“This is just an interview for the newspaper,â begins the trailer to the eagerly anticipated âFifty Shades of Greyâ movie, eight words that are a guaranteed prelude to a sexy good time. (Trust us. We here at the New York Post should know.)
To call the âFifty Shadesâ trilogy by EL James âpopularâ is an understatement; the series boasts more than 90ęĶ million readers and has been translated into 52 languages.
Or as one woman on the âFifty Shadesâ Facebðžook page put it: âAlmost every woman in this country has read the book, freaks.â
Suffice it to say, everyonð e is expectðing this movie to be hot, hot, hot.
Except, the trailer left me kind of cold.
Hereâs Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) stepð ping shyly into aðn office building, her mousey lit-student chic look (think floral button-down shirt, bangs and a cardigan) contrasting against the sleek corporate confines of the office.
Sheâs there to interview Mr. ChęĶŋristian Grey (Jamie Dornan), a âhandsome yet tormentedâ billionaire (which, anyone will tell you, is the very best kind of billionaire).
âMr. Grey will see you now,â saðys a sleek, sexy blond assistant.
âWhat was he like?â asks a voice-over, quizzing Anastasia about this mysterious billionaire man, this BDSM Jay Gatsby, while we see images of her in his office, awkwardly staring at her notepad as Mr.ð Grey strides around his workplace.
âHe was polite,â answers Anastasia.
â.â.â. intense .â.â. smart .â.â.
[pause]
[clashing cymbals]
.â.â. really intimidating.â
Cut to: close-up of the aforementioned Mr. Greyâs hands clenched tightly under âĻa desk.
When hands are clenched under ð desks, you know stuff is about to get real.
At this point in the trailer, I wasnât sure if I was watching a â90s rom-com, a hipster reimagiā―§ning of âWorking Girlâ or a guide to acinðēg that interview on LinkedIn.
Cut to: some sort of magazine photo shoot where Grey is wearinðg a three-piece suit.
âI exercise contrðol in all things, Miss Steele,â he says, in what is pretty much the mantra of every type-A persðŊon in Manhattan.
Cut to: wild elevator makeout scene! A corporate helicopter! Seattleâs Space Nðŧeedle â handily a landmark in the city in which the film táĐáĐáĐáĐáĐáĐâĪâĪâĪâĪáĐâĪâĪâĪâĪáĐâĪâĪâĪâĪáĐðąáĐáĐáĐakes place and incredibly phallic-looking! An amazing apartment with great views, the sort that only a handsome, tormented billionaire could afford! And some sort of scene involving a baby grand piano and some bedsheets.
Then, as the action really starts to heat up, a silk face mask is pulled out of a drawer, Jamie Dornan shows off his abs, thereâs anotherâ ride in a corporate jet, Dornan ðŊshows off his abs some more, and someone gets tied to a bed.
The S&M scenes are shown in a quick, close-up montage, as there are limits to what a trailer can show. (Thðģe MPAA has probably been anticipating this trailer more than anyone.)
The baby face works for her; sheâs supposed to be a college student. It works less for Dornan, who is playing an older and more sophisticated seducer, who, as we learn in the trailer, âhad a rough start in life.â AęĶšctors Johnson, 24 (daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson), and Dornan, 32, are undeniably beautiful people, but theyâve both got baby faces that make them look better suited to freshman orientation week at Amherst than an S&M extravaganza.
Originally, âSons of Anarchyâ star Charlið e Hunnam was cast in the Christian Grey role, but he dropped out after a month dueðĪĄ to the limits of his TV schedule.
Thatâs when former Calvin Klein model Dornan steâĻpped in. (Sadly, the young, circa-â9Âđ/â Weeksâ Mickey Rourke was not available.)
Evenâ the actors themselves seemed a bit doubtful abouð°t the chemistry.
âItâs not like a romantic situation, itâs more technical and choreographed,â Johnson told âTodę§ay.â âItâs like more of a task.â
It certainly looks that way here.