In Kit Zauhar’s This Closeness, the narrative is confined to the space of one small apartment. There’s not even a shot where you get a view of the outside. Yet, you don’t get bothered or bored for a minute because a whole lot of things happen inside that small apartment. The three main characters—a couple and this other guy—are thrown into a sea of awkwardness. Zauhar herself plays one half of the couple, Tessa, and she is absolutely fantastic; and so is actor Zane Pais, who plays her majorly red flag boyfriend, Ben. The star of the show is, of course, Ian Edlund’s Adam, a strange, bumbling guy who gives off a very strong incel vibe. In about ninety minutes, This Closeness pulls off an astute portrayal of anxiety, desire, and loneliness. It purposefully puts a problematic relationship at the center of it and...
- 7/4/2024
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
Kit Zauhar's This Closeness is now showing exclusively on Mubi in many countries.You Made Me Feel. Photographs by Lonz Espinoza.You Made Me Feel is a one-act play based off of two relationships I’ve been developing for a novel. The plot is quite simple: a girl (referred to in the script only as “A”) sits at a bar and has two conversations with two men, one after the other, in quick succession. The first scene is with “B,” someone A met during high school when he was her counselor at a filmmaking summer camp. The second scene is with a man with whom she cheated on her boyfriend: “C.” Throughout the course of the play, A interrogates, succumbs to, and defends herself against the two men, digging into the murky nucleus of her desire that has compelled her to lurch for these men, for a life full of wanting ecstatically,...
- 7/1/2024
- MUBI
It’s true that This Closeness, by rising writer-director-star Kit Zauhar, may be too small in scale for some. But a recent trip to New York where this writer stayed alone in a West Village studio apartment oddly went about helping understand the particulars of the film a little bit better, even if it may be technically set in Philadelphia. Compressed urban living is universal, one supposes.
It charts the relationship between Tessa (the aforementioned Zauhar) and Ben (Zane Pais), who are in town for the latter’s high school reunion. They find themselves taking up residence in a walk-up Airbnb apartment (which the film won’t leave throughout its 88-minute runtime) instead of his family home. They’re not alone, though. There’s still the resident Adam (Ian Edlund), a socially awkward sports-video editor whose instantly hilarious demeanor (almost recalling the vampire Nosferatu’s gait at points) is a...
It charts the relationship between Tessa (the aforementioned Zauhar) and Ben (Zane Pais), who are in town for the latter’s high school reunion. They find themselves taking up residence in a walk-up Airbnb apartment (which the film won’t leave throughout its 88-minute runtime) instead of his family home. They’re not alone, though. There’s still the resident Adam (Ian Edlund), a socially awkward sports-video editor whose instantly hilarious demeanor (almost recalling the vampire Nosferatu’s gait at points) is a...
- 6/6/2024
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
Following a premiere at last year’s SXSW, writer-director-star Kit Zauhar’s acclaimed second feature This Closeness is now arriving this summer after an extensive festival tour. Also starring Zane Pais, Ian Edlund, Jessie Pinnick and Kate Williams, the drama was picked up by Factory 25 and will now begin a theatrical run at IFC Center on June 7 followed by an expansion and streaming release on Mubi on July 3. Ahead of the rollout, the first trailer has arrived.
Here’s the synopsis: “Tessa and Ben are staying in Philly for the weekend to attend Ben’s high school reunion. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the couple has to rent a room in a stranger’s apartment. That stranger is Adam, whose loneliness is immediately obvious to his new guests. Adam quickly becomes an unwilling voyeur to the most private parts of the couple’s life. While Ben seeks validation from old classmates,...
Here’s the synopsis: “Tessa and Ben are staying in Philly for the weekend to attend Ben’s high school reunion. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the couple has to rent a room in a stranger’s apartment. That stranger is Adam, whose loneliness is immediately obvious to his new guests. Adam quickly becomes an unwilling voyeur to the most private parts of the couple’s life. While Ben seeks validation from old classmates,...
- 4/24/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Kit Zauhar’s sophomore feature “This Closeness” follows the promise of her 2021 debut “Actual People,” which demonstrated she could tell an immersive story with few resources. Her microbudget feature “This Closeness,” a Narrative Spotlight premiere of SXSW 2023, is now about to open from Factory 25 on June 7, followed by a Mubi streaming premiere on July 3. Watch the trailer, an IndieWire exclusive, below.
Per IndieWire’s 2023 SXSW preview, “This Closeness” “wields its lo-fi constraints with tremendous sophistication and insight. The entire story takes place within the constraints of a Philadelphia apartment, booked by a young couple (Zauhar and Zane Pais) for a high school reunion weekend; once there, they find themselves dealing with the awkward loner (Ian Edlund) who lives there. As tensions mount, the movie dances an elegant line between cringe-comedy and erotic thriller, with Zauhar’s character, an Asmr YouTuber, developing an enigmatic bond with their temporary roommate while...
Per IndieWire’s 2023 SXSW preview, “This Closeness” “wields its lo-fi constraints with tremendous sophistication and insight. The entire story takes place within the constraints of a Philadelphia apartment, booked by a young couple (Zauhar and Zane Pais) for a high school reunion weekend; once there, they find themselves dealing with the awkward loner (Ian Edlund) who lives there. As tensions mount, the movie dances an elegant line between cringe-comedy and erotic thriller, with Zauhar’s character, an Asmr YouTuber, developing an enigmatic bond with their temporary roommate while...
- 4/23/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Brooklyn-based indie film distribution and production company Factory 25 has acquired North American theatrical rights on writer-director Kit Zauhar’s sophomore feature This Closeness, which debuted at SXSW 2023.
The film will begin its theatrical run at the IFC Center in New York City on June 7, with further engagements and a worldwide digital release on Mubi on July 3.
The film stars Zane Pais (Margot At The Wedding) and Ian Edlund with Zauhar also starring as she did on her first feature Actual People, which debuted at Locarno in 2021. Factory 25 also released that film. Actress and singer Jessie Pinnick (Princess Cyd) and multimedia artist Kate Williams round out the cast.
Following SXSW, This Closeness screened at the Philadelphia Film Festival, the Champs-Élysées Film Festival, and the Seattle International Film Festival, where it received a special jury mention for best ensemble cast in the New American Cinema Competition.
This Closeness is produced...
The film will begin its theatrical run at the IFC Center in New York City on June 7, with further engagements and a worldwide digital release on Mubi on July 3.
The film stars Zane Pais (Margot At The Wedding) and Ian Edlund with Zauhar also starring as she did on her first feature Actual People, which debuted at Locarno in 2021. Factory 25 also released that film. Actress and singer Jessie Pinnick (Princess Cyd) and multimedia artist Kate Williams round out the cast.
