It will come as news to absolutely no one that we live in remarkably divided times, be it domestically or — gulp — abroad. That isn't to say our current political state is entirely novel: there have been dozens of movies and shows to tackle the world's tumultuous politics over the years, not least on the home front in good 'ol USA, from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington through to The West Wing and House of Cards. (The less said about that last one, and its disgraced erstwhile star, the better.)Enter a new candidate bringing a decidedly funnier take on the divisive domestic political arena: The Hater, from writer, director, and star Joey Ally, the multi-hyphenate's debut on the big screen. The just-released trailer reveals a sillier, sorta slapstick take on the hustle and bustle of local politics, with Alley's character, Dorothy, battling out an old rival in her Texas hometown for office. As she comes closer to victory, she realizes that sometimes the dividing lines aren't as clear as red versus blue. Oh, and Bruce Dern plays her estranged grandpa.Speaking exclusively to Collider, writer, director, and star Joey Ally had this to say about the upcoming political satire:
“The Hater is the product of a lifetime of eco-anxiety and general rage about the state of things, and a lot of talented, hilarious, real people who helped me make a film so I could get it all out of my system (it did not work) and into the world (it’s working!). Trees, not greed!”
The Hater stars Ally, Dern, Meredith Hagner, D'Angelo Lacy, Ian Harding, Ali Larter, and Nora Dunn. It was produced by Tory Lenosky, Adrienne Childress, Daniel Crown, and Angeline J. Sanfilippo. The Hater is distributed by Vertical Entertainment and will be available in select theaters and VOD on March 18. Watch the trailer below:
Here's the official synopsis for The Hater:
"After a political protest goes wrong, Dorothy (Joey Ally), a liberal speechwriter on a U.S. Senate campaign, finds herself unemployed and living back in her conservative Texas hometown with her estranged grandfather (Bruce Dern). Dorothy soon learns that her childhood nemesis, Brent (Ian Harding), is running for office as the sole Republican candidate. Determined to thwart him at any cost, Dorothy creates an elaborate payback scheme with the help of an old frenemy turned campaign manager, Greta (Meredith Hagner): she’ll go undercover to run as his conservative opponent, win the nomination, and then employ a Texas loophole that would force a win for the Democratic candidate. Immersed in the campaign, Dorothy gets closer to victory, only to discover that good vs. evil isn’t necessarily as simple as left vs. right."
