You always knew last year's rare Universal hit Couple's Retreat had to experience some economic misfortune somewhere along the line. Today it arrives from an unexpected place: Meet Irina Krupnik, a former model who was more than a little troubled to learn that her photograph had been used as a "masturbatory prop" by Jon Favreau's character. This calls for a lawsuit!
Krupnik filed the suit Thursday in New York, seeking $10 million from the beleaguered studio on grounds of defamation and invasion of privacy. Her lawyer said that while she signed a standard release when the photo was taken 10 years ago, the agreement did not cover its usage in such a "quasi-pornographic context." Maybe or maybe not, but the harsh language he uses in the lawsuit sounds about as sexy as a bedsore. Which isn't to say it's not funny:
The movie is a comedy about four couples trying to work out their differences at a resort in Bora Bora. In one scene, Krupnik's picture is featured in a fictitious brochure that Favreau's "overweight, unhappily married male character" uses "to masturbate while his wife is in the washroom," the suit says.
Krupnik was not amused to find herself being used for Favreau's "much older, desiccated" character to "pleasure himself," the suit says, noting that the scene "would be a crime if Mr. Favreau attempted it on a New York City subway."
Well, that settles it. Meanwhile, the actor/director who did the "overweight" and "dessicated" deed has yet to respond to the matter, though surely some aggrieved tweet is in the offing. Also, memo to the NY Post: Maybe next time avoid using the phrase "STROKE ON HER" in the URL of a story about a litigious bikini model? Just saying.
ยท Woman sues over unwitting appearance in Couples Retreat [NYP]