Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

The Office Jinx Strikes Again

Wilson repeats big-screen failures to which his sitcom-mates have become accustomed

By Michael Foreman,  Newser User

Posted Aug 22, 2008 2:12 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Do The Rocker's poor reviews and sagging ticket sales prove there's an Office curse? Office stars can't replicate that show's success on the big screen, Dan Kois writes in New York, and the evidence backs him up: After The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Steve Carell starred in a series of mostly forgettable flops, and his co-stars haven't fared any better.

Rainn Wilson is just the latest casualty—think John Krasinski in Leatherheads and Jenna Fischer in Walk Hard. It could be bad luck, the actors' bad taste, or Hollywood's failure to highlight their talents, Kois writes. "Or it could be an actual curse laid on the cast by Ricky Gervais—a curse that apparently also backfired."

Jenna Fischer lit up neither the big screen nor the box office in co-starring with John C. Reilly in Walk Hard.
Jenna Fischer lit up neither the big screen nor the box office in co-starring with John C. Reilly in "Walk Hard."   (AP Photo)
Rainn Wilson shown in a scene from, The Rocker.
Rainn Wilson shown in a scene from, "The Rocker."   (AP Photo, file)
Rainn Wilson at the Teen Choice Awards in Universal City, Calif., Aug. 3, 2008.
Rainn Wilson at the Teen Choice Awards in Universal City, Calif., Aug. 3, 2008.   (AP Photo, file)
After The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Steve Carell has starred in a series of mostly forgettable big-screen flops, despite the small-screen success of The Office.
After "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," Steve Carell has starred in a series of mostly forgettable big-screen flops, despite the small-screen success of "The Office."   (AP Photo)
John Krasinski attends Cosmo's Fun Fearless Male of the Year Awards, March 3, 2008, in New York.
John Krasinski attends Cosmo's Fun Fearless Male of the Year Awards, March 3, 2008, in New York.   (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
With The Rocker, Rainn Wilson finds the same big-screen pothole that's given career flats to Office-mates John Krasinski (Leatherheads), Jenna Fischer (Walk Hard) and Ed Helms (Meet Dave).
With "The Rocker," Rainn Wilson finds the same big-screen pothole that's given career flats to "Office"-mates John Krasinski ("Leatherheads"), Jenna Fischer ("Walk Hard") and Ed Helms ("Meet Dave").   (Twentieth Century Fox)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Salon finds "Rocker" lukewarm
Salon

 
television • film • The Office • Steve Carell • movie review • box office • Ricky Gervais • John Krasinski • Rainn Wilson • Jenna Fischer • The Rocker • Leatherheads

More Newser Stories

James Spader in Talks to Join The Office

Streep, Bullock, Hangover, Avatar Clean Up

The Office Is Downright Depressing

Fie on the Office Wedding

How Jim Popped the Question
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne