I’ve watched it a couple times to fully appreciate how good it is, I have a handful of random thoughts.

Here we go…

Eagan’s commitment to putting Daniel Craig in an ascot should be awarded in and of itself and I’m only surprised it hasn’t led to a clear and unmistakable uptick in their adoption as a men’s fashion item.

Confused Janelle Monae GIF by NETFLIX - Find & Share on GIPHY

It makes so much sense that Kate Hudson’s performance caught everyone’s attention as she’s terrific as a societally-oblivious pseudo-celebrity, but what really makes it incredible is that all of her reactions to what’s happening around her are so stagey. It’s as if her character has absolutely zero experience in anything not involving mugging for the camera.

Janelle Monae Glass Onion GIF by NETFLIX - Find & Share on GIPHY

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Kathryn Hahn’s gubernatorial candidate, who has such genuine reactions to everything, from Duke shooting his gun by the pool to her husband trying to be his own man to the revelation at the end that those reactions nearly become a character of their own.

Janelle Monae Glass Onion GIF by NETFLIX - Find & Share on GIPHY

I know the movie – and The Menu – caught some flack for not going far enough in exploring its “the rich are terrible people” theme but come on. If Edward Norton’s Miles Bron had actually faced some kind of on-screen legal repercussions for his irresponsible actions it would have been written off as frothy wish-fulfillment. As it is he’s set up to be exposed as a massive fraud, which is much more realistic without dipping into fantasy.

Besides, Benoit Blanc spends the last 20 minutes of the movie just repeatedly calling him dumb, which is cathartic enough for the audience.

And Blanc immediately dismisses Birdy when she tries to spin Bron’s actions as “so dumb it’s just brilliant” by clarifying “No, it’s just dumb!” Now if only our technology and political press would be similarly truthful instead of continually succumbing to the myth of the genius.

Excuse Me What GIF by Regal - Find & Share on GIPHY

At least Derol made it out of all that with his chill intact.

If there is an element of the story that isn’t explored enough for my personal liking it’s that Bron’s success is nearly entirely dependent on being a white dude who takes all the credit for a Black woman’s ideas and work and that feels like the most relevant theme especially given [gestures broadly at so many many things].

And, on that note, I very much dug Janelle Monáe’s performance as twin sisters, beginning when she’s introduced smashing the puzzle box and right through to her vengefully breaking all of Bron’s glass sculptures.

Janelle Monae Glass Onion GIF by NETFLIX - Find & Share on GIPHY

Someone give me a Leslie Odom Jr. / Kathryn Hahn buddy comedy STAT or I *will* riot.

Janelle Monae Glass Onion GIF by NETFLIX - Find & Share on GIPHY

Back to a point above, we all believed Norton’s performance as the not-at-all brilliant “genius” because we kind of suspect Norton’s not quite as bright as we’ve been led to believe over the years, right? Not that he’s not a smart guy, but…you get it.

Janelle Monae Glass Onion GIF by NETFLIX - Find & Share on GIPHY

A brief ranking of current big name wrestlers-turned actors:

1. John Cena

2. Dave Bautista

….

…

25. Dwayne Johnson

Excited Janelle Monae GIF by Regal - Find & Share on GIPHY

This whole brief sequence with characters looking in the middle distance as shadows pass over them hit me right where I live, evoking all those classic murder mystery noir films I was first exposed to watching “Family Classics” on WGN-TV on Sunday afternoons in the 80s.

Janelle Monae Glass Onion GIF by NETFLIX - Find & Share on GIPHY

Let’s take a moment and recognize how his brief appearance as Efficient Man ranks in the top five of Ethan Hawke’s performances.

It’s been such a long time since I watched a movie where the whole cast looked like they were having a good time. Too often the casts of the big super hero and similar movies look visibly miserable going through the paces and acting against tennis balls held on sticks in place of characters to be added later, it was genuinely relaxing to see an ensemble that appeared to be enjoying themselves and the project they were working on.

Janelle Monae Glass Onion GIF by NETFLIX - Find & Share on GIPHY

Sorry, I’m laughing again at Johnson blowing up his own movie by having Blanc solve the contrived murder mystery five minutes in to Bron explaining how the weekend is supposed to work.

Dinner Table Glass Onion GIF by Regal - Find & Share on GIPHY

Everyone else yelled “A SCHOONER IS A SAILBOAT” (even if it was just in their heads) when Lionel was working the stereogram on the puzzle box, right? Right?

