Matthew Weiner’s film tells us that friendship “is a lot rarer than love because there’s nothing in it for anybody.”
Mad Men fans may have to wait until 2015 to find out how the much-loved series ends, but movie audiences won’t have to wait that long to watch Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner’s cinematic debut, Are You Here.
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Weiner has been working on Are You Here for more than a decade, and he actually screened the film at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013. Reviews at the time were mixed, so Weiner continued to work on the film, telling Entertainment Weekly that the final film is “actually quite a bit different than it was at Toronto.”
Are You Here stars Owen Wilson as Steve, a weather forecaster and bachelor who travels home with his mentally unstable friend, Ben, played by Zach Galifianakis. Ben’s father has just died, leaving Ben a large inheritance, but Ben’s sister (Amy Poehler) doesn’t approve. Complicated family relationships end up threatening the duo’s friendship.
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From what we can see in the trailer, Wilson and Galifianakis were meant to make movies together. The two are completely believable as best friends, and although both actors are commonly seen in broad comedic roles, the film looks to pack an emotionally poignant punch with a story that is less interested in bromance gags than it is in examining the challenge of maintaining a lifelong friendship.
And that’s something everyone can relate to.
Are You Here opens in theaters and On Demand August 22nd.
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