Ranting to /dev/null

Occam's razor

Someone over at Salon thinks that there's something significant to the fact that the new Jack Nicholson/Diane Keaton flick Something's Gotta Give outsold Tom Cruise's Last Samurai. She wants to argue that finally, people are realizing that people are willing to pay actual money to see stories targeted to "upper-quadrant" women, the demographic least likely to go to the movies.

I have an alternate theory. Last Samurai reputedly kind of sucks, and there really isn't anything else playing right now. Something's Gotta Give was in its opening weekend (and only took in $17 million), and had as its competitors such fare as Elf (which was amusing but nothing to write home about), Master and Commander (which was amazing, but has been in theaters for a month), Love Actually (which is reported to have been only okay).

Now, let's apply Occam's Razor and say that this box office "victory" has more to do with Hollywood releasing sucky movies for the past few weeks than with a major shift in interest. I get the distinct impression that Rebecca Traister really, really wants her thesis to be true, but I just ain't buying it.