Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Exclusive: Greg Kinnear to Direct First Film, Co-Starring “Newsroom” Actress Emily Mortimer

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Here’s a surprise: I’m told that one time Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear, who’s had a long list of successes as a likable screen presence since he rocketed from “Talk Soup” to “Sabrina” nearly two decades ago, is going to direct his first feature.

Kinnear will direct “Phil: A Tale of Flossing and Plumbing” starring himself and one of our all time faves, “Newsroom” actress Emily Mortimer (“Match Point,” “Doll & Em”). The title may not make it to the end.

Kinnear’s Phil, a dentist, decides to impersonate a Greek plumber and infiltrate the home of one of his patients after the man dies in his dental chair. He insinuates himself into the family and of course falls for the unwitting widow (Mortimer).

The money for “Phil” is coming from Canada’s Bron Studios, which hasn’t had a hit yet but is trying with the so-so Hank Williams movie “I Saw the Light,” which Sony just pushed back to next spring. The “Phil” script is by Stephen Mazur, who wrote Jim Carrey’s 1997 hit “Liar Liar.” The Kinnear dental plumber sounds like he’s in the same vein as the Carrey character from that movie.

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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