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An Invisible Sign Trailer: I'm Sorry, Did You Say Jessica Alba As A Math Teacher, Or Did The Universe Just Implode?

By TK | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (25)

Jessica-Alba-new-movie-Stills-An-Invisible-Sign2.jpg

Look, I get it. Jessica Alba appears to be shooting for a career reboot. She’s trying to wash away the taste of Honey (I’m so sorry about that), buy herself some credibility. To her credit, she’s been surprisingly out of the paparazzi limelight of late — or at lease, out of it in my eyes. Perhaps Courtney would know better than I. The point is, she’s trying to become a Very Serious Actress, indicated by roles in films such as The Killer Inside Me and now, An Invisible Sign.

In which she plays a mathematical prodigy. Jessica, honey (crap, I did it again), that might be a little too much, too soon, you know?

Anyway, here’s the trailer for An Invisible Sign, one of those adorably quirky love stories about misfits trying to find their place in the world. Here’s the full synopsis:

Young Mona idolizes her father, a brilliant mathematician. When he suddenly demonstrates signs of mental illness, Mona begins to obsess about numbers, using them to interpret an unpredictable and threatening world. Now an adult (Jessica Alba), Mona’s old superstitions and compulsive behaviors continue to flourish, but a new job as an elementary school math teacher (a position she both relishes and dreads), may force her out of her protective shell. With imagination and humor, as well as a special sensitivity to the realities of mental illness, AN INVISIBLE SIGN carries a magic all its own.

And the trailer:


An Invisible Sign by ThePlaylist

It also stars Sonia Braga, JK Simmons and the dude who played the detective in Devil. It also looks a little trite and contrived. But it also looks like it could potentially be kind of charming. Which is not something I’ve ever said about a movie with Jessica Alba. Hey, I’ve got nothing against her, I suppose. She seems like a nice enough person, and anything she can do to wash the taste of nightmares like The Fantastic Four, Good Luck Chuck and The Love Guru is OK with me.









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Comments

Even though it annoys me when they say the name of the movie in the dialogue, I found the trailer to be rather charming and endearing. But it's Jessica Alba...? At least it's bringing a wee bit of attention to the under appreciated field of mathematics. But it's Jessica Alba...? I feel so conflicted.

Posted by: beckster at April 6, 2011 11:58 PM

beckster, I am likewise conflicted. I find Jessica Alba really pretty...and that's about it. But this looks adorable.

Fuck it, I might just seek this out. Maybe Alba will surprise me.

Posted by: calliope1975 at April 7, 2011 12:48 AM

a special sensitivity to the realities of mental illness

Not to be a Doubting Thomas, but I find that extremely hard to believe.

Posted by: MM at April 7, 2011 1:00 AM

What the hell kind of elite kindergarten simultaneously teaches separate subjects and hires people without teaching experience or education degrees?

Posted by: Pippa at April 7, 2011 4:56 AM

The shots of JK Simmons in the trailer don't seem to be in anyway connected to the rest of the story.

Jessica Alba should accept her limited range and just play Hot Chick in Big Hollywood Movie. Leave actressin' to the talented folk.

Posted by: TSF at April 7, 2011 7:42 AM

Really hoping for a scene of Jessica Alba seeing the world in numbers, i.e. equations floating in 3D space.

Posted by: the new transported man at April 7, 2011 8:00 AM

It looks like somebody saw Proof and decided that it wasn't whimsyquirkilicious enough.

Posted by: Groundloop at April 7, 2011 8:22 AM

I think it's interesting that in the trailer, Alba doesn't have a lot lines. It's mostly other people talking to her.
Considering other things I've seen her 'act' in, that worries me.

Posted by: rownmcinis at April 7, 2011 9:21 AM

Unfortunately, simply picking a role based upon the suggested intellectual power the character is expected to carry does not guarantee positive results. If that were the case Denise Richards street credit would have skyrocketed after playing a nook-e-lure fizz-ass-ist in "The World Is Not Enough". Instead she is widely considered the worst Bond Girl- a part that one could quite literally do on their back. While don't expect Alba's efforts to be quite as bad, it still doesn't win her a mulligan either.

