I Love You, Phillip Morris Release Delayed Indefinitely

I can't say I'm surprised about this, but I am quite sad: Consolidated Pictures Group, the small distributor that picked up I Love You, Phillip Morris quite some time after Sundance 2009, has decided to shelve the film.

Sorry, not 'shelve.' The phrase is, I believe, 'delay indefinitely.'

Last time we wrote about the movie, when a trailer arrived in January, it was set for a March 26 release. That was pushed to April 30. And now the LA Times has been in contact with a spokesperson for the film, who says the April date isn't happening, and that "there is no release date scheduled at this time."

I hate to think this is a reaction against the gay content in the film. I don't know the financial state of Consolidated, so I can't say that this is an issue of the company lacking the funds to release the film. But there was a reaction by distributors against the explicit gay sex scene in one cut of the film. That's why Consolidated was left to buy the film after major players balked. Which is a suspicious thing in the first place, given that this is a movie that has raw material for great trailers and has played well in front of many audiences. And it's Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor! How is this movie not an easy sell? Unless the gay aspect really is a deterrent.

So what now? No idea. There's not much one can to to combat 'delayed indefinitely.' Perhaps another distributor could sweep in and buy the film once again? Chances of that happening are probably pretty low. Best we can probably hope for is a DVD release at some point in the future.