The Notable Films of 2011: Part Eight

Like Crazy
Opens: 2011
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Anton Yelchin, Charlie Bewley, Oliver Muirhead, Finola Hughes
Director: Drake Doremus

Summary: A British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she's banned from the U.S. after overstaying her visa.

Analysis: Scoring good notices for his film "Douchebag" at Sundance last year, Doremus returns to the festival in competition with this mostly improvised effort shot over the Summer. The timing bodes well, both Lawrence and Yelchin are hot talents to watch out for these days, yet because of the film's very nature and the fact it hasn't been shown anywhere yet - next to nothing is known about it. Whatever verdict the reviews at the festival deliver will have a major impact on its future, but "Winter's Bone" was in this same exact position last year - if it's as good, could this turn out to be as lucky?

Live With It
Opens: September 2011 
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anna Kendrick
Director: Jonathan Levine

Summary: A young healthy man who leads a nice and simple life is soon diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. While fighting the disease he begins to appreciate what he has in life, especially the things he took for granted before his battle.

Analysis: Big success at Sundance doesn't always translate into real world success. After impressing with "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" in 2006, filmmaker Jonathan Levine scored great notices at the festival in 2008 with "The Wackness" which won the audience award and scored a Grand Jury Prize nomination.

Six months later upon its release, general critical reaction was less rosy while the film itself grossed just $2 million - one third of its production budget. Despite that disappointment, Levine remains a director to watch and so it's no surprise that Summit Entertainment quickly picked up his next feature for distribution, even with its potentially controversial subject matter.

Will Reiser's Black List Top 10 script was originally titled "I'm With Cancer", and right now this one's officially still untitled though "Live With It" seems to be the moniker attached at this point. The casting is great with Seth Rogen, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anna Kendrick and Angelica Huston. Joseph Gordon-Levitt replaced the great James McAvoy in the lead role, though the "Inception" actor actually seems a better fit for the material in this case.

On the surface it sounds akin to Judd Apatow's disappointing "Funny People", the biggest difference being this has an empathetic likeable lead instead of a rich arrogant Adam Sandler-esque prick. Early screening reviews were strong, claiming it balances drama and comedy better than most films of this ilk (eg. "Love and Other Drugs"). Performances were praised as well, however the film is still being worked on as it wasn't ready in time for a bow at this year's Sundance.

darkhorizons for the rest
xoxo
Carrie