Do you understand...

...why a movie like An American Carol, which is apparently so good it wasn't even screened for critics, is opening in Seattle tomorrow and Rachel Getting Married--which is being called rich, energetic, and unpredictable--isn't?

Sorry, I know this is a minor thing (even for this blog). I'm sure Rachel Getting Married will open here eventually. It had better. It's just that I'm understandably anxious to see the film.

It stars Anne Hathaway (etc etc, reason enough to believe in god), is directed by Jonathan Demme, and from the clip and trailer I've seen, it looks good.

On the other hand, I caught part of another ad for An American Carol tonight. One of the jokes hinges on the old "unshaven antiwar women" stereotype.

Apparently, it's still 1970 and nobody told me.

Rachel Getting Married, BTW, was written by Jenny "daughter of Sidney" Lumet. I might not make such a big deal about her being Sidney Lumet's daughter, except that I couldn't help but notice in trailers she gets credit on a separate card--

"Written by Jenny Lumet"

--I'm torn between envy and admiration. On the one hand, I cynically assume it was her father's clout that helped her get such a credit for what I think is her first produced feature. On the other hand, yay for a writer getting special credit in the trailer!