Do we really need commentary for the 'Place Beyond the Pines' movie trailer?

Posted Friday, April 5, 2013 at 3:31 PM Central
Last updated Friday, April 5, 2013 at 4:09 PM Central

by John Couture

You knew it was only a matter of time.

We've had trailers forever and ever since audio commentaries became popular with the onset of DVDs, I just knew that it wouldn't be long before some director would ruin an otherwise decent trailer just to hear himself speak. I just didn't realize it would actually be this long.

We've come close in the past with stars and directors introducing trailers to give it their personal touch, but I do believe this is the first time that a director has attempted to provide commentary during a trailer. Director Derek Cianfrance both introduces the trailer for The Place Beyond the Pines and then plays Mr. Obvious during the commentary section.

Go ahead, give it a look.

"Oh look, here's Ryan Gosling. He has a kid. And here's Bradley Cooper and he also has a kid. Their paths are going to cross."

I mean that's not a direct quote, but it's pretty close. At one point he actually reads the text on the screen as if he thinks we can't read. Well, I hate to break it to Mr. Cianfrance, but if his audience expectation is that he has to spoon feed the obvious then I doubt his film will do well because it looks like a complicated little film.

That's not to say that I'm not intrigued. As a film goer with a reasonable capacity to think and extrapolate from the cues in the trailer, I thought the trailer without the commentary was quite intriguing. How the struggles of two new fathers on both sides of right and wrong come to blur those lines in their quest to do what is right by their children.

As a new father (and with one on the way), this film really speaks to me and I have a feeling that I'm going to appreciate it more now than I ever would have two years ago. I think I'll just avoid the director commentary on the Blu-ray when it comes out.

Although, I will say that there was at least one good thing to come out of this commentary, I learned how to properly pronounce Derek Cianfrance's last name. Here's the above trailer without the annoying commentary.

Finally, this trailer commentary reminds me of Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic audio commentary for Total Recall. I can't embed the video, but if you haven't seen it, you need to click here and check out his play-by-play commentary.

The Place Beyond the Pines is playing now in select theaters.