Call me a big ‘mo, but I kinda liked what Chris Columbus did with Rent. All told, it was probably his best work since Adventures in Babysitting.
Nearly twenty years separate those films, so I have a feeling it’ll be a while before Columbus fucks up and makes another good movie. In the meantime, we’re gonna get I Love You, Beth Cooper, a "teen comedy" about a dorky valedictorian who gets involved in some kind of shenanigans with the hot cheerleader he’s long wanted to schtupp. If those shenanigans include killing the cheerleader’s father before setting out on a Wyoming-to-Nebraska killing spree, then cool. If we’re talking about a License to Drive/Mystery Date/Can’t Buy Me Love hybrid… even better!!!
The film is based on a novel by Larry Doyle, the former Simpsons writer who now bangs out mildly amusing dispatches for The New Yorker. Though Fox Atomic is eyeing a spring start date, neither The Hollywood Reporter nor Variety mentions a screenwriter. As there’s some kind of writers strike goin’ on, that might be a problem. Also, Columbus is only "in talks". He’s circled a number of projects over the last year, so this project could get scuttled very quickly. FYI, I’m the guy who thought The Dark Knight would never get made.
Oh, and "Today 4 U" is my favorite number from Rent.