Following SXSW, This Closeness screened at the Philadelphia Film Festival, the Champs-Élysées Film Festival, and the Seattle International Film Festival, where it received a special jury mention for best ensemble cast in the New American Cinema Competition.
This Closeness is produced...
- 4/19/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
This Closeness
Director Kit Zauhar uses her sophomore feature, This Closeness, as a Petri dish to explore human nature in a claustrophobic Philadelphia apartment. The plot centres on couple, Tessa (Zauhar) and Ben (Zane Pais), who are in town for his high school reunion. Renting a room in a stranger’s apartment, Tessa begins to form a bond with Adam (Ian Edlund), their temporary lonely and introverted roommate, as tensions mount with her boyfriend.
In conversation with Eye For Film at this year’s SXSW, where the film screened in the Narrative Spotlight section, Zauhar discussed her interest in critiquing white masculinity, and using 'trivialities' to scratch the surface of the human experience.
Paul Risker: Why acting, writing and directing as a means of creative expression? Was there an inspirational or defining moment?
Kit Zauhar: I don't know if I had one moment where I knew. I'm a lucky individual,...
Director Kit Zauhar uses her sophomore feature, This Closeness, as a Petri dish to explore human nature in a claustrophobic Philadelphia apartment. The plot centres on couple, Tessa (Zauhar) and Ben (Zane Pais), who are in town for his high school reunion. Renting a room in a stranger’s apartment, Tessa begins to form a bond with Adam (Ian Edlund), their temporary lonely and introverted roommate, as tensions mount with her boyfriend.
In conversation with Eye For Film at this year’s SXSW, where the film screened in the Narrative Spotlight section, Zauhar discussed her interest in critiquing white masculinity, and using 'trivialities' to scratch the surface of the human experience.
Paul Risker: Why acting, writing and directing as a means of creative expression? Was there an inspirational or defining moment?
Kit Zauhar: I don't know if I had one moment where I knew. I'm a lucky individual,...
- 4/8/2023
- by Paul Risker
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Building on the success of her well-received debut feature Actual People, writer-director-actor Kit Zauhar’s This Closeness further explores the deviously twisty nuances of angst as experienced by people in their 20s nowadays. The plot unfolds over a weekend during which couple Tessa (Zauhar) and Ben (Zane Pais) come to stay in a “sad,” sparsely decorated Philadelphia apartment, having used an online app to book a bedroom from introverted host Adam (Ian Edlund).
But the inherent awkwardness of sharing a small space with a total stranger subtly unnerves all three characters. Tensions bubble up from the depths, especially submerged jealousies between Tessa and Ben, who have come to town for the latter’s high-school reunion. The result is a finely observed study of modern manners and mores on a micro-budget that’s nevertheless rich in feeling, especially the cringeiness one might experience from watching other people bicker or hearing people have sex through thin walls.
But the inherent awkwardness of sharing a small space with a total stranger subtly unnerves all three characters. Tensions bubble up from the depths, especially submerged jealousies between Tessa and Ben, who have come to town for the latter’s high-school reunion. The result is a finely observed study of modern manners and mores on a micro-budget that’s nevertheless rich in feeling, especially the cringeiness one might experience from watching other people bicker or hearing people have sex through thin walls.
- 3/20/2023
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Network: Amazon
Episodes: Ongoing (hour)
Seasons: Ongoing
TV show dates: October 18, 2019 -- present
Series status: Has not been cancelled
Performers include: Sofia Boutella, Gary Carr, Olivia Cooke, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tina Fey, John Gallagher, Jr., Andy Garcia, Julia Garner, Anne Hathaway, Catherine Keener, Cristin Milioti, Dev Patel, Andrew Scott, John Slattery, Shea Whigham, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Susan Blackwell, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Zoe Chao, Maria Dizzia, Minnie Driver, Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Kathryn Gallagher, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Telci Huynh, Nikki M. James, Tobias Menzies, Aparna Nancherla, Sophie Okonedo, Larry Owens, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Ben Rappaport, Milan Ray, Jack Reynor, Miranda Richardson, Marquis Rodriguez, James Scully, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Lulu Wilson, Don Wycherley, and Jeena Yi.
TV show description:
A romantic comedy anthology series, the Modern Love...
Episodes: Ongoing (hour)
Seasons: Ongoing
TV show dates: October 18, 2019 -- present
Series status: Has not been cancelled
Performers include: Sofia Boutella, Gary Carr, Olivia Cooke, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tina Fey, John Gallagher, Jr., Andy Garcia, Julia Garner, Anne Hathaway, Catherine Keener, Cristin Milioti, Dev Patel, Andrew Scott, John Slattery, Shea Whigham, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Susan Blackwell, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Zoe Chao, Maria Dizzia, Minnie Driver, Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Kathryn Gallagher, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Telci Huynh, Nikki M. James, Tobias Menzies, Aparna Nancherla, Sophie Okonedo, Larry Owens, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Ben Rappaport, Milan Ray, Jack Reynor, Miranda Richardson, Marquis Rodriguez, James Scully, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Lulu Wilson, Don Wycherley, and Jeena Yi.
TV show description:
A romantic comedy anthology series, the Modern Love...
- 8/18/2021
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Modern Love will premiere its second season on Amazon Prime Video next month. The eight-episode second season will land on the streaming service in its entirety on Friday, August 13th.
Gbenga Akinnagbe, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Zoë Chao, Minnie Driver, Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Tobias Menzies, Sophie Okonedo, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Marquis Rodriguez, and Lulu Wilson star in the anthology series which is based on the stories found in The New York Times column of the same name.
Amazon revealed more about the return of Modern Love in a press release.
“Amazon Prime Video released the official trailer today for the highly anticipated second season of Amazon Original anthology series Modern Love. In this season, love breaks all the rules. An old flame reignited. A test of friends vs. lovers. A night girl...
Gbenga Akinnagbe, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Zoë Chao, Minnie Driver, Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Tobias Menzies, Sophie Okonedo, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Marquis Rodriguez, and Lulu Wilson star in the anthology series which is based on the stories found in The New York Times column of the same name.
Amazon revealed more about the return of Modern Love in a press release.
“Amazon Prime Video released the official trailer today for the highly anticipated second season of Amazon Original anthology series Modern Love. In this season, love breaks all the rules. An old flame reignited. A test of friends vs. lovers. A night girl...
- 7/19/2021
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
It was 2019 when audiences examined the shifting face of “Modern Love” with Amazon Prime Video’s anthology series, and after everything in the last year that feels like a lifetime ago. But “Modern Love” is back with a second season that aims to examine how we can connect with each other after everything that’s happened.
