If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
That seems to be philosophy taken up by the marketing team behind Derek Cianfrance‘s romantic drama “Blue Valentine” who seem to have taken the MPAA’s NC-17 throwdown head on and unveiled this new poster after its screening at the AFI Fest — we actually spotted it earlier today in the background of some red carpet shots and wondered if and when it’d be released.
Featuring an image hitting somewhere between romantic and risque, the poster somewhat doubles for an early FYC ad as well, with a quote from an EW review front and center that reads: “If there’s any justice, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams will both earn Oscar nominations for their raw, arresting performances.”
Our reviews from Cannes and TIFF certainly agree with the sentiment, describing it as a “prickly, raw and devasting punch” that features “powerhouse, Academy-worthy performances that are split into two parts: their sweet, falling in love intro and their eventual heartbreaking disintegration years later.” The film of course follows the imploding relationship of the leading couple over the course of 36 hours as they attempt to save it while flashing back to the earlier, happier days of young love and courtship.
It definitely doesn’t sound like a story that the MPAA should be steering audiences away from with the Weinstein Company evidently (and rightfully) protesting the rating. Cianfrance expressed his own disappointment at the decision but added that “we’re going to fight it. We all respect the MPAA and the work that they do but we think that this decision is wrong.”
“Blue Valentine” also stars the likes of Mike Vogel, Faith Wladyka, John Doman and Ben Shenkman and features a score by indie-folk-rockers Grizzly Bear. It’ll hit theaters on December 31st.