Way back at Sundance 2009, Jim Carrey drew a lot of acclaim for his performance in “I Love You Phillip Morris,” a comedy-drama about an imprisoned con artist who falls in love with his cell mate. Based on a true story, the film follows Steven Jay Russell, a cop who has an epiphany and embraces his homosexuality after he’s involved in a car crash. However, his new, flamboyant, extravagant lifestyle is too expensive, turning to his life as a con man.
Because of its “graphic” (of course, I haven’t actually seen the scene yet, but don’t you find that any gay sex scene automatically gets called “graphic” in the media, while a straight sex scene really has to go over the top to get that label these days?) homosexual content, the film struggled for months to get picked up by a distributor. Consolidated Pictures Group eventually acquired the rights after some re-editing, but legal troubles continued as there was some wrangling over finances between the producers and the distributors. The film was released in Europe earlier this year to a warm critical reception, but American release rights remained up in the air.
Now, Roadside Attractions (which also owns the rights this year to Iñarritu’s “Biutiful”) has acquired rights to distribute “I Love You Phillip Morris” in the U.S., and slated the film for a December 3 release. Worth keeping an eye on; it will be interesting to see if buzz for Carey’s performance can build up again in time for an awards season run.
(Pardon the French subtitles on this trailer)
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