The new season will star Gbenga Akinnagbe, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Minnie Driver, newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Zoë Chao, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Tobias Menzies, Sophie Okonedo, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Marquis Rodriguez, and Lulu Wilson.
John Crowley, Marta Cunningham, Jesse Peretz, and Andrew Rannells will each direct an episode while Celine Held and Logan George will co-direct an episode. Todd Hoffman, Trish Hofmann, and Anthony Bregman serve as executive producers on Season 2, along with Choire Sicha and Caitlin Roper of The New York Times, with Sean Fogel and Miriam Mintz serving as producers.
The new season will star Gbenga Akinnagbe, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Minnie Driver, newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Zoë Chao, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Tobias Menzies, Sophie Okonedo, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Marquis Rodriguez, and Lulu Wilson.
John Crowley, Marta Cunningham, Jesse Peretz, and Andrew Rannells will each direct an episode while Celine Held and Logan George will co-direct an episode. Todd Hoffman, Trish Hofmann, and Anthony Bregman serve as executive producers on Season 2, along with Choire Sicha and Caitlin Roper of The New York Times, with Sean Fogel and Miriam Mintz serving as producers.
- 7/15/2021
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Love is in the air once again, as Amazon Prime Video released the trailer Thursday for the second season of its romantic anthology series “Modern Love.” As you’d expect, the sneak peek features several meet-cutes, including an adorable, flirtatious exchange of glances between two strangers on a train, played by “Game of Thrones” alum Kit Harington and “The Politician” star Lucy Boynton.
In the trailer, which you can view via the video above, “Modern Love’s” Season 2 lineup of romantic pairings is teased, with Boynton and Harington being the first duo revealed. They walk away from the experience agreeing to meet on the train again in two weeks — but Harington’s friend says she’s “never going to show.” While we worry about the fate of that potential couple, the teaser moves on to introduce us to several more, whom you will meet properly when the season launches Aug.
In the trailer, which you can view via the video above, “Modern Love’s” Season 2 lineup of romantic pairings is teased, with Boynton and Harington being the first duo revealed. They walk away from the experience agreeing to meet on the train again in two weeks — but Harington’s friend says she’s “never going to show.” While we worry about the fate of that potential couple, the teaser moves on to introduce us to several more, whom you will meet properly when the season launches Aug.
- 7/15/2021
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Amazon Prime Video released a trailer for Season 2 of “Modern Love,” which launches Aug. 13 on the streamer.
The anthology will feature eight new episodes showcasing individual stories about relationships, connections, betrayals and revelations. Each episode is inspired by the true events from the New York Times column of the same name.
John Carney serves as writer, director and executive producer of “Modern Love.” The cast includes Gbenga Akinnagbe, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Zoë Chao, Minnie Driver, Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Tobias Menzies, Sophie Okonedo, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Marquis Rodriguez and Lulu Wilson. John Crowley, Marta Cunningham, Jesse Peretz, Andrew Rannells, Celine Held, and Logan George also direct episodes this season.
Watch the trailer below.
Also in today’s TV news roundup:
Dates
Paramount Plus will premiere Madonna’s new documentary, “Madame X,” on Oct. 8. From MTV Entertainment Studios and directors Ricardo Gomes and Sknx,...
The anthology will feature eight new episodes showcasing individual stories about relationships, connections, betrayals and revelations. Each episode is inspired by the true events from the New York Times column of the same name.
John Carney serves as writer, director and executive producer of “Modern Love.” The cast includes Gbenga Akinnagbe, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Zoë Chao, Minnie Driver, Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Tobias Menzies, Sophie Okonedo, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Marquis Rodriguez and Lulu Wilson. John Crowley, Marta Cunningham, Jesse Peretz, Andrew Rannells, Celine Held, and Logan George also direct episodes this season.
Watch the trailer below.
Also in today’s TV news roundup:
Dates
Paramount Plus will premiere Madonna’s new documentary, “Madame X,” on Oct. 8. From MTV Entertainment Studios and directors Ricardo Gomes and Sknx,...
- 7/15/2021
- by Haley Bosselman
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon has set Friday, August 13 for the Season 2 premiere of Modern Love, its half-hour romantic anthology series, inspired by The New York Times column. All eight half-hour episodes will be released at once.
Additionally, Tobias Menzies (The Crown) and Sophie Okonedo (Ratched) have joined the Season 2 cast. They appear in an episode directed by John Carney, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer. The episode and series recently wrapped filming in Dublin, Ireland. Season 2 also was filmed in Albany, New York City, Schenectady, and Troy, New York.
Developed by Carney, Modern Love explores love in all of its complicated and beautiful forms, as each standalone episode brings some of the Nyt column’s best known stories to life with an A-list cast.
Previously announced Season 2 cast includes Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Deuce), Susan Blackwell (Madam Secretary), Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody), Tom Burke (Mank), Zoe Chao (Love Life), Maria Dizzia (Orange is the New Black...
Additionally, Tobias Menzies (The Crown) and Sophie Okonedo (Ratched) have joined the Season 2 cast. They appear in an episode directed by John Carney, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer. The episode and series recently wrapped filming in Dublin, Ireland. Season 2 also was filmed in Albany, New York City, Schenectady, and Troy, New York.
Developed by Carney, Modern Love explores love in all of its complicated and beautiful forms, as each standalone episode brings some of the Nyt column’s best known stories to life with an A-list cast.
Previously announced Season 2 cast includes Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Deuce), Susan Blackwell (Madam Secretary), Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody), Tom Burke (Mank), Zoe Chao (Love Life), Maria Dizzia (Orange is the New Black...
- 5/26/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Prime Video has set the premiere date for the second season of “Modern Love” and added “The Crown” star Tobias Menzies and “Ratched” actress Sophie Okonedo to the already lengthy lineup of cast members for Season 2 of the romantic anthology series.
“Modern Love,” which is inspired by The New York Times column of the same name, will debut its eight-episode second season on Friday, Aug. 13. All off the season’s episodes, which are each 30 minutes, will be released that day.
Per Amazon’s Wednesday announcement, Menzies and Okonedo will star in a Season 2 episode directed by showrunner John Carney, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer.
Menzies and Okonedo join a lineup of “Modern Love” Season 2 stars that includes Gbenga Akinnagbe, Susan Blackwell. Lucy Boynton. Tom Burke, Zoe Chao, Maria Dizzia, Minnie Driver, Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Kathryn Gallagher, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Telci Huynh, Nikki M. James,...
“Modern Love,” which is inspired by The New York Times column of the same name, will debut its eight-episode second season on Friday, Aug. 13. All off the season’s episodes, which are each 30 minutes, will be released that day.
Per Amazon’s Wednesday announcement, Menzies and Okonedo will star in a Season 2 episode directed by showrunner John Carney, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer.
