We’ll be perfectly honest, if we reported on this film at one point, we have zero recollection of it, but the folks at CinemaIsDope have a look at the new Paul Dano film, “The Extra Man,” that co-stars Katie Holmes, Kevin Kline and John C. Reilly (not pictured here).
Apart from that strong list of actors, the film has good talent surrounding the project as well. The picture is based on the book by Jonathan Ames, who is the series creator and sometimes writer of the HBO show “Bored to Death,” and is obviously the author of lots of celebrated contemporary fiction.
It’s also directed by husband and wife duo, Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, the couple behind, “American Splendor” starring Paul Giamatti (it’s their follow-up to “The Nanny Diaries,” yes, they directed that).
The short synopsis is this: A man (Kline) who escorts wealthy widows in New York’s Upper East Side takes a young aspiring playwright (Dano) under his wing. The long synopsis:
A sophisticated and moving comedy, THE EXTRA MAN follows Louis Ives (Paul Dano), a lonely dreamer who fancies himself the hero of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.
When a deeply embarrassing incident forces him to leave his job at an exclusive Princeton prep school, Louis heads to New York City to make a fresh start. He quickly finds a nine-to-five job at an environmental magazine, where he encounters an entrancing, green-obsessed co-worker Mary (Katie Holmes). But it’s Louis’ new home life that really sparks his imagination. He rents a room in the ramshackle apartment of Henry Harrison (Kevin Kline), a penniless, wildly eccentric but brilliant playwright.
When Henry’s not dancing alone to obscure music or singing operettas, he’s performing – with great panache – the duties of an “extra man“, a social escort for the wealthy widows of Manhattan high society.
These two men, separated in age by more than forty years, develop a volatile mentor/apprentice relationship. Through a series of urban adventures where they encounter everything from a leaping lion to a wildly jealous hirsute neighbor, from drunken nonagenarians to a shady Swiss hunchback, Louis and Henry form a memorable bond that bridges their differences.
A sophisticated and moving comedy, THE EXTRA MAN follows Louis Ives (Paul Dano), a lonely dreamer who fancies himself the hero of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.
When a deeply embarrassing incident forces him to leave his job at an exclusive Princeton prep school, Louis heads to New York City to make a fresh start. He quickly finds a nine-to-five job at an environmental magazine, where he encounters an entrancing, green-obsessed co-worker Mary (Katie Holmes). But it’s Louis’ new home life that really sparks his imagination. He rents a room in the ramshackle apartment of Henry Harrison (Kevin Kline), a penniless, wildly eccentric but brilliant playwright.
When Henry’s not dancing alone to obscure music or singing operettas, he’s performing – with great panache – the duties of an “extra man“, a social escort for the wealthy widows of Manhattan high society.
These two men, separated in age by more than forty years, develop a volatile mentor/apprentice relationship. Through a series of urban adventures where they encounter everything from a leaping lion to a wildly jealous hirsute neighbor, from drunken nonagenarians to a shady Swiss hunchback, Louis and Henry form a memorable bond that bridges their differences.
The film is currently in post-production and due sometime in 2010. Let’s hope it’s not one of those indies that comes and goes.