Janelle Monae Glass Onion GIF by NETFLIX - Find & Share on GIPHY

In a movie filled with committed performances from talented actors Madelyn Cline’s performance as Dallas is near the top of the rankings and I will absolutely die on this hill. It’s so good and shows not only her talent as an actor but Johnson’s ability to make the audience invest in and care about characters that are clearly secondary but still important.

Janelle Monae Glass Onion GIF by NETFLIX - Find & Share on GIPHY

Same goes for Jessica Henwick’s put-upon assistant Peg. If you don’t feel her disappointment and frustration when Birdy reveals she has a secret phone and her resignation when she says “…Did you think a sweatshop is where they make sweatpants?” I’m not sure movies are really your thing.

Oh, along with the Odom Jr. / Hahn buddy comedy I want a direct spinoff where Dallas and Peg team up and create the next big socially-conscious lifestyle goods brand and have all kinds of wacky adventures while doing so.

glass onion: a knives out mystery – marketing recap

How Netflix has sold the return of everyone’s favorite dashing gentleman detective

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery movie poster from Netflix
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery movie poster from Netflix

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery arrives on Netflix this week, a sequel to 2019’s Knives Out. Once again written and directed by Rian Johnson, the only connection to the first movie is the return of private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). Blanc is crashing an invitation-only gathering of friends organized by billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) at his private island estate. Those friends have been assembled for an extended murder mystery party, the twist being they need to solve Bron’s own murder, though he’s not actually dead.

Playing the various friends, whom Bron terms his “fellow disruptors”, are such talented individuals as Kathryn Hahn, Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson and Jessica Henwick.

So with such a high powered cast and a writer/director known for creating intricate yet easily-followed storylines that actually earn emotional moments and payoff their setups, let’s take a look at how it’s been sold.

announcements and casting

As the original neared the threshold of bringing in over $300 million worldwide, speculation Johnson was working on a sequel became more frequent. That speculation was confirmed by the writer/director when he was interviewed on the red carpet of the 2020 Academy Awards, where he was nominated for, but didn’t eventually win, Best Original Screenplay.

In March 2021, news came that Netflix had outbid Lionsgate and others for not just this film but an additional sequel as well. Or, as Johnson put it,

Additional details came out later saying Johnson, Craig and producer Ram Bergman would make $100 million each from the deal.

In mid-May of 2021 a slew of casting announcements came, each more exciting than the last. Bautista, Norton, Monae, Hahn and others coming aboard all got people eager for the movie to finally arrive. Bautista was interviewed about being cast and his anticipation over working with Johnson. Odom Jr. and Hudson joined the cast a bit later.

Production began in late June, marked with a photo from Johnson.

Henwick talked briefly about the project while promoting other things in 2021.

Footage from the film was included in Netflix’s 2022 feature film preview.

In June 2022 Johnson and Netflix released a video announcing the movie’s official title as well as showing off the impressive cast list.

Later that month news came the movie’s world premiere was scheduled for the Toronto International Film Festival in September. It was then slated to close the BFI Film Festival in London.

Netflix *finally* set a release date in late August while also announcing the movie would receive a limited theatrical release in advance of streaming at the end of December.

Empire Magazine talked with Johnson and the cast about what the audience could expect in this new installment in an issue that featured a couple exclusive images as cover photos. There were also more new stills in the story.

the marketing campaign

The first teaser trailer (13.1m YouTube views) was released in early September. Understandably it doesn’t offer much of the story but does promise some kind of murder mystery Benoit Blanc has to solve with an impressive cast all of whom seem to be having a lot of fun wearing outrageous outfits and lounging around magnificent pools.

A poster showing Blanc standing authoritatively above one of those pools came out at the same time.

Also released in early September was a puzzle website where, by solving the puzzles, you could unlock clues and other material about the movie.

The cast and Johnson assembled for the TIFF premiere, which included a Q&A and interviews where Johnson warned against sharing spoilers and teased his enthusiasm for making more Knives Out mysteries with Craig.

Later in September Johnson introduced the first clip while also offering a bit more of an explanation as to what the movie’s story is.

In early October the details of the theatrical release were revealed. Specifically, that the movie would play in theaters for ONE WEEK ONLY, VASILY around Thanksgiving. To the surprise of many industry watchers, all the major exhibitor chains – including those that had steadfastly refused to play any of Netflix’s major titles – agreed to the limited engagement, obviously smelling money.