Menzies and Okonedo join a lineup of “Modern Love” Season 2 stars that includes Gbenga Akinnagbe, Susan Blackwell. Lucy Boynton. Tom Burke, Zoe Chao, Maria Dizzia, Minnie Driver, Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback, Kathryn Gallagher, Kit Harington, Garrett Hedlund, Telci Huynh, Nikki M. James,...
- 5/26/2021
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Modern Love has announced its cast for its second season. Twenty-nine different actors -- including Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones) and Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah) -- will appear in the second season of the anthology drama. The series is based on The New York Times column of the same name.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the rest of the second season cast will include Gbenga Akinnagbe, Susan Blackwell, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Zoe Chao, Maria Dizzia, Minnie Driver, Grace Edwards, Kathryn Gallagher, Garrett Hedlund, Telci Huynh, Nikki M. James, Aparna Nancherla, Larry Owens, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Ben Rappaport, Milan Ray, Jack Reynor, Miranda Richardson, Marquis Rodriguez, James Scully, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Lulu Wilson, Don Wycherley and Jeena Yi.
Season two of Modern Love was filmed in New York City, Albany, Troy and Schenectady, New York, and Dublin,...
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the rest of the second season cast will include Gbenga Akinnagbe, Susan Blackwell, Lucy Boynton, Tom Burke, Zoe Chao, Maria Dizzia, Minnie Driver, Grace Edwards, Kathryn Gallagher, Garrett Hedlund, Telci Huynh, Nikki M. James, Aparna Nancherla, Larry Owens, Zane Pais, Anna Paquin, Isaac Powell, Ben Rappaport, Milan Ray, Jack Reynor, Miranda Richardson, Marquis Rodriguez, James Scully, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Lulu Wilson, Don Wycherley and Jeena Yi.
Season two of Modern Love was filmed in New York City, Albany, Troy and Schenectady, New York, and Dublin,...
- 2/23/2021
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Amazon has set the Season 2 cast for its half-hour romantic anthology series Modern Love, based on The New York Times column. The new season was filmed in Albany, New York City, Schenectady, and Troy, New York and Dublin, Ireland, and will premiere on Prime Video later this year in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Joining the Season 2 cast are Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Deuce), Susan Blackwell (Madam Secretary), Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody), Tom Burke (Mank), Zoe Chao (Love Life), Maria Dizzia (Orange is the New Black), Minnie Driver (Cinderella), newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah), Kathryn Gallagher (Jagged Little Pill), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound), Telci Huynh (God Friended Me), Nikki M. James (Book of Mormon), Aparna Nancherla (Corporate), Larry Owens (High Maintenance), Zane Pais (Room 104), Anna Paquin (Flack), Isaac Powell (Dear Evan Hansen), Ben Rappaport (For the People), Milan Ray (Troop Zero...
Joining the Season 2 cast are Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Deuce), Susan Blackwell (Madam Secretary), Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody), Tom Burke (Mank), Zoe Chao (Love Life), Maria Dizzia (Orange is the New Black), Minnie Driver (Cinderella), newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah), Kathryn Gallagher (Jagged Little Pill), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound), Telci Huynh (God Friended Me), Nikki M. James (Book of Mormon), Aparna Nancherla (Corporate), Larry Owens (High Maintenance), Zane Pais (Room 104), Anna Paquin (Flack), Isaac Powell (Dear Evan Hansen), Ben Rappaport (For the People), Milan Ray (Troop Zero...
- 2/22/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The Amazon anthology series “Modern Love” has announced its main cast for Season 2.
Season 2 of the series will feature episodes starring: Gbenga Akinnagbe (“The Deuce”), Susan Blackwell (“Madam Secretary”), Lucy Boynton (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Tom Burke (“Mank”), Zoe Chao (“Love Life”), Maria Dizzia (“Orange is the New Black”), newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Kathryn Gallagher (“Jagged Little Pill”), Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”), Garrett Hedlund (“Mudbound”), Telci Huynh (“God Friended Me”), Nikki M. James (“Book of Mormon”), Aparna Nancherla (“Corporate”), Larry Owens (“High Maintenance”), Zane Pais (“Room 104”), Anna Paquin (“Flack”), Isaac Powell (“Dear Evan Hansen”), Ben Rappaport (“For the People”), Milan Ray (“Troop Zero”), Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”), Miranda Richardson (“Stronger”), Marquis Rodriguez (“When They See Us”), James Scully (“You”), Zuzanna Szadkowski (“Gossip Girl”), Lulu Wilson (“The Glorias”), Don Wycherley (“Wild Mountain Thyme”), and Jeena Yi (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”).
Variety exclusively reported last week that Minnie Driver...
Season 2 of the series will feature episodes starring: Gbenga Akinnagbe (“The Deuce”), Susan Blackwell (“Madam Secretary”), Lucy Boynton (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Tom Burke (“Mank”), Zoe Chao (“Love Life”), Maria Dizzia (“Orange is the New Black”), newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Kathryn Gallagher (“Jagged Little Pill”), Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”), Garrett Hedlund (“Mudbound”), Telci Huynh (“God Friended Me”), Nikki M. James (“Book of Mormon”), Aparna Nancherla (“Corporate”), Larry Owens (“High Maintenance”), Zane Pais (“Room 104”), Anna Paquin (“Flack”), Isaac Powell (“Dear Evan Hansen”), Ben Rappaport (“For the People”), Milan Ray (“Troop Zero”), Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”), Miranda Richardson (“Stronger”), Marquis Rodriguez (“When They See Us”), James Scully (“You”), Zuzanna Szadkowski (“Gossip Girl”), Lulu Wilson (“The Glorias”), Don Wycherley (“Wild Mountain Thyme”), and Jeena Yi (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”).
Variety exclusively reported last week that Minnie Driver...
- 2/22/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
The forecast for Modern Love Season 2 calls for a dusting of Jon Snow.
Amazon Prime on Monday announced the cast for the anthology dramedy’s upcoming seven-episode second season, and Game of Thrones vet Kit Harington is one of two dozen-plus actors orbiting Cupid’s crossbow.
More from TVLineOuter Range: Matt Lauria Joins Amazon Drama Series in Recurring RoleTell Me Your Secrets Season 1 Finale Recap: Emma's Memories Recovered, Theresa's Fate Revealed -- Grade It!Tell Me Your Secrets: Grade the Premiere of Amazon's Dark Thriller
Joining Harington in Season 2 — which is set to debut later this year — will be Minnie Driver...
Amazon Prime on Monday announced the cast for the anthology dramedy’s upcoming seven-episode second season, and Game of Thrones vet Kit Harington is one of two dozen-plus actors orbiting Cupid’s crossbow.
