Who is Rosalee Futch and what does she have to do with West Virginia? Plenty! And moviegoers across the United States will meet her early next year when this Frazier’s Bottom grocery clerk wins a date with her favorite movie star.
The upcoming DreamWorks LLC feature film "Win A Date With Tad Hamilton" was partially shot in West Virginia and utilized local crew and talent. Directed by Robert Luketic (“Legally Blonde” and the upcoming “Monster-in-Law” with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda), the film should include several West Virginia venues when it is released nationwide January 23.
The story is set in Frazier's Bottom, Putnam County, but DreamWorks chose to shoot footage in Fayetteville, Grandview, New River Gorge Bridge and the Kanawha River near Belle and Charleston. Filmgoers will see Fayetteville as Frazier's Bottom and may recognize the movie’s post office as the Fayette County Bank.
The West Virginia Film Office and the West Virginia Division of Tourism helped with the West Virginia filming activities. DreamWorks was in Fayette, Raleigh, and Kanawha counties in late July. A production crew, including director Robert Luketic and actor Topher Grace (That 70’s Show), stayed at Glade Springs. Local crew and talent were hired for the shoot. The production coordinator, Fayetteville resident Marcie Cruz, assisted with casting locals as extras for the shoot and handling other tasks.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for West Virginia to shine,” Tourism Commissioner Betty Carver said. “The locals who were hired to work on the film helped make the production a great success. We are very proud of their contributions to this production."
The production team originally contacted St. Albans camera operator, Mike Riley, in April about scouting and site photography. When DreamWorks decided to shoot on location in West Virginia, the production supervisor contacted the West Virginia Division of Tourism for further assistance in mid-July.
Film Office Director Pam Haynes had just stepped into her job days before the shoot began. "What better way to get your feet wet than on a major motion picture for DreamWorks," Haynes said. "It was an intense two weeks of liaison services and assistance to the visiting production team."
“ It's impossible to know what footage will make it to the big screen, but I'm very hopeful that everything the director shot is included in the final cut,” Haynes said.
Rosalee Futch (Kate Bosworth) is a grocery clerk with a big dream -- to someday meet her big-screen idol Tad Hamilton (Josh Duhamel). The dream comes true when she wins the grand prize in a contest and gets a date with Tad Hamilton. Her success comes much to the chagrin of her best friend and co-worker Pete (Topher Grace), who is secretly in love with Rosalee. The "Win a Date" contest was cooked up by Tad's agent, Richard Levy (Nathan Lane), and his manager, also named Richard Levy (Sean Hayes), to clean up Tad's bad-boy image. When Tad meets Rosalee and gets a taste of what he's been missing in the "real world," he decides to move to West Virginia, turning Rosalee's dream come true into a nightmare for Richard Levy, Richard Levy and Pete.
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