Tickets for that engagement went on sale accompanied by a TV spot.

Later in October it was named the opening selection of the Miami Film Festival.

At BFI the cast and crew were back together for another screening that only added more positive reviews and buzz to the movie’s publicity

At the end of the month another poster came out that has the entire cast arranged along the side of the pool we saw in the first one-sheet.

The full official trailer (12.2m YouTube views) was released at the beginning of November. After showing all the characters arriving on his island, Miles explains they’ve been invited there to participate in a game where they have to solve his murder. Blanc is the wildcard in the group and when things turn from playful to actually dangerous he gets very serious about finding out who’s responsible. There’s lots of great footage of the various characters acting in outrageous ways both toward each other and the situation in general and, once again, this just looks like a lot of fun.

Netflix then put out a video of the cast reacting to the trailer.

An EW feature story had Johnson sharing how he developed the story and what he wanted to accomplish with a sequel along with comments from Craig about his character and accent and from others in the cast about the experience of shooting the movie, how quickly they signed on to the project and more.

Composer Nathan Johnson (Rian’s cousin) debuted parts of his score for the movie at a Netflix event focused on music. A week or so later snippets of that score were released for public consumption.

The L.A. premiere red carpet was held in mid-November, timed to be just before the movie hit theaters. At the premiere everyone talked more about how much fun they had while filming, the outfits they all sport and lots more.

That was followed by the announcement of the Glass Onion Experience. Set up in L.A. and running through December, people could attend and as a group try and solve a series of mysteries, like an escape room.

A set of character posters once more used the pool setting to show off the beautiful location and cast.

Just before the movie came to theaters another clip of Miles explaining the weekend to his guests – and Blanc being slightly confused as to the point of this all – came out.

a brief digression about the theatrical release…

The success of the theatrical engagement resulted in no small amount of hand-wringing among entertainment insiders and commentators. Had Netflix left tens of millions of dollars on the table by limiting release to just one week? Was it a mistake to have it play in theaters so far in advance of it debuting on streaming?

Those questions are interesting in an academic sense but also tended to overlook the fact that many of the answers went counter to Netflix’s business model.

Asking if Netflix should have kept Glass Onion in theaters longer, or if it should put more of its movies in theaters to begin with, is akin to asking if McDonald’s should sell more frozen hamburgers in grocery stores. Sure, the numbers will likely go up, but the goal of most all advertising by McDonald’s is to get people to visit its restaurants. So the end result is a weakened business.

There’s also the fact that all the prognostications about how this movie could have cleared $100mm at the box office is supported by almost nothing. None of the movies on the list of 2022’s top 10 opening weekends are this weird. They’re all very safe franchise entries, not the next chapter in a loosely-connected anthology series of high-concept murder mysteries.

back to the campaign…

The cast appeared in a video where they guessed what some Southern phrases actually meant in a nod to Craig’s accent. Later on Hudson and Hahn had some fun guessing which of three “facts” about their costars was the lie.

Online ads that began running in early December directed visitors to a site with information about screenings and events along with other press and promotional material.

At Brazil Comic-Con a behind the scenes featurette debuted showing some of the movie being filmed along with comments from the cast and director.

Another set of character posters put each one behind one of the letters in the movie’s title.

Talk show appearances by the cast included

And more, I’m sure.

At a moment when there were lots of profiles of Monae and attention paid to her performance Netflix released a featurette focusing on her role in the film and how much her collaborators enjoyed working with her. Another featurette focused on the production design of the film.

A bit later there were also a handful of profiles like this of Cline and others for Henwick.

What started out seeming to be a gag turned out to be real when Outback Steakhouse debuted the Bloomin’ Glass Onion, a special version of their signature dish, and supported it with an extended TV spot that kind of has to be seen to be believed.

The movie also got some promotional support from the video game Among Us, which introduced a Benoit Blanc character skin. And ice cream brand Van Leeuwen created a movie-inspired flavor. White Claw did likewise but for their style of drink while Zillow created a listing for Miles’ island house.

overall

Regardless of my feelings about the campaign (I love it, btw) it should be pointed out that the official Knives Out Twitter account remains undefeated.

There also seemed to be some A+ trolling of Twitter Owner, who the character of Miles Bron is based in part on, with photos from the film that seemed to be expert subtweets of current news.

So it’s a win all around. There is no quirkier or more entertaining campaign I’ve seen this year.

