Spend 'The Next Three Days' with Elizabeth Banks

Who doesn't like Elizabeth Banks? I mean, really? She's good at comedy, shows some depth with the dramas, has that girl next door vibe, and seems incredibly grounded. So anytime she gets work, that's better than someone who seems a lot more phony taking a role she'd be great for. Not that finding work has been tough for her in the last couple of years. And now, she's co-starring opposite Russell Crowe in Paul Haggis' upcoming remake of the French thriller Pour elle. The new film will be called The Next Three Days, and Haggis will also write and produce; it's his first film since the regrettably ignored In The Valley of Elah in 2007. According to Variety, The Next Three Days "centers on an ordinary couple who find themselves in an unthinkable situation and have to make desperate choices that will test the limits of love." Wow, they've finally made a movie about the wave of foreclosures that have wrecked the housing market. That will be a thriller! Of course, for Crowe, he's still trying to find his way back to being one of the most reliable actors in the business. Maybe Robin Hood can turn around his commercial fortunes, but he still needs a good showcase for his talent, the kind of role like The Insider and L.A. Confidential that allowed him the bigger stage in the first place. If he can up his game here, and Haggis can certainly write something the will give him that chance, it should also reflect well on Banks, who has achieved about all she can as the cute funny girl, short of getting her own sitcom.