I don’t know what Netflix is doing with Irreplaceable You, but I can only guess their marketing strategy matches the mixed emotions of the movie itself. Y’see, the film, which boasts a rather great cast with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Huisman, Christopher Walken, Brian Tyree Henry, Jacki Weaver, Kate McKinnon, Steve Coogan, and Timothy Simons, is a romantic comedy centering on on soulmates whose perfect life is ruined when they learn she has cancer. The tagline for the movie?
“Fall in love with childhood sweethearts Abbie and Sam, just in time to watch them try to say goodbye.”
I can scarcely think of a better way to celebrate than watching a perfect couple torn apart by cancer. And as you might expect, the trailer is pretty awkward as it tries to balance the sadness of their predicament with light-hearted gags. Everybody’s joke meter is cranked up to 11, especially Abbie (Mbatha-Raw) as she goes to extreme lengths to find Sam a new woman so he won’t have to fend for himself.
So prepare to laugh and cry, I guess. Directed by longtime Veep producer Stephanie Laing, Irreplaceable You hits Netflix on February 16th.
