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Hollywood Hype Machine: Difference between revisions
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* Alicia Silverstone wound up getting her career (built on the strength of ''[[Clueless]]'') kicked out from under her by ''[[Batman and Robin (film)|Batman and Robin]]''.
* Gretchen Mol was touted as another "It Girl" when she debuted in ''Rounders''. It didn't pan out, with ''Rounders'' doing middling business, and even she (with newfound indie-cred from playing the lead role in ''[[The Notorious Bettie Page]]'') admits that it was a particularly bad example of the '''Hollywood Hype Machine''' building up an unprepared starlet. She is doing quite well with films and a recurring role on critical favourite ''[[Boardwalk Empire]]''.
* Most of the "New Brat Pack" (a pun on the [[Brat Pack (actors)|Brat Pack]] of [[The Eighties]]) that emerged from the ''[[American Pie]]'' movies ended up like this. Many of them got star pushes of different levels, but in the end, only [[Alyson Hannigan]] went on to [[How I Met Your Mother|bigger fame]]—and this most likely had more to do with her pre-''Pie'' exposure on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' than anything else. Examples:
** Shannon Elizabeth became [[Ms. Fanservice|a sex sensation]] after ''Pie'' came out. She showed up in countless [[Public Exposure|men's magazines]] (including an all-nude shoot in ''[[Playboy]]'') and got a half-dozen roles in films like ''[[Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back]]'', ''[[13 Ghosts]]'', and ''Tomcats''. Just a couple of years later, she was a bit player and was essentially gone from any mainstream Hollywood attention. This may or may not have to do with her decision to no longer do nudity in film, even though that was [[Everybody Remembers the Stripper|what made her a star]] in the first place. She's since become more famous as a professional poker player and as a ''[[Dancing With the Stars]]'' contestant, and though she does still act, most of her films now go [[Direct to Video]] and it's unlikely she'll do anything noteworthy anytime soon.
** Mena Suvari, between ''Pie'' and ''[[American Beauty]]'', got a decent push, but slowly vanished from the spotlight and is now best known for indie films.
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** Tara Reid had one of the better shots, but problems with drugs and alcohol, botched plastic surgery, and a penchant for carrying the [[Idiot Ball]] (though she claimed that [[Author's Saving Throw|she was only]] [[Obfuscating Stupidity|"acting" dumb]], most people aren't sure of whether that's true or not) derailed her into a mess, though that still hasn't stopped her from doing DTV films.
** Chris Klein was an ill-fated [[Estrogen Brigade Bait]] attempt that went nowhere after his hoped-for star turn, the remake of ''[[Rollerball]]'', turned into a [[Star-Derailing Role]] instead.
** Eddie Kaye Thomas (Finch) went from ''Pie'' to a series of "dorky, lovable loser" roles in films like the infamous flops ''[[Freddy Got Fingered]]'' and ''Dirty Love'', as well as a string of DTV films rebranded under the "National Lampoon" banner. However, he has at least attempted to restore his cred in recent years with appearances in the ''[[Harold
** Ironically, John Cho, who plays a minor character in the film, is the one whose movie career is most on the rise, between ''[[Harold
** Natasha Lyonne is an especially unhappy case. She got even more cred with ''But I'm A Cheerleader'' but a serious problem with drugs and Alcohol (Including a DUI, a bout with an STD and stay in Rehab) as well as health problems and extreme Mental illness have all but destroyed her career. There was even a period where she was living homeless on the streets of NYC after being evicted from her apartment for her behaviour. Nowadays she's more likely to be discussed as the butt of jokes than for her acting talents.
* [[Lindsay Lohan]]. This one wasn't related to any lack of talent -- [[Meryl Streep]], of all people, vouched for her acting ability, as did her ''[[Mean Girls]]'' co-star [[Tina Fey]]. Instead, her problems came from a combination of a disastrous relationship with [[Stage Mom|her parents]], chronic [[Bottle Fairy|partying]] and drug/alcohol abuse (which eventually led to legal troubles), and a reputation for being [[Small Name, Big Ego|a diva]] who often showed up to set late and hung over. An awful case of [[What Could Have Been]]. The full details can be seen on [[Lindsay Lohan|her page]].
