Trailer of the Day: Ryan Reynolds Channels 'Men In Black' For 'R.I.P.D.'
by Shannon KeirnanIn a trailer that, let’s be honest, smacks a whole lot of the original “Men in Black,” Ryan Reynolds plays Nick Walker, a police officer slain during duty, who, after death, is recruited to the R.I.P.D.—the Rest In Peace Department.
He is paired with cowboy-wild Roy Pulsipher (Jeff Bridges), who tracks down dead souls (Deados) trying to escape judgment by lingering among the living.
The boys can be seen by the living, but appear as avatars (an old Chinese man and a hot blonde?) and can’t be killed, which leads to some obvious slap-stick, physical humor moments.
The trailer is a good romp, certainly, and Reynolds plays his usual sexy, witty character while Bridges seems to step into the shoes of Tommy Lee Jones from “Men In Black” with his droll humor and deadpan accent.
One might point out that is seems to borrow, pretty heavily, not only from “MIB,” but from “Ghostbusters,” and even “Dead Like Me.” The influences are pretty apparent, but how much of the comic (upon which it is actually based) can fans spot?
With that aside, if you liked “MIB” and such, odds are (if you can look past the similarities) you’ll probably enjoy this one.
Directed by Robert Schwentke, it also stars Mary Louise-Parker, Kevin Bacon, James Hong, and Victoria’s Secret model Marissa Miller.
“Tough day,” greets Procter (Parker) as poor Nick gets sucked up into the sky and thrust into a station-style chair. “You’re dead.”
With some goofy-looking Deados, explosions, hair-tosses by Roy’s avatar (Miller), and even a moment where Roy rides Nick, cowboy-style, as they plummet to Earth from a window, we’ll leave it up to you to decide if this is making it to your “see” or “skip” list.