One of the best performances by a kid we’ve seen in recent years was the brilliantly-named Max Records in Spike Jonze’s outstanding “Where The Wild Things Are” — totally unforced, natural and feral. So, really, we couldn’t be happier that Records has landed another role, in a project helmed by a director with a track record in getting excellent performance from children.
Records, and relative unknown Kevin Hernandez, who’ll be seen in Mel Gibson vehicle “How I Spent My Summer Vacation,” if it ever sees the light of day, have joined the already-cast Landry Bender as the three children that Jonah Hill has to look after in David Gordon Green’s currently-filming comedy “The Sitter.” Hernandez will presumably play Rodrigo, a semi-psychotic, destructive 10-year-old Latino kid, while Records will be Slater, the eldest of the kids, a neurotic 13-year-old (man, he’s perfectly cast in the role) and Landry is Blithe, an 8-year-old obsessed with Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.
Ari Graynor (“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”) was already in the cast, as Hill’s girlfriend, and there’s another new addition in the shape of J.B. Smoove, the stand-up turned actor best known for his role as Leon Black in “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Smoove will play one of a pair of drug dealers in pursuit of Hill (Joaquin Phoenix was reportedly offered the other, although as far as we’re aware, the role hasn’t been cast yet).
It’s all shaping up to be one of the more promising comedies of next year, particularly with Hill having shown new depths in”Cyrus,” and with Records coming on board. The film will be released on July 15 next year, as neat counter-programming to the final “Harry Potter” movie. [The Wrap]