More from TVLineOuter Range: Matt Lauria Joins Amazon Drama Series in Recurring RoleTell Me Your Secrets Season 1 Finale Recap: Emma's Memories Recovered, Theresa's Fate Revealed -- Grade It!Tell Me Your Secrets: Grade the Premiere of Amazon's Dark Thriller
Joining Harington in Season 2 — which is set to debut later this year — will be Minnie Driver...
- 2/22/2021
- by Michael Ausiello
- TVLine.com
Amazon has added 29 actors to the cast of “Modern Love” Season 2, which is shaping up to be as star-studded as the first season of the romantic anthology was, with names like Kit Harington, Anna Paquin and Minnie Driver, just to name a few.
Along with those three, other stars of Season 2 include Gbenga Akinnagbe (“The Deuce”), Susan Blackwell (“Madam Secretary”), Lucy Boynton (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Tom Burke (“Mank”), Zoe Chao (“Love Life”), Maria Dizzia (“Orange is the New Black”), Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Kathryn Gallagher (“Jagged Little Pill”), Garrett Hedlund (“Mudbound”), Telci Huynh (“God Friended Me”), Nikki M. James (“Book of Mormon”), Aparna Nancherla (“Corporate”), Larry Owens (“High Maintenance”), Zane Pais (“Room 104”), Isaac Powell (“Dear Evan Hansen”), Ben Rappaport (“For the People”), Milan Ray (“Troop Zero”), Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”), Miranda Richardson (“Stronger”), Marquis Rodriguez (“When They See Us”), James Scully (“You” S2), Zuzanna Szadkowski (“Gossip Girl...
Along with those three, other stars of Season 2 include Gbenga Akinnagbe (“The Deuce”), Susan Blackwell (“Madam Secretary”), Lucy Boynton (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Tom Burke (“Mank”), Zoe Chao (“Love Life”), Maria Dizzia (“Orange is the New Black”), Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Kathryn Gallagher (“Jagged Little Pill”), Garrett Hedlund (“Mudbound”), Telci Huynh (“God Friended Me”), Nikki M. James (“Book of Mormon”), Aparna Nancherla (“Corporate”), Larry Owens (“High Maintenance”), Zane Pais (“Room 104”), Isaac Powell (“Dear Evan Hansen”), Ben Rappaport (“For the People”), Milan Ray (“Troop Zero”), Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”), Miranda Richardson (“Stronger”), Marquis Rodriguez (“When They See Us”), James Scully (“You” S2), Zuzanna Szadkowski (“Gossip Girl...
- 2/22/2021
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
He starred as Nicole Kidman's son in the indie hit aoeMargot At The Weddinga and now he has a major role in the new Richard Greenberg play at Manhattan Theater Club. Actor Zane Pais stopped by Ilana's apartment to talk about growing up the son of actors in NYC and his decision to pursue a life in the arts as well...
- 2/24/2020
- by Little Known Facts w/ Ilana Levine
- BroadwayWorld.com
Manhattan Theatre Club’s world premiere of Richard Greenberg’s The Perplexed has completed its cast with Gregg Edelman and Eric William Morris.
With previews at the major Off Broadway venue set to begin Feb. 11 and opening March 3, Edelman and Morris join the previously announced cast of Patrick Breen, Margaret Colin, Tess Frazer, Anna Itty, Ilana Levine, Zane Pais, Jd Taylor and Frank Wood.
To be directed by Mtc Artistic Director Lynne Meadow, the new work from the Take Me Out playwright follows two families whose lives have been tumultuously intertwined for decades.
The synopsis: The families gather in the massive library of a Fifth Avenue apartment to celebrate the nuptials of their children. Nothing goes smoothly and as the big moment approaches, the burning question is: can everyone put aside long-smoldering jealousies and deep-seated grudges and just get through the ceremony?...
With previews at the major Off Broadway venue set to begin Feb. 11 and opening March 3, Edelman and Morris join the previously announced cast of Patrick Breen, Margaret Colin, Tess Frazer, Anna Itty, Ilana Levine, Zane Pais, Jd Taylor and Frank Wood.
To be directed by Mtc Artistic Director Lynne Meadow, the new work from the Take Me Out playwright follows two families whose lives have been tumultuously intertwined for decades.
The synopsis: The families gather in the massive library of a Fifth Avenue apartment to celebrate the nuptials of their children. Nothing goes smoothly and as the big moment approaches, the burning question is: can everyone put aside long-smoldering jealousies and deep-seated grudges and just get through the ceremony?...
- 12/4/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Margot at the Wedding
This review was written for the festival screening of "Margot at the Wedding".Telluride Film Festival
TELLURIDE, Colo. -- Again fearlessly navigating those perilous waters known as family dynamics, filmmaker Noah Baumbach has followed up his acclaimed 2005 breakthrough "The Squid and the Whale" with another wryly observed, giddily cringe-inducing, bracingly original winner.
Where the previous film took its cue from Baumbach's own upbringing, "Margot at the Wedding" probes the terminally dysfunctional relationship between two sisters, played, without a safety net, by Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
The two actresses do some of their best work here, while Baumbach gives further evidence as having one of the most original--and affecting--comic sensibilities in the business.
In the wake of its Telluride and upcoming Toronto Festival screenings, the Paramount Vantage release should gain some serious awards season traction ahead of its late fall arrival in theaters.
From the title to some of the plotting, there are affectionate nods in the direction of Eric Rohmer's "Pauline at the Beach" to be found here, but the tone is unmistakably Baumbach's own.
Kidman's Margot Zeller is an outspoken New York-based short-story writer traveling with her newly adolescent son, Claude (Zane Pais) back to her old family home, where her estranged sister Pauline (Leigh) is about to be married.
Never one to mince words, Margot makes it very clear to anyone who'll listen that she doesn't approve of Pauline's fiance, Malcolm (a very amusing Jack Black), an aspiring musician and artist who seems intent on making a career out of unemployment.
Although technically more of a free-spirit, Pauline proves to be as weighted down by all the family baggage as Margot, and their proximity in the same geographical space can lead to no good.
In short order, the pair succeeds in playing everyone off of each other, and by the time the dust clears, there's a tangled mess of busted relationships and exposed secrets left behind.
But in spite of all the ugly chaos, at the end of the day, family is still family, and "Margot at the Wedding" manages to conclude with a faint glimmer of something resembling guarded optimism.
While many maintain there's truth in comedy, writer-director Baumbach operates under the contention that there's comedy in truth.
No matter how horrible or painful life can get, he realizes there's often an absurdist twinge of irony lurking in the sidelines.
Brilliantly assisting him in bringing it all to the forefront are Kidman and, especially Leigh, who render brittle, hilarious yet moving performances.