Private Life – Marketing Recap

How Netflix sold PRIVATE LIFE, starring Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti and directed/written by Tamara Jenkins.

private life posterDirector Tamara Jenkins brings her talents to Netflix with this week’s original feature Private Life. In the movie Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti play Rachel and Richard, a relatively successful New York couple who realize they’re getting older and so decide the time is finally right to have a baby. Things don’t go as planned though and they wind up engaging in fertility treatments that are frustrating and which also don’t seem to be effective.

One day their step-niece Tiffany (Lizzy DeClement) comes to visit and stay with them for a while. That creates a whole new dynamic in Rachel and Richard’s life that complicates their feelings about what they’re doing, what they really want and what having a family really means.

The Posters

The first poster was released in late August and featured the work of illustrator Chris Ware, who had previously done the poster for Jenkins’ The Savages in 2008. Using that same style, the images shows a collection of people standing or walking on a sidewalk, a city park in back of them and the skyline in the background. The implication here is that we’ll come into contact or meet most or all of these characters over the course of the film.

The Trailers

You get an immediate sense of the lives Richard and Rachel lead when the trailer opens as we’re presented with scenes of the kind of mid-range artistic existence filled with small parties with friends and Valium. Their attempts to conceive aren’t going well, even after they start the fertility treatments and it’s killing them a little bit. Into this comes Tiffany, who’s a welcome distraction and a breath of fresh air, though her parents aren’t thrilled with what she’s done. The three settle into their lives, though, and keep making do.

Hahn and Giamatti are so effortlessly good in this trailer it’s silly. What really jumps out at me, though, is how the story seems like something Woody Allen might have written with the exceptions of 1) No creepy relationship developing with the young niece and 2) Everyone actually seems to learn something.

Online and Social

Some support on Netflix’s brand social profiles but that’s about it.

Advertising and Cross-Promotions

Nothing I’m aware of, but I expect to see some online ads of various kinds in the next few days.

Media and Publicity

The movie debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and while the reaction was somewhat mixed, everyone seemed to agree it was great to have Jenkins back in the director’s chair for another feature. While there she spoke about the story of the movie as well as the journey she took from an initial development deal with Amazon Studios to eventually winding up at Netflix with the freedom and support she needed to make the movie, albeit on a tight shooting schedule.

Jenkins spoke here along with others about how this was just one of a handful of movies from female directors distributed by Netflix, something other studios and distributors still come up way short in.

Hahn talked about the movie on “Good Morning America” while Giamatti talked with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show.”

Overall

I have to ask one more time: How is it this is the first movie we’ve seen from Tamara Jenkins in over a decade? Based on the marketing this is a similar story to dozens of others in that time, many of which weren’t nearly as good as The Savages. I don’t understand.

That to the side, this seems like the kind of movie Netflix – and Amazon and others – can really latch on to when people start complaining about the quality of their original films. It’s from a well-known and well-respected writer/director, has a great cast and is exactly the kind of movie studios don’t have much faith in anymore. The marketing sells it as a compelling drama that should be attractive to fans of Jenkins’ earlier films as well as of grounded character dramas in general.

PICKING UP THE SPARE

Costar Molly Shannon appeared on “Late Night.”

Director Tamara Jenkins was interviewed here about the story and what motivated her to make this movie at this time.

Kathryn Hahn spoke about how she related to the character she plays in the movie and what she thinks about how her career has turned out so far. She hit similar topics in this interview as well.

Another profile of director Tamara Jenkins here where she talks about the gap in her filmography and what inspired the story of the movie.

Hahn also was interviewed about what brought her to join the movie and how she felt it was especially culturally relevant right now.

Another interview with Hahn about working with Giamatti and the nature of the movie’s story.

Bad Moms Christmas – Marketing Recap

Having made a bigger-than-expected splash when they reclaimed the everyday, the three harried women at the heart of last year’s Bad Moms are back with A Bad Moms Christmas. Kiki (Kristen Bell), Amy (Mila Kunis) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) are throwing off the shackles of society’s expectations around mounting the perfect family holiday and taking it easy, enjoying it themselves for a change.

There’s one big monkey wrench that’s been thrown in these plans: The unexpected arrival of their own mothers. Kiki’s mom (Cheryl Hines), Carla’s mom (Susan Sarandon) and Amy’s mom (Christine Baranski) all show up with their own expectations and complicate things for their daughters in one way or another. Hilarity ensues.

