Following in the footsteps of The World's End cast, and Before Midnight's Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, among others, the latest actors to take an amusing stand against texting and cell phone chatting during movies for an Alamo Drafthouse PSA are The Spectacular Now's Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller. The adorable duo urge movie fans to consider what they're doing before they make the choice to text, and threaten those who commit this heinous theater-going infraction.
"Don't do it," Teller urges theater goers. "Answering a text is a very serious choice, and when you do that, when you look down at that, you need to ask yourself, 'Am I being a dick'?"
"Do you want your ass kicked out?" Woodley asks
"Because we will kick it out!" the two state.
Texting during the movie ruins lives. And Miles Teller's going to ruin your life. Kevin.
What's great about the video - beyond how well Woodley and Teller sell it - is the song that plays in the background, which is likely a nod to The Spectacular Now but also gives the PSA a bizarre John Hughes vibe, which I suppose is fitting, as there have been comparisons referenced between the great John Hughes and TSN.
With sly humor and an intensity of feeling, THE SPECTACULAR NOW (directed by James Ponsoldt) creates a vivid, three-dimensional portrait of youth confronting the funny, thrilling and perilous business of modern love and adulthood. This is the tale of Sutter Keely (Miles Teller), a high school senior and effortless charmer, and of how he unexpectedly falls in love with "the good girl" Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley). What starts as an unlikely romance becomes a sharp-eyed, straight-up snapshot of the heady confusion and haunting passion of youth - one that doesn't look for tidy truths. The film was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber (500) DAYS OF SUMMER and also features wonderful supporting turns from Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
Not having seen the film yet, I can't comment on the Hughes comparisons, but watching the PSA, it has occurred to me that Woodley would've made a pretty excellent star of a John Hughes movie. She's just the right amount of honest, pretty and real to work for something like that, which may benefit her in James Ponsoldt's adaptation of Tim Tharp's novel.
And speaking of Woodley, you may have noticed her long hair in the above video. Or maybe you haven't, as her hair's always long, but it won't be for long. The actor announced that this weekend, she's cutting it all off and donating it to charity. The haircut is likely in preparation for her next lead role in a feature adaptation of a popular book, The Fault In Our Stars, which is expected to go into production later this month. We also have Divergent to look forward to early next year.
If you need help differentiating between The Fault in our Stars, The Spectacular Now and Divergent, click the thumbnail below for a helpful infographic.
