THE PROFESSOR (Richard Says Goodbye) Updates

[SnoopyDances]

[justintime]

Very nice poster - BUT, where has it been all this time???

This SABAN FILMS outfit may be a reputable independent distributor, but they’re acting like amateurs, jumping around in circles trying to make a few quick bucks here and there on their three million dollar investment.

They were juggling a diamond in the palms of their hands. Intriguing film; nice trailer, too, but where has it been besides Twitter pages and YouTube? For weeks, ROTTEN TOMATOES didn’t know what to call it and kept putting the old name next to it in parentheses. There wasn’t an accessible page for the film, presumably because it was going to DIRECTV right out of the box. But without a poster, the unfinished page that eventually emerged appeared to have been abandoned, like an already acknowledged lost cause. The “in theaters” promise accompanying the “On Demand” option are both limited. Even now, it’s still not a “coming soon” or “upcoming” project when other films due as far ahead as May 24th are listed. And calling local theaters is useless; they don’t even know what film you’re talking about!

If they’re committed to streaming or pay-TV then keep a limited theatrical venue (it’s already been in theaters in Europe so it will never be a TV-only release) but go wide with the former, including the biggies: Amazon, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc.

But DO SOMETHING to seriously tap into the current interest in the film! I find it difficult to believe there aren’t others like myself who have been genuinely looking forward to seeing Johnny Depp in a real-life role again but don’t have DIRECTV or ON DEMAND. Then again, maybe I’m way off base here . . .

[Sweeney Todd]

The trailer videos have gotten millions of views and thousands of positive comments so you're definitely not alone.

[AdeleAgain]

I have made this point on here so many times you must all be bored of me banging on and I am sorry but here I go again.

Entertainment Tonight's twitter feed put out a story yesterday about The Professor - not making any breaking announcement or anything - just a twitter filler really. It got way more likes than almost any other story in the past few days (I've raced down through them) - more than Avengers stuff, or Kardashians, or Hand Maid's tale etc.

This always happens - when magazines or whatever put up something about Johnny those stories get so many likes and in many cases just totally disproportionate to anything else on the site.

It makes me happy.

The downside is that this is why the newspapers write so many nonsense stories with him in them - because people want to read about him.

[justintime]

Well, I guess I can pull my head out of the sand now and just face the music. Saban Films and Rotten Tomatoes have done their jobs and buried The Professor.

On The Professor’s RT page, based on six reviews - three of which (Variety, Screen International, and The Playlist) are verbatim hit pieces from the ZFF viewing last October when it was being introduced as Richard Says Goodbye - the film currently has a 0% rating. If these “critics” could physically tear Johnny limb from limb they give the impression they would do so gladly.

I am beyond sad and disappointed, I am angry. Friday is the supposed USA limited theatrical release and there are no showings listed, anywhere. The studio and media vitriol toward Johnny has not dissipated a bit. Only hope now is for a DVD at some point.

On a side note, with Han Way currently shopping Minamata at Cannes (where AH is strutting around, grinning from ear to ear), I can only imagine its reception.

[Ruby Begonia]

Well, you're probably right, justintime, but I'm still hoping The Professor will pop up at a theater on the 18th or shortly after. John Wick 3 will rule the box office. On a happier note, Chuck Bowen of Slant included this in his review:

As Richard, an English professor dying of cancer, Johnny Depp gives his most purely enjoyable performance in some time, one that’s shorn of the more overt gimmickry he’s adopted over the years as the star of so many bloated blockbusters. Depp is still in his “mid-period Brando” phase, in which his inescapable talent and force of personality aren’t quite separable from the sense that he’s sleepwalking. Like Brando, Depp can make aloofness weirdly sexy and democratic, as this quality helps him forge a complicit kinship with his audience. Most people watching The Professor will recognize that it’s following a formula, and Depp’s light air of who-gives-a-f***-ness is a way of saying “let’s see what we can do with this.” These qualities also suit Richard, who throws out his syllabus and begins binge drinking with his students....

[fireflydances]

I am still hoping for Hulu or Netflix. I really, really want to see this movie.

[cussot]

Thanks for pointing out Chuck Bowen's review, Ruby Begonia. Geez, now I want an opportunity to see the movie! And I think he is entirely right about this being Johnny's "'mid-period Brando' phase." If only something like "Last Tango in Paris" was coming down the pike ...

[Sweeney Todd]

A so-called critic’s credibility goes out of the window when they drag personal life issues into it. It’s actually absurd to judge a performance based on very personal feelings.

Very nice quote by Slant, btw. That’s what professional criticism is.

[In-too-Depp]

Movie Review: ‘The Professor’

RedCarpetCrash.com
Article by David Ferguson
May 16th 2019


Greetings again from the darkness. Cancer comedies are few and far between, and that’s understandable since the often deadly disease brings with it so much suffering and sadness. Writer-Director Wayne Roberts pulls no punches. The opening scene finds a doctor breaking the dreaded diagnosis to a patient … lung cancer. The patient, a college professor named Richard, is told he has 6 months to live.

