Trailer Trashin’: Nick Frost Cuts a Rug in Cuban Fury
This week sees the release of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the highly-anticipated sequel to last year’s blockbuster. But in the meantime, this week’s new Trailer Trashin’ column takes a look at the upcoming British comedy Cuban Fury.
Premise: A lonely sad-sack named Bruce Garrett (Nick Frost) has a crush on his gorgeous new boss Julia (Rashida Jones), and the only way he can win her over is by mastering the art of dance. Good thing he used to be a child prodigy at salsa dancing – now all Bruce needs to do is rediscover his inner passion.
My take: Several times in the history of this column, I’ve featured a movie that I hadn’t even heard of before seeing the trailer in question. Such is the case with this week’s subject, the upcoming British romantic comedy Cuban Fury, which stars Nick Frost, best known from Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World’s End (2013). This UK trailer is the first one released for the film, and it really makes me hope it will come to this side of the Atlantic.
The thing that first interested me in Cuban Fury is the cast. Obviously, the main focus is on Nick Frost in the lead role of Bruce Garrett. Frost has obviously proven that he can be a great secondary lead, but his work in The World’s End really impressed me, and I absolutely think he can carry a film like this on his own. As a big fan of Parks & Recreation, I’m always happy to see Rashida Jones getting work, and I look forward to seeing her as Julia. And while her playing a woman who’s paired with a goofy guy might border on typecasting, she does it so well that I’m not going to complain. We also see some of Chris O’Dowd, who just popped up in a small role in Thor: The Dark World, as Drew, who is described as “[Bruce’s] alpha male colleague and horny king-monkey of the office.” O’Dowd is a good actor, and I think he’ll make a great comic antagonist for Frost. Also on hand is Olivia Colman, who previously acted alongside Frost in Hot Fuzz, plays Bruce’s sister Sam, who has to help her brother get his groove back. Kayvan Novak, who starred in the British series Fonejacker and Facejacker and also had a small role in Syriana (2005), plays Bruce’s fellow dance student Bejan. The cast is rounded out by Wendi McLendon-Covey from Bridesmaids (2011) and The Goldbergs, Rory Kinnear from Quantum of Solace (2008) and Skyfall (2012), and the legendary Ian McShane from the acclaimed shows Deadwood and Kings.
But besides the great cast, the film also looks really funny. Of course, the image of Nick Frost salsa dancing is inherently funny in and of itself, but it seems clear that the film isn’t going to rely on just this one joke to carry it. The meet cute(s) between Bruce and Julia are amusingly awkward. The scenes of Bruce working to get the hang of dancing again should provide plenty of physical comedy. The dance fights between Bruce and Drew look hilarious, and I can’t wait to see them play out in full. And for anyone who’s wondering, the name Bruce actually means “the willow-lands,” although that’s not as funny as “bush” or “hedge.” My only gripe is that a fair number of the jokes seem to be about Frost’s weight, but admittedly, a lot of those seem to come from Drew, who is clearly the kind of jerk who would insult someone for petty reasons like that.
Nick Frost in “Cuban Fury.”
There’s really not too much to say, other than I’m really looking forward to this. Of course, “guy must master a skill to win over his dream girl” is pretty well-worn as comedy plots go, but sometimes a plot is used over and over because it works really well, especially when it’s being used by talented people. At the moment, there are no plans for a domestic release of the film, but I hope that situation will change. Whether it is shown in theaters or just released on home video, I will definitely be checking out Cuban Fury when it makes its way stateside.
Starring: Nick Frost, Rashida Jones, Olivia Colman, Chris O’Dowd, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ian McShane, Alexandra Roach, Rory Kinnear, and Kayvan Novak
Director: James Griffiths
Writer: Jon Brown
Timothy Monforton
