She's Funny That Way (2014)

On the set of a playwright's new project, a love triangle forms between his wife, her ex-lover, and the call girl-turned-actress cast in the production.

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writers:

Louise Stratten, Peter Bogdanovich

Stars:

Imogen Poots, Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Imogen Poots	...	Isabella Patterson
Illeana Douglas	...	Judy
Graydon Carter	...	Limo Driver
Owen Wilson	...	Arnold Albertson
Scott Campbell	...	Hotel Guest #1
Erin Heatherton	...	Hotel Guest #2
Melanie Hill	...	Hotel Receptionist
Jake Hoffman	...	Hotel Bellboy
Rhys Ifans	...	Seth Gilbert
Richard Lewis	...	Al Finkelstein
Cybill Shepherd	...	Nettie Finkelstein
Debi Mazar	...	Vickie
Austin Pendleton	...	Judge Pendergast
George Morfogen	...	Harold Fleet
Tovah Feldshuh	...	Miriam Pendergast

Storyline

On the set of a playwright's new project, a love triangle forms between his wife, her ex-lover, and the call girl-turned-actress cast in the production.

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Plot Keywords:

theater actor | actress | theater director | escort girl | call girl | 

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Taglines:

Show biz has always been a little screwball.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language including sexual references

Did You Know?

Trivia

First movie Peter Bogdanovich directed since Cat's Meow (2001). He and former wife, Louise Stratten share the screenplay credit.

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Goofs

When we first see Seth and Arnold get off the elevator at the Barclay, they go to their rooms in opposite directions. The next time we see the rooms they are across the hall from each other.

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Quotes

Jane Claremont: a.k.a. Glowstick. Why Glowstick? Oh! Call girl? Well that's disgusting. I mean, how do you feel when you're even doing that? Honestly? Are there any up sides to this job?
Isabella Patterson: Well, there are plenty of ups, you know? I mean, that was really a problem!
Jane Claremont: You don't joke in therapy.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, we see what happened to the main characters.

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Connections

References True Romance (1993)

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Soundtracks

Cheek to Cheek
Written by Irving Berlin
Performed by Fred Astaire
Courtesy of the Verve Music Group under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

A pleasantly manic, adult comedy

Peter Bogdanovich's She's Funny That Way is exactly the kind of film that isn't made any more; a manic, silly comedy helmed by an ensemble cast made for adults. The film adheres to the wry comedic style of Woody Allen, who rigorously churned out films like these in the 1970's and 1980's, and a style that Allen continues to play with in the modern day. With a breezy eighty minute runtime and a comedic cast that, for once, looks like they're actually having a great time with one another, this is a film that can skate by and leave you with a goofy grin on your face before cynicism even has time summon.

The film revolves around a hooker named Isabella Beatty (Imogen Poots), who became a Broadway thespian following a gracious break from Arnold Albertson (Owen Wilson), a Broadway director who frequents escorts despite being married to Delta (Kathryn Hahn), a Broadway star herself. Arnold is filthy rich, for that matter, and upon paying escorts for their services, he'll also gift them with $30,000 to get their life moving in the right direction, all under Delta's nose. Meanwhile, a playwright named Joshua (Will Forte) begins to fall in love with Isabella, despite dating Jane Claremont (Jennifer Aniston), a bitter and hot-tempered therapist. Finally, there's also Seth (Rhys Ifans), an actor of Arnold's who also frequents escort services whilst trying to balance his exploding level of popularity.

This conglomeration of characters make She's Funny That Way a film that consistently moves and never slows down. The persistent weaving and fluid profiling of each and every character in the film is what largely makes the film such a good time. While the characters may often be contemptible, the situational humor mimics the sort of awkwardness and indecisive etiquette occurrences examined in your average episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, although with decidedly more theatricalities and far-fetched circumstances.

The cast here feels right at home. We have low-key performers that go under the radar far too often (Poots, Ifans, and Forte) and we have seasoned veterans trying their hand at the personalities they accentuate the best (Aniston and Wilson). Moreover, though, everyone feels like they're enjoying themselves. This isn't a film to take very seriously, nor is it a film that gets hung up on vulgarities and stupidity. It's the rare adult comedy with the energy of a kids film but the brazen personality that can accompany any night filled with wine, good friends - even a date - and a fulfilling dinner.

One of the biggest problems I've seen with American cinema is, despite R-rated comedies, few comedies are really designed for adults. Paradoxically, R-rated films like Get Hard and The Hangover sequels have jokes that would make teenagers laugh out loud, but many adults turn the other cheek, though they are the audience that will be allowed in the film at the local multiplex. She's Funny That Way is a film that bears a crass sense but in a way that isn't over-the-top or in love with the idea of making the viewer uncomfortable based on situations involving bodily fluids or intercourse. Co-writer (along with Louis Stratten) Bogdanovich works to make the film a more humble comedy, where the awkward situations are made funny by the characters and not the inanity of the situations themselves.

This is a smartly written film, one that really is elevated by the performers, though they, for once, aren't ostensibly trying to mask the low-level quality of the writing. She's Funny That Way packs a lot of manic energy in its eighty minutes, including great displays of character acting and plenty of nods to film lovers. Nuts to the squirrels indeed.

Starring: Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Will Forte, Jennifer Aniston, Kathryn Hahn, and Rhys Ifans. Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Site

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Squirrels to the Nuts

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$111,996

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,034,851

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lagniappe Films, Lailaps Pictures, Venture Forth

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1