The cold opening has us questioning if this is truly a comedy – even though the opening scene professor-patient is played by Johnny Depp. The news hits him hard of course, and we can see his mind spinning as he works out his approach and acceptance. What follows are some quite awkward and uncomfortable scenes with both his class and his family – a wife Veronica (Rosemary DeWitt) and teenage daughter Olivia (Odessa Young). Both of the women in his life usurp is announcement with those of their own: Veronica is having an affair with the Chancellor of the college where Richard works, and Olivia discloses that she is a lesbian. The two dinner time announcements and Richard’s still held secret are integral to every scene that follows.

Six title chapters clue us in on each subsequent phase in Richard’s life, and the key is that he tosses conventions aside and tries to find meaning in life … all while facing his own mortality. On one hand, Richard does what a professor does – he teaches. His small group of students are privy to such insight into life as “it ends in death for everyone”. On the other hand, he experiments with drugs, alcohol, and sexual experiences, including a couple of episodes with students – something that should never happen.

Ron Livingston is perfectly cast as the somewhat slimy Chancellor who is sleeping with Richard’s wife, but it’s Zoey Deutch and Danny Huston whose characters generate a bit more substance in Richard’s life. Ms. Deutch (daughter of Lea Thompson and a star in the making) plays Claire, a student who seems to quickly “get” what her professor is going through. And Mr. Huston gives one of his best performances in years as Richard’s long-time friend Peter who doesn’t want to accept the inevitable.

With all of the fantastical characters he has played (often masked in make-up and costumes), we sometimes forget what terrific dramatic acting ability Johnny Depp possesses when he’s engaged. For those who only know him as Captain Jack Sparrow (the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies), or as Grindewald (the “Fantastic Beasts” films), or as the Mad Hatter, Tonto, or Willy Wonka, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with his turn here (or in BLACK MASS, FINDING NEVERLAND, or BLOW). Filmmaker Wayne Roberts offered up an excellent debut in 2017 with KATIE SAYS GOODBYE, and he follows that with this unusual look at mortality – including a “celebrate life” soliloquy.

[In-too-Depp]

Review: THE PROFESSOR Is An Amusing Starring Vehicle For Johnny Depp

Popaxiom.com
Article by Sean Boelman
16th May 2019

The Professor (formerly known as “Richard Says Goodbye”) is a new dramedy film written and directed by Wayne Roberts and starring Johnny Depp. The movie tells the story of a college professor who, recently diagnosed with stage four terminal cancer, decides to start living life carefree and recklessly.

The story of the film is admittedly extremely simple, but it works as a means of allowing the filmmaker to ruminate on some of the themes he wants to explore. The conflict in the movie isn’t the main focus, but rather the ways in which the characters react to this conflict. At times, this does start to come across as the filmmaker being pretentious and self-indulgent, but for the most part, you can see what he is trying to do and you can get behind his artistic process.

That being said, the film can be hard to approach at times because its themes aren’t the most inspiring or positive. While the movie is intending to encourage audiences to live life with joy, it does this with a cynical perspective. In many ways, the film’s bluntness is off-putting. Instead of encouraging people to live each day like it’s their last, it feels like the movie warns people of their impending doom and how they are going to regret not having lived life to the fullest.

Furthermore, the characters in the film aren’t particularly likable. The protagonist Richard does have get automatic sympathy because of his condition, but his personality doesn’t do him any favors. He comes off as a jerk, and the movie doesn’t give him any kind of redemption arc. The film would have been much more approachable had he been a more likable character. Some of the supporting characters are generally likable, but for all of them, there is one scene that will ruin our perception of them. Again, this ties back to the almost overwhelming cynicism of the movie.

However, perhaps the biggest issue with the film is one that could have been easily fixed: it’s very insensitive. The movie doesn’t pull any punches, so no group of society is safe from the reign of terror enacted by The Professor, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is almost shocking that this film is being released as-is. There are jokes that are misogynistic, racist, and homophobic, including two entire subplots that just don’t work. The sad thing is that without about five minutes of footage, these could have been removed and the movie would have been much less aggressive.

Despite all of these issues, the film manages to be a relatively entertaining watch, largely because of the talented ensemble that elevates the movie above its meandering script. For once, Johnny Depp isn’t hamming it up in his role. He brings a lot of old-school Depp charisma to the film, and so despite the fact that you don’t really like the character, you may end up being charmed nonetheless. The talented supporting cast includes Danny Huston, Rosemarie DeWitt, Zoey Deutch, and Ron Livingston, and they are each given their own moments to shine.

On a technical level, the movie was mostly solid. The cinematography in the film is pretty simple, but it is effective for a quiet and subtle movie like this. There are a few shots that try to go somewhat artsy, but those don’t always work well. A few choices by the filmmaker, like dividing the film into acts separated by titles, feel like a bit too much, but they are never distracting from the movie as a whole.

Overall, The Professor has its fair share of issues, but the performances of Johnny Depp and the supporting cast save it, turning it into a mostly enjoyable film despite its cynical attitude. You should definitely give this one a chance if you have the time.

The Professor hits theaters and VOD on May 17.

[justintime]

The Professor is on Amazon Prime video now!

[nebraska]

The Professor is on Amazon Prime video now!

I know what I will do this weekend!!!!!

[myfave]

I’m so confused.. can someone please tell me why this Johnny Depp movie did not make it to the big screen in the US??

[SnoopyDances]

I’m so confused.. can someone please tell me why this Johnny Depp movie did not make it to the big screen in the US??

Lack of a distributor, I imagine.