Review:  Richard Pittman (That Grape Juice NY)

That Grape Juice was one of select outlets on hand for a private screening of the summer’s newest action blockbuster ‘R.I.P.D.’ days before its July 19th premiere.

The Robert Schwentke-directed flick boasts an all-star leading cast comprised of veteran actor Jeff Bridges, Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Reynolds, and Mary Louise Parker (‘Weeds’). Recently deceased Nick Walker (Reynolds) is recruited to join an after-life crime fighting agency called the RIPD, who hunt and arrest souls or “deados” who escape eternal damnation. With the help of partner Roy Pulsifer (Bridges), the duo uncover a diabolical plot to rebuild an ancient artifact that could trigger the apocalypse. Together they comb the city of Boston in an effort to stop the end of the world.

If you’re in the mood for a metaphysical trip down ‘Men in Black’ lane, then ‘R.I.P.D’ is set to fancy. There are definitely some laugh out loud moments as well as some moments that reveal larger questions. It comes stock with rookie cop vs. veteran, good vs. evil, and witty, comedic writing to boot.

The chemistry the twosome imparted to movie screens was not by no means absent when they were on hand this week at New York’s Mandarin Hotel for an exclusive press conference.  Chatting exclusively to a room of tastemakers, critics, and more – That Grape Juice was on hand to get the skinny on the film including their inspiration behind pursuing the roles, the physical preparation and demand of the action sequences, and so much more!

Jeff Bridges on why he took the role:

“I like bizarre movies, and this one fit the bill. I love to see movies where the filmmakers are ahead of you and you don’t know what’s gonna happen.”

Ryan Reynolds on his love of film adaptations of books & comics: I don’t read a lot of them. It’s such a huge part of the industry these days. But, this isn’t really a comic book, it’s a graphic novel.

I just thought that the world was really cool, seeing these two lawmen who were of completely different eras and modalities, and how they do things, kind of come together and clash.

Jeff Bridges & Ryan Reynolds on preparing for the film’s physically challenging scenes:

Jeff Bridges: Most of the difficult stuff, physically, for me, was being spun around in that car. You get carried away when you’re in a movie because you think it’s all pretend.

Ryan Reynolds: I think with movies like this, you have to have some degree of toughness. You’re gonna get beat up a little bit, but it’s not as bad as you’d think. I did a film a year and a half, two years ago called Safe House and my neck was killing me after the movie. I went on for about six or seven months until I finally went and got an x-ray. The doctor laughed and said, ‘You broke your neck!’ I was like, ‘What?’ My C5 and 6 were broken! You think you’re an actor and you think the stunt guys do it all, but you get beaten up so now I’m a little bit more, ‘Let’s let the stunt guy do it. I’m good. I’m fine.’

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In theaters July 19th!