Film

Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in Chicago, plus articles, trailers and more

 

  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

Forest Whitaker to remake '50s comedy

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox 2000 and Forest Whitaker's production company Spirit Dance Entertainment are to remake The Girl Can't Help It.

Aug 22 2004

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox 2000 and Forest Whitaker's production company Spirit Dance Entertainment are to remake the '50s comedy The Girl Can't Help It.

The remake of this story - originally a quintessential '50s rock film - is perfectly timed. When released it was a biting satire on the PR worlds of rock and advertising, in which a press agent (Tom Ewell) is ordered by a crime boss to turn his tone-deaf, dumb blonde girlfriend (Jayne Mansfield) into a successful rock star. It is rumoured that the new version is to play on the popularity of the 'Pop Idol' phenomenon.

Whereas the original contained legendary appearances from Fats Domino, the Platters, Little Richard, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran among its 17 numbers, the new version will feature current chart acts in cameos.
As no names have been release yet we are only left to ponder - perhaps Girls Aloud, Michelle, The Cheeky Girls...? Although those girls can't help it Forest, you can, so do the original proud will you! And we'd like to bet that Simon Cowell will make a self-parodying appearance. Although, hasn't he already done that in Scary Movie 3?

  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your comment now

*mandatory fields





Features

Mister nice guy

Mister nice guy

Greg Kinnear brings his affability to a flawed hero.

Radical visions

British filmmaker Derek Jarman gets a much-deserved reconsideration at the Siskel Film Center.

Toronto International Film Festival

The Wrestler aside, the least-hyped films at Toronto were the most exciting.

Summer school

Six lessons we learned at the multiplex this summer.

Head trip

Fall preview: Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York is one of the most mind-bending films of the season.

Kiss and tell

A director and his star use their personal lives as inspiration. And it isn't self-indulgent. Promise.

Leo rising

Melissa Leo talks about good direction, being too method and how to get ahead in indies.