European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 5, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Kevin Costner Jed Chat Eastwood take a break during the filming of a perfect world. Waynw Bros its Eastwood and by John Horn a entertainment writer our in think that with superstars Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner paired for the first time producer Mark Johnson would be thrilled with a perfect world. But in the crowded and intensely competitive Holiday film season sure things Don t always turn out to be sure things and Johnson is nervous. He a already predicting that a perfect world May be overshadowed by Robin Williams in the comedy Rote of a lifetime in drag As mrs. Doubtfire. Johnson said a couple of weeks ago a it will definitely win the thanksgiving weekend. It will beat us out a in a sure it the next few weeks Are crammed with Academy award Caliper films Schindler s list aiming High sequels Wayne s world ii aiming Low and a Jumble of works the Pelican Brief in Between. The Box office dash is especially intense now while 20th Century foxes mrs. Doubt fire goes head to head with Warner Bros. A perfect world and three other major studio releases. Mrs. Doubtfire casts Williams As the father of three on the losing Side of a custody Battle. He disguises himself As a plump aging English Nanny who promptly is hired by his estranged wife a Sally Field to watch the youngsters. Once scheduled for a dec. 10 debut mrs. Doubtfire was moved up to the Day before thanksgiving in the United states after the studio showed the film to recruited test audiences. A a we Felt after our first few research screenings that this movie played extraordinary Well to everyone who saw it a a says Peter Churnin the chairman of 20th Century Fox. A and our thinking was that we should get it open Early enough because we Felt that the movie will play through although mrs. Doubtfire tries to deliver a serious message about divorce it is largely a Frothy humor a a perfect world review on Page 12 20lh Century Fox Robin Williams turns into a 60-year-old British woman in the comedy mrs. Doubt fire. Ous diversion. A perfect world on the. Other hand travels across far More difficult a rated Terri tory. Given the country a. Current penchant for palatable works that a what makes its Success problematic directed by Eastwood last years Oscar Winner for in forgiven the. Movie features Costner As an escape convict roaming across Texas with an 8-year old boy As his hostage. The fatherless boy do a Clops an affection for his generally Loving captor and the film evolves into an unusual Odyssey of alienation and attachment. Eastwood co stars As a Texas Ranger tracking Down Costner with lh6 unwelcome assistance def Laura darn. While mrs. Doubtfire can be promoted with a simple pitch a perfect world requires a far More com plex advertising strategy its premise cannot be condensed easily into superficial Movic Posick prose. So what do you Tell the audion it the film is about a i think what you do is you Tell them what it in to Johnson says of the marketing approach. A it in t a Clint Eastwood Kevin Costner movie. It s not what they expect it is. Its not an action movie. Its not a buddy movie. It so goes against that. I think it has to be sold dark a meaning that audiences should know going in that it s no lightweight Romp. A i think our reviews by and Large Are going to be very Good a Johnson says. A and i think we re going to depend a lot on those reviews informing the Audi enc that this Isnit like Costner and the bodyguard meets Clint Eastwood in 7n the line of the thanksgiving Competition included Josh and s.a.m., a film about two children driving across the country George Balanchine a the Nutcracker with Home alone Star Macaulay Culkin the animated work we re Back a dinosaurs Story and the inc pendent film the snapper an Irish Bluc cd tar comedy directed by Stephen friars. Then came two relatively quiet weeks followed by the scheduled arrival on Friday of three other big Christmas films sister act 2 Back in the habit the Western Geronmo an american legend and Wayne a world ii. Five Days later comes Steven Spielberg a holocaust movie Schindler a list followed by the dog sequel Bec Boven s 2nd and another Western Tombstone. On dec 17, Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington pair in the adaptation of novelist John Grisham Slegal thriller the Pelican Brief. Given Roberts popularity and the earlier Success of Grisham a the firm Hollywood insiders expect big numbers from the Pelican Brief. Although several Likely Oscar contenders already have been released much ado about nothing the remains of the Day december is filled with a num bar of Quality titles released late in the year to qualify for the Academy awards. They include Tom Hanks in the aids Story Philadelphia and Daniel Day Lewis in in the name of the father a reaching cafes the Holiday season hits movie Heaters on the army and air forces Exchange service circuit in this order Friday a perfect world. Dec. 17 sister act 2 Back in the habit. Dec. 24 mrs. Dou fire. Dec. 31 Wayne s world ii. Jan. 7 Geronimo an american legend. Jan. 14 Tombstone. December 9, 1993 sunday Page u
