Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman are in hot films this fall with a twist: the traditional comedians aren't funny in their current role.
Silverman stars as a drug-addicted housewife in I Smile Back, an American independent film about a woman who seems to have everything but has her own secrets. The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and also played in the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.
I Smile Back has a limited release starting October 23.
Rogen has received nice reviews in playing a real-life person in Steve Wozniak in the new film Steve Jobs. The film had a limited run in New York and Los Angeles and will go nationwide also on October 23.
We are happy for Rogen and Silverman being appreciated for more than their ability to be funny on the film screen. We are a little heartbroken that most of the world still hasn't seen them be that dramatic in the first film where this happened: Take This Waltz.
2013 TIFF preview
Take This Waltz showcases a real Toronto neighborhood
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
Take This Waltz was the 2011 Sarah Polley film about a couple in the Little Portugal neighbourhood in Toronto where the woman struggles with temptations from a neighbour.
Rogen and Silverman star along with Michelle Williams and Luke Kirby. All 4 actors are well-known in the United States but it was a risk especially for Rogen and Silverman. Their characters weren't funny; Silverman played an alcoholic and even did full-frontal nudity.
They took risks with their careers in playing characters that weren't funny. They ended up in a really strong, very well-written film that deserved a better fate.
Polley certainly had fame as an actress on both sides of the border and had just come off her directorial debut in Away From Her. The film gained Oscar nominations for Polley for Best Adapted Screenplay and Julie Christie for Best Actress.
Yet despite all that went into Take This Waltz, the film had trouble finding an audience, especially on the U.S. side. So if you go see one of these new U.S. films soon, and you enjoyed the dramatic performance of these well-known comedians, you should also see the film that got them started down the serious road.
video credit: YouTube/Movieclips Film Festivals & Indie Films
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