The first The Humbling trailer for director Barry Levinson’s (Rain Man, Wag the Dog) upcoming comedy has landed online. Based on the novel of the same name by author Philip Roth, the film stars Al Pacino as a retired stage actor in decline who strikes up an affair with a “flirtatious lesbian” (Greta Gerwig) while staying at a secluded country house in Connecticut. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival to rather mixed reviews, and indeed this trailer is a bit of a mixed bag itself. There are portions of the film that look incredibly funny and the cast is phenomenal, but the romance aspect between Pacino and Gerwig’s characters feels off and a little strange (the “turning a lesbian” storyline again, really?). There’s no denying the talent of this cast, though, and I still find myself curious to see full film.
Watch The Humbling trailer after the jump. The film also stars Dianne Wiest, Kyra Sedgwick, Dan Hedaya, and Charles Grodin.
Here’s a synopsis for The Humbling:
The Humbling tells the story of a legendary stage actor who has an affair with a lesbian woman half his age at a secluded country house in Connecticut. Based on Philip Roth’s final novel, it is a tragic comedy about a man who has lived inside his own imagination for too long.
Via Deadline.