Jessica Alba is a pretty face who can dress up any window. But she cannot carry a scene and she certainly can't be anyone else other than herself. She's a quart actress trying to carry a gallon performance. The results will always be messy.

Posted by: bleujayone at April 7, 2011 9:53 AM

I'm with MM.

Any film that claims upfront to bring a "special sensitivity" to something like mental illness is bound to heading down the patronizing path of "we prettied up mental illness so none of you have to feel uncomfortable about it like you do when the strange smelly woman starts talking to you on the train and everyone else is staring".

Posted by: PaddyDog at April 7, 2011 10:00 AM

Aww, I was hoping for an Oscar turn with Jessica Alba playing the socially and hygienically challenged Paul Erdős. Take that, Christian Bale.

Posted by: sars at April 7, 2011 10:01 AM

I can't see the trailer but that synopsis sounds horrible.

Posted by: Paultera at April 7, 2011 10:11 AM

In her stunning performance as "Honey", I can't forget this croaker--"Come on guys, there'll be moah oppatoonaties". Classic Alba actressing.

Posted by: DenG at April 7, 2011 10:14 AM

I just watched the trailer which for some reason wouldn't play earlier, and yeah: how long do you think she'd last in that school with all those ticks and quirks before some parents started screaming.

I live in the Laurie Dann school district. Parents are freaked out by the smallest sign of oddity in a teacher.

Posted by: PaddyDog at April 7, 2011 10:18 AM

More importantly, will there or will there not be screaming into ovens?

It looks like somebody saw Proof and decided that it wasn't whimsyquirkilicious enough.

Maybe A Beautiful Mind 2: Never Go Full Fibonacci?

Posted by: branded at April 7, 2011 10:20 AM

When Jessica Biel tried to be a "real actress" she at least had the decency to play a stripper. Baby steps, Alba, baby steps.

Posted by: Mrs. Julien at April 7, 2011 10:22 AM

@branded! Dear god I almost blarked coffee onto my computer and co-workers. Pure genius! The best I can come up with is Good Will Hunting 2: The Enproofening.

Posted by: Groundloop at April 7, 2011 10:52 AM

Well it is ELEMENTARY school math. It's not like she's busting out differential equations.


Ummm there will be a bikini scene tho right? Right?

Posted by: logan at April 7, 2011 11:10 AM

So a "special sensitivity" to math involves hallucinating random numbers all over the place? I think that's a better sign of schizophrenia than anything else.

Posted by: Withnails at April 7, 2011 12:57 PM

Hmm. Trailer was much better than I expected it to be, actually. I'm so puzzled now.

The little girl who plays the younger version of Alba's character is fantastic, though. She was on an episode of L&O: SVU and was emotional dynamite.

Posted by: Parker at April 7, 2011 1:20 PM

I hate Jessica Alba like you guys hate Katherine Heigl.

Posted by: TWoP_Fan at April 7, 2011 4:06 PM

But, but Mrs.Julien, she DID play a stripper!

Posted by: Four Eyes at April 7, 2011 6:32 PM

C'mon what's with the pigtails!?! It's such a cheat. I get it, her childhood stunted her and she's still like a little girl. She doesn't have to bother conveying it with real acting because it's already on her damn head. I was ready for this to be good but it feels so phony with a wedged in love story.

Posted by: valerie at April 7, 2011 9:10 PM

"When he suddenly demonstrates signs of mental illness, Mona begins to obsess about numbers, using them to interpret an unpredictable and threatening world."

I would rather die than watch this boring shit.

Posted by: samantha t at April 8, 2011 3:48 PM

Read the book instead. I'm sure it's 1000 times better.

Posted by: Leota at April 10, 2011 11:36 AM