This isn’t the “Sleepless In Seattle” reunion audiences may have been hoping for, but Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are teaming up again for “Ithaca,” an adaptation of William Saroyan‘s classic “The Human Comedy.”
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“Ithaca” marks the directorial debut of Ryan, who also stars as the widowed mother of a young bicycle messenger. The messenger, played by Alex Neustaedter, is taking care of his mother and younger brother because his older brother, played by Ryan’s real life son Jack Quaid, is off fighting in the war. Here’s the official synopsis:
When his older brother leaves to fight in the Second World War, fourteen-year-old Homer Macauley takes on a job as a bicycle telegraph messenger to provide for his widowed mother, his older sister and his younger brother. Homer delivers messages of love, hope, pain and death to the good people of Ithaca, but soon must grapple with a message that will change him forever. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Saroyan’s 1943 novel The Human Comedy, Ithaca is a coming-of-age story about the exuberance of youth, the abruptness of change, the sweetness of life, the sting of death, and the sheer goodness that lives in each and every one of us.
The trailer also gives audiences a taste of the folksy music featured in the film provided by John Mellencamp — yes, that John Mellencamp. Ryan and Mellencamp share a long history together, so it’s nice to see them team up for her debut behind the camera.
“Ithaca” also stars Sam Shepherd and Hamish Linklater, and opens on September 9th.
