I really like the Duplass Brothers. Their debut feature, The Puffy Chair, is considered ‘mumblecore,’ but I think it’s not really part of some shitty indie movement but just a good, sweet, funny movie. This year they released Baghead, a horror comedy that I adored. Their films have been super indie in budget and cast, but never in storytelling or genre – they make movies that a lot of people would like if they could be convinced to go see them.
Convincing folks to see their films just got a little easier. This summer I interviewed the Duplass Bros and they mentioned they were negotiating a deal with Fox Searchlight; that deal seems to have gone through and they’ve set up an untitled comedy at the Dependent. John C Reilly and Marissa Tomei will play people who fall in love; Jonah Hill will play Tomei’s son, who is trying to foil their romance. It sounds pretty basic, but all the Duplass movies sound basic on paper – it’s all about how they make the elements come together.
This won’t be the next Duplass movie. That’s The Do-Decathalon, based on a true story about competitive brothers who set up an Olympics between themselves. Baghead is hitting DVD at the end of the month – pre-order it here. I think you’ll really like it.