Last week we reported Natalie Portman is going from acclaimed dramatic actress to raunchy comedy screenwriter with her script BYO, co-authored by her college gal pal, Laura Moses. Now we’ve got some details on the project’s raunch factor, courtesy of Playlist (via Hollywood Elsewhere).
First off, the female-driven sex comedy is not as bawdy as Superbad – the sex comedy by which all others are measured apparently – but it does include a scene where the “wild sex fiend” Lucy is caught blowing her 15-year old paramour — by the boy’s mom. Though the reader review seems to lament, “it doesn’t get any dirtier than the page-five BJ,” and the lack of “any serious Jonah Hill-like vulgarity” with “just lots of Michael Cera snarkiness and McLovin dopey-ness,” I’m optimistic. Of course, this may be because I don’t tend to break down adult comedies by the sex acts performed or discussed therein.
The thing is, BYO is set to be something we American moviegoers don’t see too often: a sex comedy featuring women who like sex and aren’t two-dimensional characters. I’m assuming the latter because it’s Natalie Portman; I expect a smart script from the Harvard grad. However, female-driven comedies are a rising market. Emma Stone’s Easy A has already earned eight times it’s budget, proving Stone’s drawing power (and she may be setting up to do it again), and Lena Dunham’s daring semi-autobiographical comedy, Tiny Furniture, is drawing noteworthy attention, including the praise of star maker Judd Apatow. BYO is currently seeking studio backing, and promoting itself with the promise of Portman starring and the possibility of Anne Hathaway co-starring. With the mounting interest in comedies centered on sex-positive female leads, hopefully some studio will be smart enough to invest in BYO.
And I’ve addressed this before, but for those of you thrown by Portman’s interest in ribald humor, check out the Red Band Trailer for Your Highness. (We’ll call it exhibit B).
Are you excited about Portman’s BYO?