'Ugly Truth' Director May Romance the Stone

Ready for two more 80s movies revivals? Pajiba says Romancing the Stone is getting an update, which isn't exactly news, but it was dormant for almost a year before news of a remake went anywhere. Now the scuttlebutt is that Robert Luketic might direct, which has to thrill you no end. Pajiba overstates it when saying Luketic is "the worst director in Hollywood," although I'm certainly not a fan. 21 was better than I thought going in, as was Legally Blonde, but and Monster-in-Law were not very good. The problem with a remake like this, not that it should be off-limits for any overriding reason in particular. However, good luck matching the chemistry between Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. I mean, seriously. That was a once-or-twice-in-a-generation pairing that peaked a couple of times, in the original and, of course, War of the Roses. That brings up another point: Good luck matching the chemistry and finding the perfect comedic foil for a supporting role. When Robert Zemeckis made Romancing the Stone, of course, we didn't know what he had. He was a bit of an unknown then, Douglas had not quite become a major, major star, and Turner had turned heads in Body Heat but was also less than a known quantity. Sometimes you get lucky like that. And the point is, it's not something you can fake. Either that chemistry is there or it isn't. Sandra Bullock had tried for almost 15 years to find it before she and Ryan Reynolds both clicked in The Proposal. Great movie? No, but the combo saved it. That film, coincidentally, also got a major assist from Betty White, proving how important that additional element is to the repelling magnets romantic comedy. Kate Hudson has never found it. Most actors and actresses don't. And this movie absolutely hinges on it. So again, good luck. In related news, Devon Franklin, a producer on Luketic's recent The Ugly Truth is remaking Overboard, a bad movie that the chemistry of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell couldn't save. Pajiba hints that Katherine Heigl is on the producer's radar, so that's bound to be fun for the crew. And because that source material has the additional hurdle of not even being very good on top of two stars who work exceedingly well together, again I say, good luck. Because if there's one thing Katherine Heigl doesn't foster, it's good on screen chemisty.