
Not all girls are sugar and spice everything nice. Some are bitter and mean and sometimes that behavior can be downright hilarious. For its first two-thirds, Bachelorette is unapologetic in how ugly, filthy, dark, and angry it’s willing to be for the sake of a laugh. The three main characters are sad and despicable, and writer-director Leslye Headland has no reservations about trying to justify her characters behavior until the last act. Then the movie falls into a sappy place where the humor drains away and we’re asked to root characters who were hilarious but completely beyond redemption.

The first trailer for the comedy Friends with Kids has gone online. Written, directed by, and starring Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein), the film boats a fantastic cast that includes Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns. The story centers on a pair of thirtysomething best friends (Scott and Westfeldt) who observe the toll that having kids has taken on the couples they know and resolve to bypass that stress by having a child and then date other people. The trailer looks right up my alley, as it highlights some promising performances, chemistry, and a fair amount of laughs. Matt caught the film at TIFF and wasn’t exactly won over, but Scott has been killing it in supporting roles for years and I’m excited to see him finally take on a lead.
Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Friends with Kids opens March 9th. If you missed them, be sure to check out Steve’s interviews with Hamm, Scott, and Fox from TIFF regarding the film.

When the NBC comedy series first started, Parks and Recreation only seemed to be riding on the coattails of The Office with its mockumentary style and somewhat weak start in the first season. However, two season later the show has quickly found its footing, crafted some spectacular characters, fantastic comedy and a series that has actually surpassed the quality of the series it once seemed to simply copy. Aside from previous series regulars like Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman and Aziz Ansari consistently delivering some of the best comedic performances on television, the addition of Adam Scott and Rob Lowe as series regulars also bring some magic to Pawnee, Indiana. For a more in-depth analysis of the third season of Parks and Recreation, hit the jump.

At this year’s Toronto Film Festival, I was able to sit down with Adam Scott for an exclusive interview about Friends With Kids. Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein), the plot centers on a pair of thirtysomething best friends who observe the toll that having kids has taken on the couples they know and resolve to bypass that stress by having a child and then date other people. Scott and Westfeldt play the lead couple, while Jon Hamm (who also produced), Kristen Wiig, Chris O’Dowd and Maya Rudolph play the couples with kids. Edward Burns and Megan Fox are also in the film.
During the interview, Scott talked about what the last few years have been like as he’s started landing some high profile gigs, how he got cast in the film, the short production schedule, being the lead with this great cast, future projects like Bachelorette, My Mother’s Curse, and A.C.O.D. (Adult Children of Divorce), and a lot more. Hit the jump to either read or listen to the conversation.

While a slew of films at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival have already been picked up for distribution, there are other high-profile titles still hammering out their deals. Variety reports that Lionsgate has acquired Jennifer Westfeldt’s new comedy Friends with Kids. The story stars Westfeldt and Adam Scott as lifelong friends who decide to have a kid but keep their relationship platonic and open. I was slightly disappointed by the film, but it’s got a great cast (the film also stars Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Chris O’Dowd) and I can see the flick having wide appeal.
In other TIFF picks-ups, Music Box has picked up the U.S. rights to Terrence Davies’ romantic drama The Deep Blue Sea starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston. Weisz plays the wife of a high court judge who leaves her husband to move in with a dashing young ex-RAF pilot (Hiddleston), with whom she has fallen passionately in love. Weisz picked up strong notices for her performance and I’m glad I’ll have a chance to see the film eventually. No U.S. release dates have been announced for Friends with Kids or The Deep Blue Sea. Hit the jump for Music Box’s press release regarding The Deep Blue Sea.

Jennifer Westfeldt’s directorial debut Friends with Kids shares some key qualities with her 2001 film Kissing Jessica Stein (which she wrote). Both films are funny, harmless comedies that take an emotionally satisfying and challenging conceit before scampering back to the status quo. Westfeldt puts an interesting twist on the parenting-and-marriage sub-genre by rethinking conventional notions of fidelity. She even goes so far as to examine why the convention exists in the first place. But ultimately her movie becomes lethargic, predictable, and bland despite the Westfeldts’ strong chemistry with co-star Adam Scott.

One of the great things about Danny McBride is how he creates different iterations of his comic persona. McBride usually plays one form of white trash or another but The Foot Fist Way’s Fred Simmons is different than Kenny Powers, and way different than the characters in Your Highness and The Pineapple Express. All are delusional egotistical assholes, but each offer different dilemmas and delights. Kenny Powers – the main character of Eastbound and Down – was a superstar and he’s still got the swagger long after he lost his arm and his money, and even when he’s hiding out in Mexico. It’s a different sort of delusion than his other characters: Kenny’s someone desperately clinging to the time when they were still hot shit, while the majority of his other characters never hit those heights, and it makes all of the difference in the world. Our review of the season one and season two Blu-rays of Eastbound and Down follow after the jump.

Four clips from Our Idiot Brother have gone online. I dug the film when I saw it at Sundance (back when it was called “My Idiot Brother”–to hell with you, Possessive Singular!) and it’s a great showcase for Rudd who is too often stuck playing the straight man. The film’s also got a terrific supporting cast that includes Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan, Kathryn Hahn, and T.J. Miller (who steals almost every scene he’s in).
Hit the jump to check out the clips. Our Idiot Brother opens August 26th.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories for you this evening. First up, Adam Scott is set to star in the indie comedy A.C.O.D. Deadline reports that Stuart Zicherman is making his directorial debut on the project, which he co-wrote with Ben Carlin (The Daily Show). The titular acronym stands for “Adult Children of Divorce,” and the film centers on a thirty-ish man whose parents split bitterly. Scott plays the lead who is forced to play the adult and get his parents back together, all while dealing with his brother who unexpectedly gets married. Scott steals scenes in pretty much every film he appears in, so it’s nice to see him get a leading role. Filming will begin next March, and Scott will work the schedule around filming on NBC’s stellar comedy Parks and Recreation.
Hit the jump for the casting of Matthew Daddario and Elise Eberle in Drake Doremus’ follow-up to Like Crazy.

