by Erin Strecker
File under: Wacky, crazy, and true. A Michigan woman, Sarah Deming, is suing the distributors of the film Drive because she said the trailer misled her into buying a ticket for the film, and when she finally saw the movie, it wasn’t what she was expecting.
Among Ms. Deming’s complaints listed in the lawsuit filed Sept. 27:
– Drive was promoted as very similar to Fast and Furious, when in actuality, it wasn’t.
– “Drive bore very little similarity to a chase, or race action film, for reasons including but not limited to Drive having very little driving in the motion picture.” (emphasis mine)
– “Extreme gratuitous defamatory dehumanizing racism directed against members of the Jewish faith.”
Americans love their lawsuits. But does this one have substance? (When contacted by EW, FilmDistrict Distribution, the defendants in the suit, declined to comment on the pending litigation.)
Now, you could (and should) argue that you obviously take on some risks anytime you go to a theater. Just like you never know exactly how much you’re going to enjoy a movie, you never know exactly what the movie is going to be about. If you were hoping for Ryan Gosling circa The Notebook, yeah, you’re going to be in for a bit of a shock with the merciless Gosling in Drive. To be fair, yes, the movie was seriously violent, and that could definitely shock those that were expecting more delicate art-house fare. But whose fault is that? Trailers are up for interpretation: What says “offensive” to me might say “black comedy” to you. No one, presumably, forced Ms. Deming to go the movies — and she could have always left the theater, if she realized it wasn’t what she signed up for.