Kidman's never better than when she plays darker types, like in "To Die For" or "The Others", and in Margot she has found a character that gives her permission to let unapologetically loose while still retaining some of that trademark vulnerability.
Leigh, meanwhile, gives one of the best, and certainly most intriguingly complex performances of her career, as Pauline, a perennial lost soul who, despite all the friction, still idealizes her sister as a potential best friend.
Together, the two egg each other on to delicious heights and the rest of the cast gives them the appropriate space while still turning in their own, astute performances.
Black, while recruited for comic relief purposes, nevertheless puts his own, unique spin on Baumbach's dialogue, while Pais as Margot's in-the-throes-of-puberty son, gets that alienated awkwardness down effectively.
Also good are Ciaran Hinds as Margot's writing partner and not-so-secret lover; Halley Feiffer as his Lolita-in-training daughter and John Turturro as Margot's spurned husband.
Behind the scenes, director of photography Harris Savides, lends the autumnal Eastern seaboard location a slightly grainy, home movie feel, neatly signaling the less-than-idyllic events to come.
MARGOT AT THE WEDDING
Paramount Vantage
Credits:
Director-writer: Noah Baumbach
Producer: Scott Rudin
Director of photography: Harris Savides
Production designer: Anne Ross
Co-producer: M. Blair Breard
Costume designer: Ann Roth
Editor: Carol Littleton
Cast:
Margot: Nicole Kidman
Pauline: Jennifer Jason Leigh
Claude: Zane Pais
Malcolm: Jack Black
Jim: John Turturro
Ingrid: Flora Cross
Dick: Ciaran Hinds
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
TELLURIDE, Colo. -- Again fearlessly navigating those perilous waters known as family dynamics, filmmaker Noah Baumbach has followed up his acclaimed 2005 breakthrough "The Squid and the Whale" with another wryly observed, giddily cringe-inducing, bracingly original winner.
Where the previous film took its cue from Baumbach's own upbringing, "Margot at the Wedding" probes the terminally dysfunctional relationship between two sisters, played, without a safety net, by Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
The two actresses do some of their best work here, while Baumbach gives further evidence as having one of the most original--and affecting--comic sensibilities in the business.
In the wake of its Telluride and upcoming Toronto Festival screenings, the Paramount Vantage release should gain some serious awards season traction ahead of its late fall arrival in theaters.
From the title to some of the plotting, there are affectionate nods in the direction of Eric Rohmer's "Pauline at the Beach" to be found here, but the tone is unmistakably Baumbach's own.
Kidman's Margot Zeller is an outspoken New York-based short-story writer traveling with her newly adolescent son, Claude (Zane Pais) back to her old family home, where her estranged sister Pauline (Leigh) is about to be married.
Never one to mince words, Margot makes it very clear to anyone who'll listen that she doesn't approve of Pauline's fiance, Malcolm (a very amusing Jack Black), an aspiring musician and artist who seems intent on making a career out of unemployment.
Although technically more of a free-spirit, Pauline proves to be as weighted down by all the family baggage as Margot, and their proximity in the same geographical space can lead to no good.
In short order, the pair succeeds in playing everyone off of each other, and by the time the dust clears, there's a tangled mess of busted relationships and exposed secrets left behind.
But in spite of all the ugly chaos, at the end of the day, family is still family, and "Margot at the Wedding" manages to conclude with a faint glimmer of something resembling guarded optimism.
While many maintain there's truth in comedy, writer-director Baumbach operates under the contention that there's comedy in truth.
No matter how horrible or painful life can get, he realizes there's often an absurdist twinge of irony lurking in the sidelines.
Brilliantly assisting him in bringing it all to the forefront are Kidman and, especially Leigh, who render brittle, hilarious yet moving performances.
Kidman's never better than when she plays darker types, like in "To Die For" or "The Others", and in Margot she has found a character that gives her permission to let unapologetically loose while still retaining some of that trademark vulnerability.
Leigh, meanwhile, gives one of the best, and certainly most intriguingly complex performances of her career, as Pauline, a perennial lost soul who, despite all the friction, still idealizes her sister as a potential best friend.
Together, the two egg each other on to delicious heights and the rest of the cast gives them the appropriate space while still turning in their own, astute performances.
Black, while recruited for comic relief purposes, nevertheless puts his own, unique spin on Baumbach's dialogue, while Pais as Margot's in-the-throes-of-puberty son, gets that alienated awkwardness down effectively.
Also good are Ciaran Hinds as Margot's writing partner and not-so-secret lover; Halley Feiffer as his Lolita-in-training daughter and John Turturro as Margot's spurned husband.
Behind the scenes, director of photography Harris Savides, lends the autumnal Eastern seaboard location a slightly grainy, home movie feel, neatly signaling the less-than-idyllic events to come.
MARGOT AT THE WEDDING
Paramount Vantage
Credits:
Director-writer: Noah Baumbach
Producer: Scott Rudin
Director of photography: Harris Savides
Production designer: Anne Ross
Co-producer: M. Blair Breard
Costume designer: Ann Roth
Editor: Carol Littleton
Cast:
Margot: Nicole Kidman
Pauline: Jennifer Jason Leigh
Claude: Zane Pais
Malcolm: Jack Black
Jim: John Turturro
Ingrid: Flora Cross
Dick: Ciaran Hinds
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/1/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Margot at the Wedding
This review was written for the festival screening of "Margot at the Wedding".Telluride Film Festival
TELLURIDE, Colo. -- Again fearlessly navigating those perilous waters known as family dynamics, filmmaker Noah Baumbach has followed up his acclaimed 2005 breakthrough "The Squid and the Whale" with another wryly observed, giddily cringe-inducing, bracingly original winner.
Where the previous film took its cue from Baumbach's own upbringing, "Margot at the Wedding" probes the terminally dysfunctional relationship between two sisters, played, without a safety net, by Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
The two actresses do some of their best work here, while Baumbach gives further evidence as having one of the most original--and affecting--comic sensibilities in the business.
In the wake of its Telluride and upcoming Toronto Festival screenings, the Paramount Vantage release should gain some serious awards season traction ahead of its late fall arrival in theaters.
From the title to some of the plotting, there are affectionate nods in the direction of Eric Rohmer's "Pauline at the Beach" to be found here, but the tone is unmistakably Baumbach's own.
Kidman's Margot Zeller is an outspoken New York-based short-story writer traveling with her newly adolescent son, Claude (Zane Pais) back to her old family home, where her estranged sister Pauline (Leigh) is about to be married.
Never one to mince words, Margot makes it very clear to anyone who'll listen that she doesn't approve of Pauline's fiance, Malcolm (a very amusing Jack Black), an aspiring musician and artist who seems intent on making a career out of unemployment.
Although technically more of a free-spirit, Pauline proves to be as weighted down by all the family baggage as Margot, and their proximity in the same geographical space can lead to no good.