The Posters

The first poster was very similar to one for the first movie, but this one has the three ladies grinding on and dancing all around a department store Santa.

A series of three posters paired each of the moms we already know alongside their own moms, most of the younger ones looking less than thrilled with this arrangement.

That was followed by another version that adds the moms of the moms.

The Trailers

Oy, with this trailer. It seems no one learned any big, long-lasting lessons from the first movie since the moms are back and feeling just as unappreciated as ever as Christmas gets closer. There’s more kvetching about the stress everyone is feeling and how badly they’re treated by their families. So they decide to “take Christmas back” which involves sitting out on a lot of the expected activities and traditions. Things are complicated by the arrival of *their* moms.

Alright, fine. Since the first one seemed to work for so many people it’s safe to assume that wrapping this one in tinsel will achieve roughly the same effect. Why not.

Another trailer shows just how miserable the moms are during Christmas, frustrated by their kids and the hectic schedules. Then things get worse when their mothers show up and begin the judging and the uncomfortable closeness and more. So the three rebel and go off on their own wacky, drunken adventures. There’s an extended scene involving an anal waxing and that’s all she wrote.

Green-band versions of both trailers were also released to appeal to more general audiences.

Online and Social

The first trailer plays when the official website loads up if you’re interested in watching that. The key art of the girls giving Santa a lap dance is featured on the front page. While there’s a traditional “Get Tickets” button on the page there’s also “Plan Your Night” prompt that encourages you to make this a group event. That section includes not just the option to buy tickets but to send themed invitations to all your friends as well as cocktail recipes and event planning guides.

At the top of the page is where most of the site’s content lives. That starts with links to the movie’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest profiles, the latter of which features tips on delegating holiday work, taking time for yourself and more that’s in-line with the point of the movie.

“Videos” has all of the trailers. “About” has a quick synopsis and the cast and crew list. “Gallery” has about a half-dozen production stills. Finally, “Partners” has information on the companies who have signed up for promotional support.

Advertising and Cross-Promotions

TV advertising kicked off in earnest a couple weeks out from release, with some focusing on outrageousness, some on the family relationships and some just on the cast that’s been brought together. Regardless of the specifics, all make it clear that there’s plenty of bad behavior on display as the moms go all out to enjoy some time to themselves. Digital spots like this one hit the same themes as have been seen before.

Online ads used short video clips to drive ticket sales and the release of each trailer was accompanied by paid promotion on social networks.

Promotional partners for the movie included the following companies:

  • Febreeze, though I couldn’t find any connection or campaign aside from the fact that Kathryn Hahn did an ad for the brand that aired during this past Super Bowl.
  • Yoplait, which ran a sweepstakes on Facebook and Instagram awarding movie tickets.
  • Stroke of Beauty, which created a movie-themed makeup kit that was available through evine (another listed partner) and given away through a sweeps.
  • Old Navy, which ran a sweeps awarding a private group screening of the movie and more.
  • Amazon Alexa, though I can’t find details on that partnership.
  • UrbanSitter, which ran a sweeps awarding not only movie tickets but gift cards for babysitting services.

Media and Publicity

The directors talked about they wanted to create mothers that would clash but still appear appropriate for each of the moms and the drama and humor that results from putting all these characters together.

Around the same time the TV advertising began STX released a few videos like this that had an expert mixologist sharing movie-themed cocktail recipes to make to help you get through the holidays.

Acknowledging that the original shouldn’t have been as much of a hit as it was, an interview with all three leads covered how quickly the sequel came together, how excited they all were to jump back and more.

The actresses playing the moms of the moms all sat down for a group interview where they talked about working with their on-screen daughters, their experience in general and more.

Overall

If you found the campaign for the first one funny or charming or relatable, odds are good you’ll be on board for this sequel as well. There’s nothing all that new or innovative going on, all the characters are the same and dealing with the same issues they were in the first movie, only with the additional stress of living up to a mother’s expectations. Not a single one of the actresses here isn’t extremely talented and likable, so it comes down to whether you’re interested in the story and tone, which is more a question of individual taste.

The main call to action is to come out as a group for something holiday-themed. The campaign is using Christmas as a chance to amp-up the emotional stakes for everyone and hopefully create something that’s just as relatable, if not more so, for the audience. There’s a nice effort to create some movie-themed experiences like the cocktail recipes and party tips that may or may not be widely useful but they certainly are appropriate to the story.

Chris Thilk is a freelance writer and content strategist who lives in the Chicago suburbs.