I don’t know where the phrase I used as the article title first originated, but it was made for Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers, who unfortunately have been cast as Bonnie and Clyde in an independently financed retelling of one of America’s most famous criminal legacies.

By ‘retelling’ I don’t mean ‘remake’ of the Faye Dunaway / Warren Beatty version by Arthur Penn. That movie, almost directed by Truffaut and then (with much less chance of success) Godard, turned out to be one of the films that carried French New Wave tendencies into the New Hollywood. It broke new ground in popular depictions of sex and (particularly) violence, made berets into a key fashion item and (more important than anything else) began Gene Wilder’s feature career.

Which doesn’t mean that this new version, directed by Tonya S. Holly based on her script, is going to be forgettable. But the comparison is tough. And it does star Hilary Duff and the kid from MVP: Most Valuable Primate (ready-made porn inspiration, that movie) which means The Story of Bonnie and Clyde has to work extra-hard just to hit direct to DVD distinction. Good luck, guys.