It’s rare to find a film that delves, with minimal flinching, into what it means to be an outcast. Most of the time, such explorations are tempered with a healthy dose of quirk and whimsy (see: Lars & the Real Girl, Garden State) to make things more palatable. But though it does involve some quirk, complete with oddball characters and a pretty, sort-of-hipster-looking chick, Azazel Jacobs’ Terri commendably drops the whimsy for stark, ugly reality.

Jacob Wysocki stars in the titular role, an overweight, friendless high school student, who, amidst the hum-drum of caring for his dementia-stricken uncle (The Office’s Creed Bratton) and the soul-numbing verbal abuse from classmates, takes to wearing pajamas to school every day. This fairly on-the-nose uniform of the world-weary gets him noticed by John C. Reilly’s concerned guidance counselor, who makes Terri his personal project. Hit the jump for our review of Terri on Blu-ray.

Terri is a familiar coming-of-age story, but director Azazel Jacobs (who previously did Momma’s Man and The Good Times Kid) puts his personal spin on it by looking for the idiosyncrasies in each character. I had the opportunity to sit down with the director and talk about several scenes as well as how the project came together. During the interview, we chat about how his taste in music influenced the film, how the California Tax credit majorly helped get it off the ground, and how his lack of familiarity with a person like Terri encouraged him not to fall prey to generic images. Hit the jump for the full interview.

With Terri now playing in limited release, we’re finishing out the last interviews from the film and we’ve got Creed Bratton (The Office) and Olivia Crocicchia (Rescue Me). Bratton plays a different type of role than we usually see him in, but still manages to bring in a certain humor and charm even in his dramatic scenes. Crocicchia, although a relative veteran of TV, is absolutely a fresh face to watch, especially with several more independent features coming up. Director Azazel Jacobs noted how in particular there was something about her soft voice that fit the character, and she definitely brings something original to the traditional girl-of-your-dreams role. During the press junket I got to chat with the two actors. During the interview, we discuss some of the preparation for a pivotal scene in the movie, as well as some off-set antics and how Olivia got her start in the business. Hit the jump for the full interview.

With Terri opening in limited release this weekend, I recently had the chance to chat with the actors as well as director Azazel Jacobs (Momma’s Man). The story, crafted out of exchanges between short story writer Patrick Dewitt (Ablutions) and Jacobs, centers on high school misfit Terri, played with great candor by newcomer Jacob Wysocki, and his unlikely friendship with his Vice Principal (John C. Reilly). Actress Olivia Crocicchia (Rescue Me) stars as Terri’s only friend and crush, while The Office’s Creed Bratton plays the boy’s semi-lucid uncle.

The film has both a maturity and youthfulness to it, separating it from some of the other indies this summer. Jacobs’ thoughtful pace allows for uniquely honest moments to occur, oscillating from poignant to laugh-out-laud funny—not to mention, the director’s fascination with nature adds a rare documentary feel.  During the interview, we discuss the development of the project, Wysocki’s relatability to Terri, and some of the actors’ own high school experiences. Hit the jump for the interview.

[Terri screened as the opening night film of this year's Atlanta Film Festival.  It will be released in theaters on July 1st]

The coming-of-age genre has become so tired and packed with quirk that the majority of recent indie films in the genre are a chore.  Azazel Jacobs’ Terri dodges the cliches and the quirks that have made the genre intolerable, but the film never replaces them with anything coherent or thoughtful.  In its desire to keep its characters from being caricatures, the story pulls too far back and almost seems afraid to provide anything distinctive.

The trailer for the indie comedy Terri has gone online.  The film is a coming-of-age tale about an overweight and unpopular teen who dresses in pajamas but strikes up an unlikely friendship with his school’s vice principal (John C. Reilly).  Terri played at this year’s Sundance Film Festival as well as SXSW and the reaction was positive but unenthusiastic.  The general consensus seems to be that it’s enjoyable but slight and after seeing the trailer, I can understand that criticism.  However, I’m a big enough fan of Reilly and co-star Creed Bratton (who is the secret weapon of NBC’s The Office) to check out the film when it plays as the opening night feature at this year’s Atlanta Film Festival.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Terri opens July 1st.

With Sundance having announced their 2011 feature film line up, images for the selected films have begun to be released – case in point new stills from Terri and The Convincer (previously covered here). Terri, starring newcomer Jacob Wysocki and John C. Reilly (Cyrus), focuses on a lonely high school outcast (Wysocki) who slowly comes into his own. Stills from the film include director Azazel Jacobs talking with one of his young actors behind the scenes and an image of Reilly and Wysocki having what appears to be a stern conversation within the film. It’s hard to gauge from the stills whether Reilly will be going super serious (alla Magnolia) or outlandishly silly (see any of the Adam McKay films) or painfully funny (see Cyrus). Perhaps the “not knowing” is indicative of Reilly’s versatility. There are very few actors with the capability to pull of such opposite extremes of emotion with as much ease as Reilly does. Most people look forward to a new Brad Pitt performance or Johnny Depp performance; but for myself  it is John C. Reilly’s performances that I eagerly anticipate.

The Convincer, a film noir directed by Jill Sprecher (Clockwatchers), concerns an insurance salesman who gets in way over his head. Stills from the film feature stars Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets), Billy Crudup (Almost Famous) and Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) pointing at one another and looking very serious. For the stills in question, hit the jump.

The films playing in-competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival have been announced.  Some of this year’s competitors include Vera Farmiga’s directorial debut Higher Ground, Paddy Considine’s feature directorial debut Tyrannosaur, Matthew Chapman’s thriller The Ledge, Michael Rapaport’s documentary Beats, Rhymes and Life (which is about the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest), and a documentary about lovable Sesame Street resident Elmo (or rather, his puppeteer).

However, the movies playing in-competition at Sundance are only a fraction of the total number of films that play at the festival.  This will be my first year attending the festival and I’m super-excited about going.  Hit the jump for a full list of the in-competition films.  The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th.