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With the Warner Bros. comedy The House opening this weekend in theaters, I recently sat down with director Andrew Jay Cohen for an exclusive video interview. He talked about the challenge of editing a movie when your lead actors are such gifted comedians, what he learned from test screenings, his three-hour first cut, the way he likes to work on set, what extras will be included on the eventual Blu-ray, and a lot more.

If you haven’t seen the trailers, The House stars Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler as a married couple who, after losing their daughter’s college fund, become desperate to earn it back. As a result, they team up with their neighbor (played by Jason Mantzoukas) to start an illegal casino in their basement. Neighbors and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates co-writer Andrew Jay Cohen makes his feature directorial debut on the project, working from a script he co-wrote with Brendan O’Brien. The House also stars Nick Kroll, Allison Tolman, Michaela Watkins, Ryan Simpkins, Jessie Ennis, Rob Huebel, Cedric Yarbrough, and Jeremy Renner.

Check out what Andrew Jay Cohen had to say in the video above and and a breakdown of what we discussed below, followed by the red-band trailer and some images.

Andrew Jay Cohen:

• What is it like editing a movie when your leads are such gifted comedians?
• What did he learn from the test screening process?
• How long was his first cut?
• Talks about the deleted scenes and how he has a number of extended scenes for the Blu-ray.
• What was be included on the Blu-ray?
• How many takes does he like to do on set?

 

Here’s the official synopsis for The House:

After Scott and Kate Johansen (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) lose their daughter Alex’s college fund, they become desperate to earn it back so she can pursue her dream of attending a university. With the help of their neighbor Frank (Jason Mantzoukas), they decide to start an illegal casino in the basement of his house.