How sad is this? Once eyed as a potential Oscar contender a couple of years ago, the Nicole Kidman-led Grace of Monaco isn't even getting a theatrical run. Instead, it will debut, not even on VOD...but on friggin' Lifetime. Yeah, the same network that airs Movie of the Week crap like Co-Ed Call Girl, Baby Monitor: Sound of Fear, and Death Panties. Okay, I made up that last one but could you really tell the difference?
So what the heck happened? You may recall that the Weinstein Company paid a mint for the film back in 2013, expecting it to be a sure-fire Oscar player. And how could it not be? Directed by Olivier Dahan, who took Marion Cotillard to a Best Actress win for La Vie en Rose, the film featured Kidman as Hollywood royalty Grace Kelly as she helped settle a political dispute in Monaco. Obvious awards material, right? Well...that was before the film debuted at Cannes and got ripped to shreds. Weinstein kicked the film around the release schedule before toying with the idea of not releasing it at all due to a flap with the director. That might have been the preferable option.
So now you'll be able to see Grace of Monaco for free on May 25th on Lifetime. So enjoy...I guess? [Variety]
