Postered: Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in Larry Crowne

Judging solely by the poster for LARRY CROWNE, you might assume the movie features Tom Hanks as a scooter gang leader who is unaware his skull is about to be gnawed by Julia Roberts’ terrifyingly huge chompers.

Turns out this is the actual synopsis: “Until he was downsized, affable, amiable Larry Crowne (Hanks) was a superstar team leader at the big-box company where he’s worked since his time in the Navy. Underwater on his mortgage and unclear on what to do with his suddenly free days, Larry heads to his local college to start over. There he becomes part of a colorful community of outcasts, also-rans and the overlooked all trying to find a better future for themselves…often moving around town in a herd of scooters. In his public-speaking class, Larry develops an unexpected crush on his teacher Mercedes Tainot (Roberts), who has lost as much passion for teaching as she has for her husband. The simple guy who has every reason to think his life has stalled will come to learn an unexpected lesson: when you think everything worth having has passed you by, you just might discover your reason to live.”

I think I prefer my interpretation. LARRY CROWNE is Hanks’ first feature directing effort since the great little THAT THING YOU DO (for which he also co-wrote several songs), and it opens on July 1st — the same day as TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON.