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Universal's UK 'Couples Retreat' Poster Brings Cries of Racism by Removing Black Actors

A racially-tinged advertising decision has gone awry for the movie "Couples Retreat."

Marketers of the Vince Vaughn comedy, which stars four couples in a tropical paradise, removed black actors Faizon Love and Kali Hawk from the promotional poster used in the United Kingdom after the U.S. version used all four couples. In response to outrage over the move, a Universal spokesman said the altered poster aimed "to simplify the poster to actors who are most [recognizable] in international markets."

While Love and Hawk aren't generally as well known as the film's other six stars, it's still a questionable motive. As noted in a 2007 New York Times article, American films with black stars typically struggle in the overseas market. According to the article, Will Smith, the undisputed king of the American box office, ranks no better than twelfth when it comes to ticket sales internationally. Simply put, said industry watcher James Ulmer, "The international marketplace is still fairly racist."

However, there's good news for those who believe the removal of Love and Hawk from the UK poster was racist: Universal issued a statement regretting any offense it caused, and the studio has scrapped all plans to use the modified poster in other overseas markets.

Am I the only one wondering why just about everyone that is supposedly standing knee to waist deep in water is wearing pants or long dresses?

It was taken just after the tsunami came though. Oh, the movie was the disaster?

As a resident of the UK, let me just say that I've never heard of either of them, so their presence (or lack thereof) on the poster would not affect my decision to watch the film or not.

As it is, I have no plans to see it anyway, as it looks like the typical Hollywood crap.