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about Smiley Face: |
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Jane F, an unsuccessful slacker actress, is having a
bad day. And it's getting more outrageous and comically
surreal by the minute. SMILEY FACE is a freewheeling,
cinematically stylized AFTER HOURS for the new millennium.
Jane's misadventures begin when she treats herself to
a batch of cupcakes left unattended by her psycho roommate
(Danny Masterson) that prove not as innocent as they appear,
Soon, she is trying to cross town so she can repay an
unforgiving drug dealer (Adam Brody), attend an audition,
and somehow replace the precious cupcakes. Bumming a ride
from her roommate's friend (John Krasinski) - who is totally
infatuated with her - she sets out on a long, strange
trip. And when the original manuscript of the Communist
Manifesto falls into her hands, things really get out
of control. Sit back and enjoy the wild journey as Jane's
effort to get through her day proves an arduous task of
epic proportions (like Sisyphus struggling with the biggest,
craziest boulder ever.)
SMILEY FACE stars Anna Faris (SCARY MOVIE 1, 2, 3 and
4, LOST IN TRANSLATION), John Krasinski ("The Office"),
Adam Brody ("The OC", THANK YOU FOR SMOKING),
Danny Masterson ("That 70's Show"), Jane Lynch
(TALLEDEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY, THE 40-YEAR-OLD
VIRGIN), Michael Hitchcock (FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, BEST
IN SHOW, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN) and John Cho (HAROLD AND
KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE). Written by Dylan Haggerty.
Directed by award-winning director Gregg Araki (MYSTERIOUS
SKIN, THE DOOM GENERATION). The Los Angeles Times has
called Araki "one of the most distinctive American
filmmakers to emerge in the last decade" and his
films have screened at the world's most prestigious film
festivals including Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Toronto,
London and the New York Film Festival.
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| Director's
Statement: |
I loved
making my last movie MYSTERIOUS SKIN so much and was completely
astounded by the picture's rapturous public and critical
reception. That film was truly one of the most rewarding
and amazing experiences in my life. But stories as intense
and devastating as Scott Heim's novel are few and far between
and for my next project I was definitely looking to do something
less dark and heavy. Something completely different.
I remembered that I had read a script several years back
which at the time was entitled "THE BEING JOHN MALKOVICH
OF ALL POT-SMOKING, STONER MOVIES" written by a new
writer Dylan Haggerty. It was one of the funniest, laugh-out-loud
scripts I'd ever read. It was also incredibly original,
stylized, cinematic and there was a truthfulness about it
that struck me as weirdly profound, existential even. I
recalled at the time (this is back in 2000 or so) that there
was an actress attached, they were in talks with another
director, the company that was making it was going out of
business, etc. - the project just sort of went away and
fell off the radar. But in 2005, I began wondering whatever
happened to it as it had seemingly just sort of disappeared.
Long story short, the script had been floating around in
development hell for five years and as good fortune would
have it, the option was imminently expiring and becoming
available. I met with Dylan, we restored a lot of the originality
and vision that had been developed out of it in subsequent
drafts and the rest as they say is history.
In casting Jane F, the film's slacker/actress heroine, I
was looking for someone that you see in movies and always
wish they had more screentime, someone that you love to
watch and can't take your eyes off of. Like the Griffin
Dunne character in AFTER HOURS, Jane F is onscreen almost
every single second of the film. When Anna Faris' name came
up, I knew immediately that she was the Perfect Jane. Besides
her incredible comic timing and physical abilities, Anna
possesses this wonderful likeability - you're always rooting
for her, no matter how questionable or dubious her character's
actions. Like all great screen comediennes, Anna commits
100% to her character, without hesitation or vanity. Beyond
her stellar work in the SCARY MOVIE franchise, it was actually
her supporting role in LOST IN TRANSLATION that convinced
me she was the only Jane F I wanted. As that film's blonde,
slightly ditzy starlet Kelly, she displayed a sunniness
that I saw as the essence of Jane F. Sunniness obscured
by a haze of pot smoke.
We shot our movie in March of 2006 on a tight indie schedule
and budget and, much to my delight, Anna was every bit the
Jane I ever dreamed she might be and more. She does such
brilliant, nuanced work and, in addition, is one of the
sweetest, most genuine human beings I've ever met. That
sweetness shines through her performance and is the heart
and soul of the whole film. I've seen SMILEY FACE probably
about 200 times already and every time I watch it, I discover
something new and exciting in her performance that makes
me sit up and take notice.
Everyone who worked on the movie - from the amazing ensemble
of supporting actors to the entire production and postproduction
crew - made such a contribution and really gave the film
his or her all, above and beyond the call of duty. In that
way, even though it's a stoner comedy and at the opposite
end of the dark/light spectrum, SMILEY FACE turned out to
be much more like MYSTERIOUS SKIN than I ever imagined.
It became a
project that everyone cared about deeply, an underdog that
we all believed in, wholeheartedly, against all odds. I
personally find SMILEY FACE to be weirdly beautiful, truthful
and also, strangely moving. And somewhat unexpectedly, I
find that I love it in very much the same way I loved MYSTERIOUS
SKIN. I've never been more proud or excited about a movie.
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| Pictures: |
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| Cast: |
| Anna Faris, John
Krasinski, Adam Brody, Danny Masterson, Jane Lynch, Michael
Hitchcock, and John Cho. Directed by: Gregg Araki. |
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