Poor Michael Cera and Charlene Yi. They’re so indie, introverted and twee they sometimes feel awkward at Hollywood parties where people socialize, drink and have basic conversations and probably talk a little shop. Welcome to the gig.
Anyhow, Judd Apatow regular Martin Starr (who also stars in “Adventureland,” which opens up this weekend) is apparently writing a screenplay with Yi based on those uncomfortable and incredibly awkward experiences (for young 20 somethings, “hey, how’s it going?” can be a real soul-crushing put-on during a party). He tells Vulture:
“My friend Charlene Yi came to me, and she expressed that she had gone to some party, like some Hollywood-type party, and she and her boyfriend [Michael Cera] didn’t feel very comfortable there. And she wondered, “Why didn’t we hang out, just the two of us, and grab some food like we wanted to?” And I feel like that began the foundation for the moral of the story we’re writing — doing things with people that you want to spend your time with anyway, as opposed to wasting time with the random superficialities of life.”
Deep stuff, right? Umm, no offense, we love all these guys, but this sounds like the flimsiest story in the history of screenplays. Then again, the 20-something angsty, going-nowhere archetype is kind of a staple. It can’t be any worse than Richard Linklater’s “Suburbia,” can it? Don’t even get us started on that wretched thing. He also says if anyone funds this vague concept, it would be a starring vehicle for him. “Who knows what happens. It’d be amazing to get to make it like that. I’ll keep an open mind.”
Either way, this story idea can only go up from here. Here’s to hoping.