TRAILERS: "I Hope They Have Beer in Hell" & Timberlake's "The Open Road"

I Hope They Have Beer in Hell
Plot: Tucker decides to take an impromptu trip to celebrate his friend's bachelor party. He drags his friend into a lie with his fiancée, gets him into trouble and then abandons him in order to pursue a carnal interest. Tucker is disinvited to the wedding, and in order to get back in, Tucker has to find a way to balance his narcissism with the demands of friendship.
Pre-View Opinion: I'm not expecting a lot from a movie with this title, especially since I didn't read the book.
Post-View Opinion: I really had high hopes for Matt Czuchry. He wasn't exactly the ideal romantic lead on "Gilmore Girls," but he definitely had a certain charm. He then became a little less appealing when he tried to steal Lyla away from Riggins on "Friday Night Lights." But now he's portraying a womanizing troublemaker in this adaptation of Tucker Max's scandalous novel. This isn't exactly where I thought his career would end up. The only thing that saves him is the promising law drama he has this fall season on CBS, "The Good Wife," where he plays a competitive up-and-comer. The worst part of this trailer is that he's teamed up with Jesse Bradford, who's been flying under the radar ever since 2002's Swimfan, and Geoff Stults, whose biggest credit to date is ABC's canceled drama "October Road." Of course, we've seen this summer with Hangover that a barely noteworthy cast doesn't automatically tank a film. But while this film has a very similar plot with slightly different characters, and even has the potential of playing to a slightly younger crowd, it doesn't really scream "hilarious moments streamed together." And to be honest, while Bradford is his reliably sour self, Czuchry just doesn't fly as a prick.
Release Date: September 25


The Open Road
Plot: Carlton, the son of the baseball legend Kyle Garrett (Jeff Bridges), goes on a road trip with his female best friend (Kate Mara from We Are Marshalls and Shooter) to bring his estranged father to his mom before she goes into heart surgery.
Pre-View Opinion: Justin Timberlake in yet another movie? Hmm. I think at this point singers have figured out that they can make more money if they transition to film. But Timberlake has shown a certain knack for comedy, and he'll continue to showcase that talent this fall when he makes sporadic guest appearances on "SNL," so this is clearly not just a payday for him. However, despite the fact that he's starred in five films, I've only seen one: Alpha Dog. He wasn't half-bad, but his performance wasn't good enough for me to flock to theaters to see Southland Tales, Black Snake Moan, Shrek the Third, or The Love Guru. (Especially not the Love Guru.) So I reserve the right to not have high hopes for this film.
Post-View Opinion: I dunno. Bridges was on-point as usual, and he had good chemistry with Timberlake, but since I'm accustomed to the musical spoof master who gives you 110%, this mellow and frustrated version that's only giving me 30% of the funny is kind of lackluster. I guess if you really want to watch a father-and-son movie, it'll appeal to you just fine.
Release Date: August 28