Momentum pictures releases the A Million Little Pieces movie trailer. Directed by English filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson, the drama is a big screen adaptation of James Frey’s 2003 memoir of the same name. In 2006, Frey admitted to fabricating details in his New York Times Best Seller.
A Million Little Pieces details Frey’s experience as a 23-year-old recovering alcohol and drug addict. The novel opens with him arriving in Chicago, unaware of his visible injuries or how he ended up on an airplane. A relapse could prove deadly after years of addictive behavior, and sobriety becomes especially difficult given the state of the subject’s body, and how it could react to drug treatment for a root canal procedure. Frey’s writing style in A Million Little Pieces captivated readers upon its release, however a 2006 investigative report by The Smoking Gun implied that Frey’s novel perhaps should not have been labeled as a memoir. Three weeks later, Frey appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, in which he was heavily criticized by the host. As a result, Warner Bros. delayed a potential movie due to the controversy. In 2017, Johnson was announced as the director for A Million Little Pieces, and her husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson was named as the lead.
Momentum Pictures released A Million Little Pieces’ trailer. A hazy dream sequence opens the clip, which sets up the aforementioned airplane moment that serves as the inciting incident. After 30 seconds, familial support becomes a major theme, as the trailer introduces James’ worried brother Bob, portrayed by Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam, along with his father Leonard (Billy Bob Thornton). As the subject continuously rejects help, he learns the truth about his physical health, which forces him into a 12-step program. From there, A Million Little Pieces’ trailer incorporates supporting characters - literally and figuratively - such as Joanne (Juliette Lewis), Lily (Odessa Young), and John (Giovanni Ribisi). Based on the imagery and music, A Million Little Pieces will be a visually stylish film, led by a strong cast of performers. Check out the trailer below.
A Million Little Pieces premiered nearly one year ago at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Critics weren’t especially impressed, as the film currently holds a 33 percent Tomatometer score at Rotten Tomatoes. While that doesn’t necessarily correlate with how general moviegoers will react to A Million Little Pieces, it does perhaps indicate that Johnson and Johnson didn’t succeed with their directorial and performative execution. Ten years ago, Sam Taylor-Johnson released her directorial debut, Nowhere Boy, and has since released just one feature prior to A Million Little Pieces. In 2015, her second movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, received a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Director.
To be fair, the Frey controversy will undoubtedly affect how people-in-the-know experience A Million Little Pieces. If the subject misled people about his real-life experiences to seemingly sell more books, then melodramatic moments from a big screen adaptation may feel awkward and insincere. But given the subject matter, there will surely be much to unpack in A Million Little Pieces, as the premise itself is universally relatable, whether it’s the concept of addiction or emotional support.
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Source: Momentum Pictures