The announcement of the films playing at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival has brought with it a deluge of first images from major upcoming movies. After the jump you’ll find the first images from Rodrigo Garcia’s Albert Nobbs (starring Glenn Close and Mia Wasikowska), Todd Solondz’ Dark Horse (starring Selma Blair, Justin Bartha, and Christopher Walken), Terence Davies’ The Deep Blue Sea (starring Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston), and Jennifer Westfeldt’s Friends with Kids (starring Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, and Adam Scott).
Hit the jump to check out all of the images. We’ve also provided the synopses. The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8th – 18th. For all the new TIFF images we’ve posted today, click here.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if there’s a reason to live in Texas, it’s Tim League’s Alamo Drafthouse chain, a collection of theaters that make every other big-ass theater chain currently operating in America feel like the shantytowns they are. Whereas most theater chains only screen new movies (and, perhaps, Rocky Horror on Saturday nights), the Drafthouse also offers up elaborate film- and TV-geek friendly events…in addition to a full bar.
Their latest event? A Party Down marathon that unfolded last weekend across two different parties and one Drafthouse theater. While the entire series screened for the assembled crowd, the cast and crew (including series creator Rob Thomas) was on-hand to talk about their pre-Party Down careers, the potential for a Party Down movie, and the best way to watch Party Down now that it’s been cancelled. Read on for our report from the front lines, after the jump.

The Weinstein Company has released a new trailer for the Paul Rudd comedy Our Idiot Brother (formerly titled My Idiot Brother). Rudd stars as a sweet but overly-naive guy who has an unfortunate run-in with the law, his ex-girlfriend won’t let him have his dog Willie Nelson back, and his sisters (Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, and Zooey Deschanel) reluctantly take him in only to have his naiveity accidentally reveal the hypocrisies and shortcomings of their own lives. I enjoyed the film when I saw it at Sundance and it’s worth checking out when it hits theaters on August 26th.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer. Our Idiot Brother also stars Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, and Steve Coogan.

Adam Scott is a scene-stealer. He’s consistently funny and nails every role he takes on, no matter how small, from Step Brothers to NBC’s Parks and Recreation. So I’m happy to report that the actor’s nabbed roles in a couple of upcoming projects. First up, Risky Business reports that Scott has been cast in the comedy My Mother’s Curse alongside Seth Rogen, Barbara Streisand, Yvonne Strahovski and Colin Hanks. Anne Fletcher (The Proposal) directs from a script by Dan Fogelman (Tangled) that centers on an inventor (Rogen) who invites his mother along for a cross-country trip while he attempts to sell his new product and connect with a long lost love. Lorne Michaels, Evan Goldberg and John Goldwyn are producing.
Additionally, Scott has been cast in See Girl Run. Written and directed by Nate Meyer (Pretty in the Face), the film centers on a girl “who gets caught up in ‘what ifs’ that cause her to dig back into her romantic history.” Scott is set to play a local hero from her hometown that stayed there to become an artist while pining for his high school love. Scott will next be seen alongside Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel in Our Idiot Brother which opens August 26th.

A quartet of actors are set to star in a new indie comedy being produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Kirsten Dunst, Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan and Casey Wilson are all attached to star in a comedy written and directed by Leslye Headland (TV’s Terriers) that has the working title of Bachelorette (which is most likely going to change). The story centers on three best friends who are asked to be the bridesmaids of a woman they called “Pigface” in high school. THR reports that Dunst and Caplan will play two of the best friends, with Wilson taking on the role of the bride-to-be. The character breakdown describes Dunst’s character as “your best friend and your worst enemy,” whereas Caplan’s role is characterized as “having a Playboy bunny body with a Larry David brain.”
This marks a reunion of sorts for Caplan and Scott, who both starred in Starz’s fantastic comedy Party Down. Scott is set to play Caplan’s high school crush, who “shows up to the wedding with a beautiful and much younger date.” The project was previously an off-Broadway play that caught the attention of McKay, who decided to set it up as a film at his and Ferrell’s Gary Sanchez production company. The budget is set at around $3 million with filming hoping to get underway this summer in New York. Scott is currently killing each week on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, and Casey Wilson is starring on ABC’s Happy Endings.

Paul Rudd is a talented actor who has recently become typecast as “The Cynical Straight Man”. He’s recently been seen throwing sarcastic comments next to a wacky friend in movies like Role Models, I Love You Man, and Dinner for Schmucks despite showcasing his versatility in movies like Anchorman and The Shape of Things. My Idiot Brother gives Rudd the chance to play the complete opposite of his unfortunate typecasting and the result is a warm, funny, and completely winning performance. Bolstered by a strong supporting cast, My Idiot Brother goes for broad laughs but with Rudd as the film’s heart, those laughs always feel earned.
New Red-Band Clip from THE RAID
Russell Crowe in Early Talks to Star in DRACULA Re-Imagining, HARKER
Hasbro Picks up the STAR TREK License; Toys to Be Released in 2013 to Coincide with STAR TREK 2
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES Casts Emma Thompson; Jenna Fischer and Rita Wilson Join KISS ME
Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design ![]()