Courteney Cox finds dark humour in suicide
in Just Before I Go. By Chris Michaud
Movies such as It’s a Wonderful Life, have explored the subject of a life re-examined when contemplating suicide, but Courteney Cox takes a darkly comic approach to that life-or-death question in her feature film directorial debut.
The story of a vacant, aimless pet store worker named Ted who decides he is “done” with life, Just Before I Go begins with the dejected 40-year-old bobbing underwater while narrating his tale of woe on the soundtrack. The film then travels back in time several weeks to explore just how he got there.
Ted, played by American Pie veteran Seann William Scott, embarks on an odyssey back to his Massachusetts hometown to confront childhood tormenters who range via flashback from an extortionist jock bully to a nasty maths teacher who relishes cruelly humiliating the boy in front his classmates.
But Ted’s journey becomes a tale of the unexpected. The bully has evolved into a sensitive, remorseful widower raising a son with Down Syndrome on his own. And the maths teacher lies in a stupor in an institution as Ted unleashes a volley of pent-up rage, only to be interrupted by the woman’s granddaughter, (Olivia Thirlby), who decides to film Ted’s suicidal saga.
Hollywood veterans Connie Stevens and Diane Ladd are also on hand as Ted’s mother and an Elvis impersonator, respectively.
“It’s a heartfelt story, but it’s also outrageously funny, so I was very attracted to the tone of it,” said Cox, 49, best known for her days as Monica on hit comedy Friends, and now starring in the sitcom Cougar Town, for which she has directed some episodes.
“What makes me laugh in real life is anything inappropriate,” added Cox, who is also one of the producers of the independent film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The inappropriate and politically incorrect loom large in the script written by her friend David Flebotte.
There are crude words that have appeared in just about any Hollywood film. Even the kids get to say it — but again, it is played for laughs. Gabe Cowan, another of the producers, noted that 12 of the 17 films he has made were with first-time directors, like Cox.
“There is a very special quality to somebody’s first film, and you see that in Just Before I Go,” he said.
Cox said being an experienced actress helped on what she described as an especially collaborative, budget-conscious shoot, which only took 22 days.
“I know exactly how to talk to actors,” she said. “I understand what they need, so I think it’s easier.”
“And I know what bugs me, and I’m a really empathetic person, so I think it’s a perfect combination of being able to understand what they’re going through, and guide and help them.”
Her cast, she added, was only too happy to return the favour.
“When you do a movie like this with a very, very low budget, you’re doing it strictly because you love the material — or you love me. These are all my friends,” she laughed.
But Cox said that budget did have its challenges, such as mandating that the film set in Massachusetts be shot in Los Angeles. “That was one of the hardest things, actually, to find a place in LA that doesn’t have a palm tree.”
Now that she has had a dose of the director’s chair, Cox says she is determined to maintain her position behind the cameras.
“This is my thing, for sure,” she averred, adding that she doesn’t really foresee taking on an action film.
“It will definitely be a character piece, maybe a thriller. But I like simple stories — the real kind of stuff.” — Reuters
Jared Leto’s Oscar trophy a filthy mess
Actor Jared Leto’s Oscar trophy is full of scratches and bumps after he freely handed it around at parties for everyone to have a hold. As a result, the trophy is now a “filthy mess.”
“I damaged it. But then I came home and saw it had another nick on it. So it looks like someone else had fun with it, too. My Oscar is a filthy mess,” contactmusic.com. quoted Leto as saying.
“Everybody was pawing that thing. I kind of was just passing it around at parties. A couple of times I lost sight of it and I thought, you know, if it goes away, it’s not meant to be mine. But it always seemed to find its way back to me,” he added.
The 42-year-old said that he is getting a lot more opportunities in Hollywood, but the coveted gold statue itself doesn’t mean that much to him.
Leto won the Oscar for best supporting actor at the 86th annual Academy awards earlier this year for his role as a transgender drug addict Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club. — IANS
Taylor Kinney inspired by Gaga
Actor Taylor Kinney says his girlfriend and singer Lady Gaga is a huge inspiration for him. The 32-year-old has been dating the Applause hitmaker for almost three years and said he is very inspired by her, reports contactmusic.com.
“It’s someone who’s always in your corner, that believes in you and your work, and vice versa. You know, I love what she does and her work, her music and charity. She inspires so many people including myself,” said Kinney. The Chicago Fire star is reportedly preparing to propose to the singer whose real name is Stefani Germanotta. But he hasn’t found the right diamond ring for her yet. “Taylor’s been looking at engagement rings for Stef for a couple of months. He has told a couple of his close guy friends that he wants to propose soon,” said a source. — IANS
Woodley believes in power of tree-hugging
Actress Shailene Woodley thinks hugging trees makes her beautiful. The Divergent actress has shared her pearls of wisdom about following an eco-friendly beauty regime, encouraging people to become at one with nature and indulge in tree-hugging in order to achieve a naturally radiant glow, reports contactmusic.com. “Walk barefoot in a park. Hug a tree. This always helps me get out of my mind and when I’m out of my mind my natural glow is allowed reveal itself,” said Woodley. — IANS