In short order, the pair succeeds in playing everyone off of each other, and by the time the dust clears, there's a tangled mess of busted relationships and exposed secrets left behind.
But in spite of all the ugly chaos, at the end of the day, family is still family, and "Margot at the Wedding" manages to conclude with a faint glimmer of something resembling guarded optimism.
While many maintain there's truth in comedy, writer-director Baumbach operates under the contention that there's comedy in truth.
No matter how horrible or painful life can get, he realizes there's often an absurdist twinge of irony lurking in the sidelines.
Brilliantly assisting him in bringing it all to the forefront are Kidman and, especially Leigh, who render brittle, hilarious yet moving performances.
Kidman's never better than when she plays darker types, like in "To Die For" or "The Others", and in Margot she has found a character that gives her permission to let unapologetically loose while still retaining some of that trademark vulnerability.
Leigh, meanwhile, gives one of the best, and certainly most intriguingly complex performances of her career, as Pauline, a perennial lost soul who, despite all the friction, still idealizes her sister as a potential best friend.
Together, the two egg each other on to delicious heights and the rest of the cast gives them the appropriate space while still turning in their own, astute performances.
Black, while recruited for comic relief purposes, nevertheless puts his own, unique spin on Baumbach's dialogue, while Pais as Margot's in-the-throes-of-puberty son, gets that alienated awkwardness down effectively.
Also good are Ciaran Hinds as Margot's writing partner and not-so-secret lover; Halley Feiffer as his Lolita-in-training daughter and John Turturro as Margot's spurned husband.
Behind the scenes, director of photography Harris Savides, lends the autumnal Eastern seaboard location a slightly grainy, home movie feel, neatly signaling the less-than-idyllic events to come.
MARGOT AT THE WEDDING
Paramount Vantage
Credits:
Director-writer: Noah Baumbach
Producer: Scott Rudin
Director of photography: Harris Savides
Production designer: Anne Ross
Co-producer: M. Blair Breard
Costume designer: Ann Roth
Editor: Carol Littleton
Cast:
Margot: Nicole Kidman
Pauline: Jennifer Jason Leigh
Claude: Zane Pais
Malcolm: Jack Black
Jim: John Turturro
Ingrid: Flora Cross
Dick: Ciaran Hinds
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
TELLURIDE, Colo. -- Again fearlessly navigating those perilous waters known as family dynamics, filmmaker Noah Baumbach has followed up his acclaimed 2005 breakthrough "The Squid and the Whale" with another wryly observed, giddily cringe-inducing, bracingly original winner.
Where the previous film took its cue from Baumbach's own upbringing, "Margot at the Wedding" probes the terminally dysfunctional relationship between two sisters, played, without a safety net, by Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
The two actresses do some of their best work here, while Baumbach gives further evidence as having one of the most original--and affecting--comic sensibilities in the business.
In the wake of its Telluride and upcoming Toronto Festival screenings, the Paramount Vantage release should gain some serious awards season traction ahead of its late fall arrival in theaters.
From the title to some of the plotting, there are affectionate nods in the direction of Eric Rohmer's "Pauline at the Beach" to be found here, but the tone is unmistakably Baumbach's own.
Kidman's Margot Zeller is an outspoken New York-based short-story writer traveling with her newly adolescent son, Claude (Zane Pais) back to her old family home, where her estranged sister Pauline (Leigh) is about to be married.
Never one to mince words, Margot makes it very clear to anyone who'll listen that she doesn't approve of Pauline's fiance, Malcolm (a very amusing Jack Black), an aspiring musician and artist who seems intent on making a career out of unemployment.
Although technically more of a free-spirit, Pauline proves to be as weighted down by all the family baggage as Margot, and their proximity in the same geographical space can lead to no good.
In short order, the pair succeeds in playing everyone off of each other, and by the time the dust clears, there's a tangled mess of busted relationships and exposed secrets left behind.
But in spite of all the ugly chaos, at the end of the day, family is still family, and "Margot at the Wedding" manages to conclude with a faint glimmer of something resembling guarded optimism.
While many maintain there's truth in comedy, writer-director Baumbach operates under the contention that there's comedy in truth.
No matter how horrible or painful life can get, he realizes there's often an absurdist twinge of irony lurking in the sidelines.
Brilliantly assisting him in bringing it all to the forefront are Kidman and, especially Leigh, who render brittle, hilarious yet moving performances.
Kidman's never better than when she plays darker types, like in "To Die For" or "The Others", and in Margot she has found a character that gives her permission to let unapologetically loose while still retaining some of that trademark vulnerability.
Leigh, meanwhile, gives one of the best, and certainly most intriguingly complex performances of her career, as Pauline, a perennial lost soul who, despite all the friction, still idealizes her sister as a potential best friend.
Together, the two egg each other on to delicious heights and the rest of the cast gives them the appropriate space while still turning in their own, astute performances.
Black, while recruited for comic relief purposes, nevertheless puts his own, unique spin on Baumbach's dialogue, while Pais as Margot's in-the-throes-of-puberty son, gets that alienated awkwardness down effectively.
Also good are Ciaran Hinds as Margot's writing partner and not-so-secret lover; Halley Feiffer as his Lolita-in-training daughter and John Turturro as Margot's spurned husband.
Behind the scenes, director of photography Harris Savides, lends the autumnal Eastern seaboard location a slightly grainy, home movie feel, neatly signaling the less-than-idyllic events to come.
MARGOT AT THE WEDDING
Paramount Vantage
Credits:
Director-writer: Noah Baumbach
Producer: Scott Rudin
Director of photography: Harris Savides
Production designer: Anne Ross
Co-producer: M. Blair Breard
Costume designer: Ann Roth
Editor: Carol Littleton
Cast:
Margot: Nicole Kidman
Pauline: Jennifer Jason Leigh
Claude: Zane Pais
Malcolm: Jack Black
Jim: John Turturro
Ingrid: Flora Cross
Dick: Ciaran Hinds
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/1/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Margot at the Wedding
Telluride Film Festival
TELLURIDE -- Again fearlessly navigating those perilous waters known as family dynamics, filmmaker Noah Baumbach has followed up his acclaimed 2005 breakthrough The Squid and the Whale with another wryly observed, giddily cringe-inducing, bracingly original winner.
Where the previous film took its cue from Baumbach's own upbringing, Margot at the Wedding probes the terminally dysfunctional relationship between two sisters, played, without a safety net, by Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
The two actresses do some of their best work here, while Baumbach gives further evidence as having one of the most original-and affecting comic sensibilities in the business.
In the wake of its Telluride and upcoming Toronto Festival screenings, the Paramount Vantage release should gain some serious awards season traction ahead of its late fall arrival in theaters.