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* Nikki Blonsky is a rather sad example of this. After being heavily hyped for her role in ''[[Hairspray]]'', a lot was expected of her. Sadly, Hollywood didn't know what to do with her and she's been mostly stuck being typecast as the fat girl in little-seen TV movies and the short-lived ''[[Huge]]''. Her first post-''[[Hairspray]]'' film role wasn't until four years later (a small role in the critically panned ''Waiting For Forever'') and it's since been discovered that she's been working in a salon to pay the bills.
* The younger actors in ''[[American Beauty]]'', [[Thora Birch]], Wes Bentley, and Mena Suvari. The three got huge pushes from the movie but none of them ever really amounted to anything. Suvari was probably the most successful (as she also got major hype from ''[[American Pie]]'') but all in all is not that big of a star.
** As for the other two, Birch had already established herself before the film but had a [[Star-Derailing Role]] in the form of ''[[Dungeons
** Meanwhile, Bentley got some notable roles but an out of control drug habit seemed to have destroyed his career. However, he has no less than six films scheduled for released in 2012, including a role in the highly anticipated film version of ''[[The Hunger Games]]'', so only time will tell if he can [[Career Resurrection|make it work]] or disappear into oblivion.
* Dougray Scott got a lot of hype after his role as Prince Charming in ''[[Ever After (film)|Ever After]]'' and soon became the frontrunner for roles such as [[X-Men (film)|Wolverine]] and [[James Bond]]. But after ''[[Mission: Impossible]] II'' went over schedule, he was forced to give up the Wolverine role to a little-known Australian actor named [[Hugh Jackman]]. While Jackman became a huge star, Scott's career fell into a tailspin as he's spent much of his career toiling away in TV movies, short-lived TV series (plus a single season on ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'', just as the show was beginning its long descent in ratings and buzz) and little-seen movies (his possible low point being the 2011 film ''Love's Kitchen'', which grossed just £121 at the UK box office).
* Emile Hirsch was an rising star who had built up much acclaim from films such as ''[[Into the Wild]]'' and ''[[Alpha Dog]]''. Then the failure of ''[[Speed Racer (film)|Speed Racer]]'' (an attempt to turn him into a big star) more or less led his hype to dry up, as he would not appear in another lead role until the 2011 flop ''The Darkest Hour''. Though he still has the occasional supporting role, Hirsch's time seems to have passed.
* After appearing in a number of well-regarded supporting appearances in various films and TV shows, Brandon Routh got a massive push when he was cast in the role made famous by Christopher Reeve in ''[[Superman Returns]]'' in 2006. His [[Star-Making Role]] ended up being a dead end when the film received mixed reviews, general viewer apathy and (despite making $400 million at the box office) negative profit due to prior production costs. Routh then disappeared for two years before landing a pair of cameo roles in a couple of films (''[[Zack and Miri Make a Porno]]'', ''[[Scott Pilgrim vs. the World]]'') and a guest spot on the third season of ''[[Chuck]]'', all of which failed to make much impact with audiences. His intended comeback in ''Dylan Dog: Dead of Night'', based on a bestselling comic series, also flopped at the box office ($4 million against a $20 million budget). Barring a major hit, it seems like he'll be stuck making small indie projects for quite some time.
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== Examples that ''did'' hold up ==
* [[Angelina Jolie]]. Years of indie-cred roles in ''[[Gia]]'', ''[[Hackers]]'', and other films paid off with a big push from ''[[Girl, Interrupted]]'' in 1999, which won her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar and resulted in a near-endless push that got her big roles in such films as ''[[Lara Croft: Tomb Raider|Lara Croft Tomb Raider]]'' and ''[[Mr. and Mrs. Smith]]''. When the latter got her together with [[Brad Pitt]], the "Brangelina" media juggernaut was born. Clearly a major success story for everyone involved, as her films do generally well (though she stopped making them so quickly and focused on her home life and activist work), and the magazines get to make money off of her image (proof that being tabloid-bait isn't ''always'' a bad thing—only if that's ''all'' you're known for). Ironically, Jolie has stated on several occasions that she wants to give up acting for her growing family.
