This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
The first trailer for Landscape With Invisible Hand focused on two teenagers pretending to be in a relationship so they could get money from the extraterrestrials who invaded Earth, who also happen to be way into watching—social media-like style—how human love unfolds.
This second trailer focuses on one of these teenagers’ moms, played by Tiffany Haddish, who enters into an agreement with one of the aliens to have it pretend to be her husband for a year.
This alien invasion story, adapted from the book by M.T. Anderson, has a very different tone than say, War of the Worlds. But while the trailer makes the film seem more quirky than seriously dramatic, I have a feeling that the themes it explores might be more profound than the movie’s surface silliness suggests.
And even if not, it’s nice to see a smaller-scope sci-fi flick make its way to the big screen after a successful first screen at Sundance. It’s refreshingly different, and MGM, who picked up the distribution rights after the festival, hopes it will be intriguing enough to get butts into seats come this weekend. I, at least, will fill one of those seats.
In addition to Haddish, Landscape With Invisible Hands stars Asante Blackk, and Kylie Rogers. Haddish also executive produces along with Brad Pitt, Gabby Shepard, David Kern, M.T. Anderson, and Megan Ellison. The screen adaptation was written by Cory Finley, who also directed the film.
The movie premieres in theaters on August 18, 2023.
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