She's Funny That Way (2014) - Bogdanovich's probably last film isn't that funny

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This poster for Peter Bogdanovich's She's Funny That Way appears promising enough, if maybe a bit bland

 

A New York escort confesses to her psychologist how she over a brief period of time has made the acquaintances of a group of internally tangled persons...

 

She’s Funny That Way, written by Louise Stratten (City Island (2009, actress)) and great New-Yorker co-writer-director Peter Bogdanovich (What's Up, Doc? (1972)), is an attempt at an [Woody] Allenesque comedy. Regrettably, it doesn't work, mainly because it isn't funny enough, and also because it is hard to get sufficiently interested in the story's affluent characters and their problems.

Imogen Poots (Green Room (2015)), - who is British, - is charming as the escort and utilizes a heavy New-York accent that matches Mercedes Ruhl's in The Fisher King (1991). Jennifer Aniston (Along Came Polly (2004)) as the shrink has funny-bones and the kind of energy that is lacking from the performances of Owen Wilson (The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)) and Rhys Ifans (Mr. Nice (2010)), who play a couple of fools. Kathryn Hahn (Bad Moms (2016)) tries but also isn't particularly funny here. Keep your eyes peeled for several star cameos.

The style of She's Funny That Way is a peculiar blend of intellectual, verbally oriented comedy and the screwball kind that Bogdanovich famously and hilariously reanimated with What's Up, Doc?. The blend doesn't gel. But She’s Funny That Way is a Movie, and especially a Bogdanovich fan will still find it feasibly entertaining.

 

Related posts:

 

Peter Bogdanovich: 2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) - Stapleton's Corman doc. is among the year's best films (interview subject)

What's Up, Doc? (1972) - Screwball comedy revived for a wonderful show

The Wild Angels (1966) - Young biker rebels deliver a counter-culture punch in Corman's hands (co-writer) 

Watch an official trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown

Box office: 6 mil. $

= Unknown (but likely a big flop)

[She's Funny That Way premiered August 29 (Venice International Film Festival) and runs 93 minutes. The script was written in 1999-2000 by Bogdanovich and ex-wife Stratten as a comedy collaboration to keep their spirits up during financial troubles, originally intended to be starring John Ritter (who died before production) and Cybill Shepherd, (who still plays a small role.) It was shot in New York in 29 days, starting July 11 2013, with some of the roles only getting cast during shooting. The North American distribution rights were acquired by Clarius Entertainment, who then dropped the film for unknown reasons, at which time Lionsgate Premiere picked it up for a small theatrical release and as VoD, (which is not accounted for in the box office figure above.) The film ran for 3 weeks, topping in 26 theaters in North America, were it grossed just 111k $ (1.9 % of the total gross). The biggest 3 markets were Russia with 822k $ (13.7 %), Italy with 597k $ (10 %) and Poland with 585k $ (9.8 %). Without a cost figure (and the VoD performance unknown), it isn't possible to make out the film's theatrical performance for sure, but if it was made cheap, on for instance a 5 mil. $ budget, the film would likely still rate as a big flop. She's Funny That Way is rotten at 39 % with a 5.2 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of She’s Funny That Way?

The Skeleton Twins (2014) - Wiig and Hader deliver in indie gem

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SNL regulars Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are to sell Craig Johnson's The Skeleton Twins on its poster

 

A man, who goes through a failed suicide attempt, subsequently moves temporarily into the home of his sister, whom he hasn't seen in a decade, and her husband. As it turns out, both twin siblings have deep-rooted problems in their lives.

Bill Hader (The BFG (2016)) and Kristen Wiig (Ghostbusters (2016)) are credible as twins and are both really funny and well-functioning dramatically in this little indie pearl from co-writer-director Craig Johnson (True Adolescents (2009)).

As The Skeleton Twins unfolds, I was waiting, somewhere in the back of my mind, for it to give in and collapse as a film, because it appears to be a bit of a fragile house of cards, but this never happens. Luke Wilson (Henry Poole Is Here (2008)) and Ty Burrell (In Good Company (2004)) do well in supporting parts. SPOILER It is a shame for the stars, the film and us as audiences that the plot anchor of the marriage in it is cut short so rapidly, because it is a good enough film that I would have sat for a longer final section about its crisis and the solution to it.

The Skeleton Twins is co-written with Mark Heyman (Black Swan (2010)).

Watch a trailer and a short interview with Hader and Wiig here

Cost. Reportedly 1 mil. $

Box office: 5.7 mil. $

= Huge hit

[The Skeleton Twins premiered January 19 (Sundance) and runs 93 minutes. Filming lasted 22 days in New York in November 2012. The film opened #25 with a 380k $ first weekend in 15 theaters, widening to 461 theaters and a top position at #11 with a 1.2 mil. $ weekend 3 in North America, where it grossed 5.2 mil. $ (91.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets (of 7 foreign markets) were Australia with 279k $ (4.9 %) and the UK with 63k $ (1.1 %). The film won the screenwriting award at Sundance and was included as one of the year's 10 best independent films by National Board of Review. The Skeleton Twins is certified fresh at 86 % with a 7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Skeleton Twins?