* [[Tom Cruise]] got a big push in [[The Eighties]], and tons of film roles. Virtually every one proved to be a success. Obviously, he kept on being famous and having huge box office smashes until he royally screwed up and [[Creator Breakdown|went crazy]] in the mid-2000s, with the infamous couch-jumping incident on ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'' being the telltale sign of his downfall. Twenty years? A pretty good run. Currently, he and the Hype Machine are going into overdrive to re-make him as a successful A-Lister, as he [[Adam Westing|pokes fun at himself]] with humorous roles, and tries to fit back into the "romantic Action Hero" archetype once again. Now that ''[[Mission: Impossible (film)||Mission Impossible]] IV'' is out to rave reviews, a [[Career Resurrection]] may not be far away.
* [[Nicole Kidman]] received a big push after earning critical praise for her role in ''To Die For'', and her career has held up pretty well since then. Though her career didn't really take off until Tom Cruise dumped her and she won an Oscar for her role in ''[[The Hours]]''.
* [[Heath Ledger]] started out as this in a big way, to the point where they even made a joke about it in ''[[Josie and the Pussycats (film)|Josie and The Pussycats]]''. However, the reclusive Ledger went back to having a low profile until ''[[Brokeback Mountain]]'' established him as an actor to truly be taken seriously. Sadly, he then experienced the greatest career surge of all -- [[Dead Artists Are Better|a premature death]]. ''[[The Dark Knight Saga]]'' helped establish his legacy, and the very least, he will be more remembered for his latest work than for being a [[Teen Idol]].
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* [[Reese Witherspoon]] certainly worked out well. After being a fairly run-of-the-mill actress in the early [[The Nineties|'90s]], she all of a sudden got this massive push, first with the critically acclaimed ''[[Election]]'' and then commercial success with the ''[[Legally Blonde]]'' series and various [[Chick Flick]]s. She effectively became the next [[Julia Roberts]], and even got an Oscar for her trouble (for ''[[Walk the Line]]'').
** Though she hasn't seen quite as much success in recent years; ''Rendition'', ''How Do You Know'', and ''[[Water for Elephants]]'' were all box-office flops (especially ''How Do You Know'') that received mixed reviews.
* [[Robert Downey, Jr.]] has been a [[Zig Zagged Trope|Zig Zag]] with the Hype Machine. Starting off as a member of the [[Brat Pack (actors)|Brat Pack]] in the 80's, Downey got his big break in the late '80s - early '90s which culminated with him getting an Oscar Nomination for his role as [[Charlie Chaplin]] in the biopic ''Chaplin.'' Unfortunately he had a real life downward spiral that led to drug abuses and arrests. After gaining sobriety in the mid 2000s, Downey returned to acting in the indy scene, and ended up making his [[Career Resurrection]] in 2008 with his starring role in ''[[Iron Man (film)|Iron Man]]'' and has since then taken off and haven't looked back since.
== Examples on the fence ==
* The entire cast of ''[[Friends]]'' were given countless movie roles the second that show became a sensation. The results have been mixed—Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry have gone back to TV (the former had a flop with ''Dirt'', and while ''[[Cougar Town]]'' was initially a hit, declining ratings led to it being put on hiatus in the middle of S2, held for mid-season in S3, and pushed from ABC to TBS for S4; the latter is 0 for 2 with ''[[Studio 60
* Jude Law spent years as a bit player before receiving his big Hollywood marketing push in 2004, starring in ''[[Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow]]'', the remake of ''Alfie'', and half a dozen other films. Chris Rock engaged in some [[Lampshade Hanging]] at his expense at the Oscars ceremony, making fun of how this "[[Tom Cruise]] [[Poor Man's Substitute|Lite]]" was receiving so much hype for what seemed to be no reason. Of course, every film either bombed or was a disappointment, and then he got caught cheating on his then-fiance Sienna Miller with his children's nanny. Oops. Even with his career damaged, however, Law has continued plugging away, with major roles in ''[[Sherlock Holmes (film)|Sherlock Holmes]]'', ''[[Repo Men]]'', and other recent Hollywood films. It's a serviceable career, although not nearly the highly bankable, Cruise-style A-lister that the studios were hoping he would be.
