Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Release Date:
September 25, 2009
Limited release
One would not normally connect John Krasinski, the goofy, charming everyman of NBC’s The Office and George Clooney’s Leatherheads, with influential and provocative author David Foster Wallace, who wrote such cult favorites as Infinite Jest and Consider the Lobster before committing suicide in 2008. But for his directorial debut, Krasinski has adapted Wallace’s short story collection, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. Krasinski will also appear in the film, which stars Julianne Nicholson, star of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, which was picked up by IFC Films at the Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of Sara Quinn, a woman reeling from a bad breakup who comes up with an unusual solution to her problems. As part of her graduate degree, she interviews a series of men about their own relationship problems. Over a series of stories, which range from banal to grotesque, she is able to achieve a more insightful understanding of human nature, and is able to see herself and her own interactions in a new light. If the film is anything like the book, it will be a darkly comic and deeply disturbing work. You know, fun for the whole family.
The film is also a chance for a series of character actors to strut their stuff in small roles peppered throughout the film. In addition to Krasinski, interview subjects are played by Arrested Development’s Will Arnett, Broadway veteran Michael Cerveris, SNL’s Will Forte, and a number of other men known for television and independent film roles. Timothy Hutton also stars as Sara Quinn’s professor, who becomes her last interview subject. Krasinski’s debut is an ambitious one, as it will be the first film adaptation of any work by Wallace, whose work is generally considered unfilmable. But, hey, people say the same thing about Alan Moore’s work and...wait, bad example. I guess we’ll have to see what happens. (Tom Houseman/BOP)
|
|
|
|
Tweet
