The first trailer for The Romantics, directed by the superbly named Galt Niederhoffer and based on her novel, has arrived online.
In case you were wondering, the title refers to the group of friends who gather at a beachfront property to celebrate the wedding of Lila (Anna Paquin) and Tom (Josh Duhamel). But there’s trouble afoot: the pals got that nickname because of their tendency to date one another, so there are simmering tensions waiting to explode at the ceremony, not least between Lila and Laura (Katie Holmes), since the latter used to date the groom. And might not quite be over her feelings…
While the film split opinions at Sundance, we’re sure plenty of the actors here will be hoping for a cinematic life preserver after suffering though some truly dreadful pics. Duhamel, for one, has When In Rome still scarring his filmography, while co-star Malin Akerman was in Couples Retreat. Holmes’ last pic was the at-best moderately successful Mad Money, and Paquin at least has been enjoying her time on the small screen with True Blood.
While the movie definitely has rom-com elements, there’s also clearly a more thoughtful vein of drama also running through it. Could be one to watch. For now, however, we’ll have to make do with the trailer over at Apple, because despite a limited US release of September 10, there’s no date listed for the UK yet.