From the title to some of the plotting, there are affectionate nods in the direction of Eric Rohmer's Pauline at the Beach to be found here, but the tone is unmistakably Baumbach's own.
Kidman's Margot Zeller is an outspoken New York-based short story writer traveling with her newly adolescent son, Claude (Zane Pais) back to her old family home, where her estranged sister Pauline (Leigh) is about to be married.
Never one to mince words, Margot makes it very clear to anyone who'll listen that she doesn't approve of Pauline's fiance, Malcolm (a very amusing Jack Black), an aspiring musician and artist who seems intent on making a career out of unemployment.
Although technically more of a free spirit, Pauline proves to be as weighted down by all the family baggage as Margot, and their proximity in the same geographical space can lead to no good.
In short order, the pair succeeds in playing everyone off of each other, and by the time the dust clears, there's a tangled mess of busted relationships and exposed secrets left behind.
But in spite of all the ugly chaos, at the end of the day, family is still family and Margot at the Wedding manages to conclude with a faint glimmer of something resembling guarded optimism.
While many maintain there's truth in comedy, writer-director Baumbach operates under the contention that there's comedy in truth. No matter how horrible or painful life can get, he realizes there's often an absurdist twinge of irony lurking in the sidelines.
Brilliantly assisting him in bringing it all to the forefront are Kidman and, especially Leigh, who render brittle, hilarious yet moving performances.
Kidman's never better than when she plays darker types, like in To Die For or The Others, and in Margot she has found a character that gives her permission to let unapologetically loose while still retaining some of that trademark vulnerability.
Leigh, meanwhile, gives one of the best, and certainly most intriguingly complex performances of her career, as Pauline, a perennially lost soul who, despite all the friction still idealizes her sister as a potential best friend.
Together, the two egg each other on to delicious heights, and the rest of the cast gives them the appropriate space while still turning in their own, astute performances.
Black, while recruited for comic relief purposes, nevertheless puts his own, unique spin on Baumbach's dialogue, while Pais as Margot's in-the-throes-of-puberty son gets alienated awkwardness down effectively.
Also good are Ciaran Hinds as Margot's writing partner and not-so-secret lover; Halley Feiffer as his Lolita-in-training daughter and John Turturro as Margot's spurned husband.
Behind the scenes, director of photography Harris Savides lends the autumnal Eastern seaboard location a slightly grainy, home movie feel, neatly signaling the less-than-idyllic events to come.
MARGOT AT THE WEDDING
Paramount Vantage
Director-writer: Noah Baumbach
Producer: Scott Rudin
Director ofphotography: Harris Savides
Production designer: Anne Ross
Co-producer: M. Blair Breard
Costume designer: Ann Roth
Editor: Carol Littleton
Cast:
Margot: Nicole Kidman
Pauline: Jennifer Jason Leigh
Claude: Zane Pais
Malcolm: Jack Black
Jim: John Turturro
Ingrid: Flora Cross
Dick: Ciaran Hinds
MPAA rating: R, running time100minutes...
TELLURIDE -- Again fearlessly navigating those perilous waters known as family dynamics, filmmaker Noah Baumbach has followed up his acclaimed 2005 breakthrough The Squid and the Whale with another wryly observed, giddily cringe-inducing, bracingly original winner.
Where the previous film took its cue from Baumbach's own upbringing, Margot at the Wedding probes the terminally dysfunctional relationship between two sisters, played, without a safety net, by Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
The two actresses do some of their best work here, while Baumbach gives further evidence as having one of the most original-and affecting comic sensibilities in the business.
In the wake of its Telluride and upcoming Toronto Festival screenings, the Paramount Vantage release should gain some serious awards season traction ahead of its late fall arrival in theaters.
From the title to some of the plotting, there are affectionate nods in the direction of Eric Rohmer's Pauline at the Beach to be found here, but the tone is unmistakably Baumbach's own.
Kidman's Margot Zeller is an outspoken New York-based short story writer traveling with her newly adolescent son, Claude (Zane Pais) back to her old family home, where her estranged sister Pauline (Leigh) is about to be married.
Never one to mince words, Margot makes it very clear to anyone who'll listen that she doesn't approve of Pauline's fiance, Malcolm (a very amusing Jack Black), an aspiring musician and artist who seems intent on making a career out of unemployment.
Although technically more of a free spirit, Pauline proves to be as weighted down by all the family baggage as Margot, and their proximity in the same geographical space can lead to no good.
In short order, the pair succeeds in playing everyone off of each other, and by the time the dust clears, there's a tangled mess of busted relationships and exposed secrets left behind.
But in spite of all the ugly chaos, at the end of the day, family is still family and Margot at the Wedding manages to conclude with a faint glimmer of something resembling guarded optimism.
While many maintain there's truth in comedy, writer-director Baumbach operates under the contention that there's comedy in truth. No matter how horrible or painful life can get, he realizes there's often an absurdist twinge of irony lurking in the sidelines.
Brilliantly assisting him in bringing it all to the forefront are Kidman and, especially Leigh, who render brittle, hilarious yet moving performances.
Kidman's never better than when she plays darker types, like in To Die For or The Others, and in Margot she has found a character that gives her permission to let unapologetically loose while still retaining some of that trademark vulnerability.
Leigh, meanwhile, gives one of the best, and certainly most intriguingly complex performances of her career, as Pauline, a perennially lost soul who, despite all the friction still idealizes her sister as a potential best friend.
Together, the two egg each other on to delicious heights, and the rest of the cast gives them the appropriate space while still turning in their own, astute performances.
Black, while recruited for comic relief purposes, nevertheless puts his own, unique spin on Baumbach's dialogue, while Pais as Margot's in-the-throes-of-puberty son gets alienated awkwardness down effectively.
Also good are Ciaran Hinds as Margot's writing partner and not-so-secret lover; Halley Feiffer as his Lolita-in-training daughter and John Turturro as Margot's spurned husband.
Behind the scenes, director of photography Harris Savides lends the autumnal Eastern seaboard location a slightly grainy, home movie feel, neatly signaling the less-than-idyllic events to come.
MARGOT AT THE WEDDING
Paramount Vantage
Director-writer: Noah Baumbach
Producer: Scott Rudin
Director ofphotography: Harris Savides
Production designer: Anne Ross
Co-producer: M. Blair Breard
Costume designer: Ann Roth
Editor: Carol Littleton
Cast:
Margot: Nicole Kidman
Pauline: Jennifer Jason Leigh
Claude: Zane Pais
Malcolm: Jack Black
Jim: John Turturro
Ingrid: Flora Cross
Dick: Ciaran Hinds
MPAA rating: R, running time100minutes...
- 9/1/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.