FOCUS GROUP: Will audiences wish good luck to ‘Chuck’?

We've assembled representatives of some of Hollywood's key demographics. Each week, our group weighs in on the coming weekend's releases, letting us know whether all the script fixes, the reshoots and the product tie-in campaigns have added up to a movie they are likely to see.
THE CHARACTERS:

The Christian
Keenan Roberts: Senior pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Northglenn, Colo., and director of the ministries of Hell House Outreach.

The Rapper
GLC: Originally from Chicago, he now lives in Los Angeles and is at work on an album.

The College Boy
Justin Scharf: A freshman at Georgia State University who listens to a lot of music and works at Starbucks.

The Teenage Girl
Elena Roye: An eighth-grader at a middle school in Westchester County, N.Y.

The City Girl
Carol Creighton: Lives in Manhattan's West Village. She's a manager for a pharmaceutical company, volunteers at a women's shelter and enjoys her martinis with a twist.


The jury is out on Dane Cook. Our city girl thinks he's cute, our teenage girl thinks he's hilarious, our rapper idolizes the role he plays in his next film, and our college boy absolutely loathes him. As for our pastor, he's sick and tired of Hollywood this week and he's not afraid to say it. Reader beware.

THE MOVIES:


A serial womanizer (Dane Cook) tries to break a decades-old curse and win the heart of his dream girl (Jessica Alba) in this romantic comedy.

Keenan: "What is it with Hollywood's one-track mind? It's 100% sex, all sex, nothing but sex all the time! Wow, how original, another movie with an over-infatuation with sex at the center of the plot. Is it possible for writers, execs, actors, directors and producers to step outside of the left coast bubble and realize that there are boatloads of interesting stories to tell that don't involve underwear flying off of somebody! I'm dumbfounded at the lack of creativity that oozes out of the supposed entertainment capital of the world. Yet another Tinseltown product that gravitates to the lowest common denominator."

GLC: "I will go see it because Good Luck Chuck is my idol. You sleep with a beautiful girl and then you don't have to see her again. She goes and finds another guy who has to deal with all her problems. That's cool!"

Justin: "Oh god, I hate Dane Cook so much it's not even funny. And I'm just totally thrown off by the poster of him wearing almost nothing and Jessica Alba there. So we have him and the second-worst actress in the world besides Keira Knightley. My lowest insult for people is, 'I bet they think Dane Cook is funny.' "

Elena: "Yes! I love Dane Cook. He's supper funny and I love his comedian acts. The girlfriend seems so cute and the movie just seems cute. It's totally my type, not corny ... just cute."
Carol: "I have no interest in seeing this, although the theme matches my stereotypical junk movie needs. I am not a huge fan of Jessica Alba, and although Dane Cook is awfully cute, there is just not enough there to make me run out to see it."

In the concluding chapter of the "Resident Evil" trilogy, genetically altered warrior Alice (Milla Jovovich) has come out of hiding to once again battle a virus that threatens to turn every human into an undead zombie.

Keenan: "I'm on a roll today so everybody's getting blasted. Another classic, ultra-creative storyline: 'Hey, nobody's ever done an end-of-the-world zombie fighting flick. Let's make one of those.' FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME! Listen, Carbon Copywood, Cookie Cutterville, Onetrackmindapolis!!! Ticket sales are declining because you keep rolling stuff like this off that giant conveyor belt hidden somewhere in the Hollywood Hills. That, and the fact that the Sally Fields of the world give you a black eye."

GLC: "Man, I will go see it with a girl so I can feel on her. I will put my hands up her shirt as if only her [breasts] can save me. Resident Evil is cool with me!"

Justin: "Thank God this one is over. I actually saw the first one and it was pretty decent, but we totally didn't need the sequels. I know the demographic this is aimed at -- like 14-year-old video-game-playing guys who are like, 'Oh, Milla Jovovich is so hot.' And I don't even know if they can sucker those guys into seeing it for the third time."

Elena: "Oh, that seems weird but I guess it could be a good movie. I'm not a big fan of action but I guess I'd see it."

Carol: "Yuck. Gross. Nope. Although I saw a commercial and Milla Jovovich looks awesome."

Amanda Bynes stars as a debutante and daughter of a plumber who is thrown out of a sorrority and taken in by a band of seven nerdy outcasts in this updated version of the classic Snow White story.

Keenan: "All right, I'll be slightly more civil with my comments for this movie. After visiting trailer town, this does appear to have a hint of innovation. But that is derived from 2:13 of a trailer. Amanda Bynes is still holding on for dear life to that little girl sweetness. You can do it Amanda, don't sell out! Are her Nick fans growing up with her and leaving the couch to follow her to theater seating? We're not, because she peaked at 13 with her television variety show."

GLC: "That sounds lame as hell, but I think women should see it. It can inspire women to use more lames [GLC's word for dorks] in their life."

Justin: "This one sounds like the best of the week. Thank God for some originality. I really thought Amanda Bynes was underutilized in 'Hairspray.' I used to watch her when I was a kid on Nickelodeon and she's really funny. I didn't see the trailer for 'Sydney White,' but this movie looks amazing!"

Elena: "Oh yeah, I want to see it. I love Amanda Bynes and that movie also seems really cute and pretty original. Also those guy characters seem so funny. I'd love to see it."

Carol: "I love Amanda Bynes, she is adorable! No, I wont see this ... but come on, it has to be cute for the tweens!!"