● MTV understood
Swartzwelder’s choice: “There’s
a faith-based film about ‘old
fashioned courtship’ hitting
theaters on the exact same day
as the sinful, S&M filled
adaptation of FIFTY SHADES OF
GREY. And if you thought that
was some sort of divine
coincidence, you’d be wrong.
This is a challenge.”
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Amber (Elizabeth An
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vie OLD FASHIONE
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s of Grey” on Valent
opposite “Fifty Shade
The romantic-drama, OLD FASHIONED
centers on Clay Walsh (Swartzwelder), a
former frat boy who gives up his
carousing ways and now runs an
antique shop in a small Midwestern
college town. There, he has become
notorious for his lofty and outdated
theories on love and romance.
When Amber Hewson (Elizabeth Ann
Roberts), a free-spirited young woman
with a restless soul, drifts into the area
and rents the apartment above his shop,
she finds herself surprisingly drawn to his
noble ideas, which are new and intriguing
to her. And Clay, though he tries to fight
and deny it, simply cannot resist being
attracted to her spontaneous and
passionate embrace of life.
Ultimately, Clay must step out from
behind his relational theories, and
Amber must overcome her own fears and
deep wounds, as the two of them,
together, attempt the impossible: an
“old-fashioned” courtship in
contemporary America.
“The wheels of OLD FASHIONED were in
motion long before the FIFTY SHADES
book got to Hollywood,” Swartzwelder
said. “We didn’t create our film in
response to any other specific book or
film, at all . . . but the decision to hold-off
on our release so it could open alongside
FIFTY SHADES? Yes, that was indeed
deliberate.”
“We thought it was a unique opportunity
to set up a film as antidote,” he
continued. “Think of a young woman
you care about . . . which love story
would you wish for her?”
● Britain’s Daily Mail headlined its
story, “Trading bondage for
Bibles: Christian movie takes on
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY at the
box office with its 'godly
romance' alternative”
● E! Online clearly captured
audience options: “If you want to
see a love story this coming
Valentine's Day, you can either
go to the very clean and tame
end of the spectrum, or you can
go to the other end of the
spectrum that leads to the red
room of pain. Your choice.”
“FIFTY SHADES will attract that book’s
readers and a lot of curiosity,” OLD
FASHIONED Producer Nathan Nazario
said. “The OLD FASHIONED audience will
include people drawn to real life, real
love. Of course, we’re after
conversations prompted by two
contrast