Black couple removed from ‘Couples Retreat’ poster in the UK, is it racism?

[Honey]

There’s some controversy over differences between the US and UK versions of the poster for the Vince Vaughn movie Couples Retreat. The film was out in America in early October and did very well at the box office, earning $102 million domestically. It seems to have opened in the UK on October 14, so I’m not sure why this news is coming out now and maybe The Daily Mail is just belatedly noticing. The film features four couples on vacation together, including one minority couple played by Faizon Love and Kali Hawk. According to people who have seen the film, Love and Hawk are featured just as much as the other couples.
In the US version of the poster for the film all eight people are shown and billed, albeit with Love and Hawk in the back. In the UK version just six people are shown and listed, with Love and Hawk removed. Universal has apologized for the difference and explained that they wanted “to simplify the poster to actors who are most recognisable in international markets.” They also promise not to use the six-person poster for additional markets. (Couples Retreat opens in the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy later this month, among other countries.)

The makers of a hit Hollywood film are at the centre of a race controversy after removing two black actors from a poster being used to promote it in Britain.
The American advert for Couples Retreat, a comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Kristin Davis, show all eight principal actors – six of whom are white and two black.
But the poster in Britain, where the film is on general release, omits actors Faizon Love and Kali Hawk.
Couples Retreat, about four couples who go on holiday together and receive therapy to improve their relationships, has taken more than £70 million at the box office worldwide since it opened last month.
A spokesman for makers Universal Pictures confirmed the poster had been changed to ‘simplify’ it for the UK and international market outside America. The studio said it regretted causing offence and has abandoned plans to use the revised poster in other countries.
Mail on Sunday film critic Jason Solomons said: ‘We don’t cater much for the black cinema-going audience in this country, which is a great shame, so it seems strange that when there are black stars in a major feature film this fact isn’t promoted. And, in terms of business decisions, this seems a pretty counter-productive one.’
Caspar Salmon, a 29-year-old translator from London who has seen the film, has complained to Universal. He said in a letter to the film company: ‘My hackles are up. I would like to ask what the thinking was behind this move to gaz-ump [Love and Hawk] from the promotional material.’

[From Mail on Sunday via Huffington Post]
Is this subtle racism or just an innocent gaffe? The revised posted is more visually striking because you can see the couples’ faces. It’s hard to fit that many people in there. Plus the two actors they removed aren’t as well known. They are the only African American couple in there, though, and it does seem strange that they’re the ones that were cut. It seems more interesting to have four couples instead of just three, and I’ve heard some buzz over the fact that Faizon Love shows his bare butt in one scene.
Couples Retreat star Kali Hawk has sort-of addressed this controversy on her Twitter account. She responded to a tweet from someone who wrote “I can never understand racism,” with “Thank U! I’m touched that so many people care ”

Cele|bitchy » Blog Archive » Black couple removed from ‘Couples Retreat’ poster in the UK, is it racism?

[Popsicle]

Celeb gossip ?

[*DIVA!]

Funny..

[Penny Lane]

Did the couple get billing on the poster? I can understand if they'd remove them if they didn't play a big part.. but when why have them on the US poster in that case? Very odd.. sounds fishy.

eta: oh duh, I see Faizon Love's name on the US poster so I'm assuming they did play a big part.. that's dumb that they removed them. Doesn't look like a space issue.. I can't understand why they'd intentionally alter it. Very strange.

[MysTerious]

Celeb gossip ?

?

[maryk]

they had a smaller part and were quite boring

who cares though it's a flop.

[*DIVA!]

?

I think she is questioning whether, Honey a seasoned poster placed this in the correct section.

[Grimmlok]

are the people included actual celebrities?

[kingcap72]

I don't know if I'd jump to the conclusion that it's racist. It could just be that they wanted the poster to focus on the more well-known actors for the international market.

[Novice]

And to quote someone from a racist, mysoginist, homophobic newspaper for this article? Sheer genius.... Or something!

[katerpillar]

I don't know if I'd jump to the conclusion that it's racist. It could just be that they wanted the poster to focus on the more well-known actors for the international market.

Well, considering it's the poster they're using in Australia as well (it opened here a few weeks ago), I think that's probably the genuine explanation. Personally, I've heard of all the other actors, but have no idea who either Faizon Love or Kali Hawk are. Do the people falling for this think that Will Smith, Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman etc get cut out of all the international movie posters they're on?

$10 says that the publicist for one of the two omitted actors got cranky and cooked up a controversy that'd ensure his/her client was added back onto the posters for the international market.

[Novice]

Remember when Cammy Diaz got cut from the Hitchcock poster?

[NicoleWasHere]

Am I the only one who read Jean Reno as Janet Reno?

[kingcap72]

Well, considering it's the poster they're using in Australia as well (it opened here a few weeks ago), I think that's probably the genuine explanation. Personally, I've heard of all the other actors, but have no idea who either Faizon Love or Kali Hawk are. Do the people falling for this think that Will Smith, Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman etc get cut out of all the international movie posters they're on?

$10 says that the publicist for one of the two omitted actors got cranky and cooked up a controversy that'd ensure his/her client was added back onto the posters for the international market.

Exactly. And four of the six people on the international poster have some international recognition, Vince, Jason, Jon and Kristen.

Faizon and Kali shouldn't be shocked that they were dropped from the international poster, since they're both in the deep background of the U.S. poster. Which was a sign of their lack of star power in the U.S.

[Mrs P]

Vince looks a bit slimmer in the US one too. Hmm, more his head has been squished onto his torso in the UK one giving him no neck and a wide face. Great photoshop job!