ALL IS BRIGHT Trailer Casts A Dim Light

In many ways, All is Bright looks just awful. The story seems pretty basic, the ironic combination of jolly Christmas music under scenes of general misery doesn't do much for me, and almost none of the jokes hit.

But it doesn't really matter because the film has Paul Giamatti, Paul Rudd, and Blue Jasmine's incredible Paul Sally Hawkins. Suddenly all that blah stuff has a new set of clothes. Throw in Giamatti's unholy mutton chops and All is Bright has my attention regardless of how uninspiring it looks story-wise.

Plus, there's always the chance that this is just a bad trailer, focusing on wide-appeal elements while hiding the real gems. As far as I can tell, this all looks like first-act material. That could be a good sign. Reviews out of Tribeca haven't been great, though.

We'll be able to see it VOD in just a couple days, as it comes out September 4. All is Bright's theatrical run begins October 4. I'm kind of surprised it's not coming out later in the year, but that's probably why I was fired from my swanky Vice President of Choosing When All is Bright Comes Out job.