Will Allied help Brad Pitt’s image rebound amidst divorce?
A-list star kept in the background during film’s promotional tour, and now that the FBI have cleared him of child abuse, he has a number of projects in the pipeline that should increase his star power
Smile and wave.
That’s a summary of how Brad Pitt has tackled his media tour for throwback spy drama Allied, which is happening in the middle of his divorce negotiations with Angelina Jolie.
Paramount, which is distributing the second-world-war tale, has carefully managed Allied’s rollout. In Los Angeles, Pitt smiled and took selfies with fans alongside co-star Marion Cotillard at a “fan event,” but did not participate in the news conference. In Shanghai, Paris and London, Pitt greeted fans but did not engage with the media.
While the world awaits answers – which may never come – about why the A-list couple split in September, a glossy new film can only help the image crisis that Pitt suffered after being accused of child abuse. (He was subsequently cleared by child protective services and is pursuing joint custody of his six children with Jolie.)
But will Allied be the hit he needs? Reviews are mixed for the spy film, which 60 per cent of critics like on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. In USA Today’s review, Brian Truitt noted the leads “are missing a lot of needed heat” and warned fans not to “expect Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Nazis.”
Box office analysts don’t think that Allied – a prestige project in a holiday week crowded with popcorn fare like Moana and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – will accurately take the temperature of Pitt’s star power.
