With all the baby boomer nostalgia for the 60s, Greatest Generation nostalgia for the post-war 40s and hipster fashion nostalgia for the godawful 80s, you’d think we’d have enough to look back on. But now Josh Hartnett wants us to sigh wistfully and remember August 2001, when stocks were up, the Internet was booming, and two towers still stood at the end of Manhattan. Yes, it’s time for pre-9/11 nostalgia in August, what looks to be a fast-paced, high-powered drama based on its news trailer up on MySpace.
That’s not to say it’s going to be good. It’s got a lot going for it, to be fair, with Naomie Harris, Rip Torn, and David Bowie (playing way out of character as a buttoned-up corporate type) in supporting roles. And the story is interesting: Two brothers are fighting to keep their start-up company alive as the Internet boom starts to go bust. Of course, they live in New York, and it’s August 2001, so we all know how the movie will probably end.
The movie seems to have two main things going against it, though. First of all there’s Josh Hartnett who, no matter how many times people have tried to tell me otherwise, continues to have no appeal whatsoever. Secondly, in yet another time of economic crisis, do we really want to root for two Wall Street types to keep their companies alive? Personally, when I see a finance guy in a suit, I want to kick him in the head for making all the housing prices go down and guaranteeing I will never find another job again.
But hey, maybe not everyone else is so bitter! August really does seem to have potential, and if by the time it comes out on July 11 I’ve got money in the bank, maybe I’ll even be willing to go out and see it.