* [[Uma Thurman]] was victimized by this. After notable roles in the late '80s with films like ''[[Dangerous Liaisons]]'' and ''[[The Adventures of Baron Munchausen]]'', she became an "It Girl" with ''[[Pulp Fiction]]''. This push ultimately faltered within three years after subsequent films, particularly ''[[Batman and Robin (film)|Batman and Robin]]'' and ''[[The Avengers (1998 film)|The Avengers 1998]]'', did poorly, and she vanished from the limelight (rumour has it she took time off to concentrate on motherhood, which might have killed buzz even further) before ''[[Kill Bill]]'' [[Career Resurrection|reignited her career]] in 2003.
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* Katherine Heigl. After several years of TV appearances in stuff like ''[[Roswell]]'' and ''[[Grey's Anatomy|Greys Anatomy]]'', she gained a lot of fans for her starring role in ''[[Knocked Up]]''... only to throw them all away within weeks. Not long after ''Knocked Up'' came out, she did a very vocal interview where she attacked basically everyone involved in the film, calling director [[Judd Apatow]] a sexist and lead actor [[Seth Rogen]] a slob, among other things. However, in spite of the [[Hatedom]] she brought on with that interview, her recent works, ''27 Dresses'' and ''The Ugly Truth'', have actually done very well at the box office despite not-so-great reviews, and she did later apologize for the way she acted.
** Part of the reason for her continued success may be that some people have given Heigl an [[Alternative Character Interpretation]], feeling that her comments, rather than showing her to be a [[Small Name, Big Ego|primadonna]] [[Jerkass|bitch]], prove that she's the [[Only Sane Man|Only Sane Woman]] in Hollywood. Heigl was [http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/06/knocked_up_the_nussbaumsternbe.html far from] [http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/sep/04/features.juddapatowfilm the only] [http://www.slate.com/id/2179621/ person] saying that ''[[Knocked Up]]'' was sexist (and [http://www.vanityfair.com/services/presscenter/pressrelease/katherine_heigl200801 her comments] were actually pretty mild compared to what some critics were saying). They take the fact that the tabloids paint her as a shrewish [[Straw Feminist]] (while arguably exaggerating her comments) as proof that [[Straw Man Has a Point|she had a point]] about sexism in Hollywood. Now if only she'd branch out beyond generic rom-coms...
* The fictional character [[Batwoman]]. When the character was announced as appearing in the weekly comic series ''[[52]]'' in 2007 there was a massive media response, even branching into non-comic related formats. The character was a [[Continuity Reboot|recreation of the classic character from the 1950's]], but was written as a lesbian involved with one of the primary characters for the series. Most of the media focus was on her sexuality, and she became regarded as the highest profile gay superhero in [[The DCU]]. [[Dan
* [[Justin Bieber]], who has enjoyed ''massive'' success as a pop music sensation, may or may not be the latest in a series of flash-in-the-pan [[Teen Idol]]s. It doesn't help that in the eighteen months or so he's been on the radar, he's released the same album three times.<ref>a two-part album released in halves four months apart, a compilation of the aforementioned two-parter, and an acoustic re-release with mostly identical content, but focused on vocals and instrumentals, rather than synthetic production</ref> Thus far, he's garnered most of his fame with media hype and live appearances; all of which is fine, but an image backed by an hour of recorded music can only last for so long before the hype begins to die down. Let's face it, he'll be on the cover of every teen magazine and on every poster in teenage girls' bedrooms for the next year or so, but his next album will help steer the course of whether his stardom starts to burn down, or whether he has legitimate staying power as an artist and not just as a hype product.
** The biggest threat to Bieber's career as a mature performer is people getting completely sick of him, as he has saturated every form of media out there, even appearing on shows and in magazines that have nothing to do with his target demographic of young children and teens. Whether he can make the transition to mature performer once these kids lose interest or whether [[Hype Backlash|everyone will get so sick of him]] that they'll throw parties to celebrate him finally dropping off the radar for good remains to be seen.
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[[Category:Show Business]]
[[Category:Hollywood Style]]
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