When I place the term “reinvigorating his sex life” next to the name Billy Crystal, do you turn and run in horror as you hide your eyes from the physical atrocities, or do you want to learn more, and possibly purchase a ticket to a movie about it?
If you are a member of the latter group, then Sony Pictures has an upcoming movie for you. The studio revealed in a press release that Crystal is attached to Winter’s Discontent, a frank comedy helmed by Frank Oz. The logline sets Crystal up as “a widower who moves into a reputed active adult community in hopes of reinvigorating his sex life.” Paul Fruchbom penned Winter’s Discontent, which spent some time on the Black List.
“We’re thrilled by the way this project is coming together. We are big believers in the humor and the emotion in this story and we think that Frank and Billy have a terrific take on the material that will connect with audiences everywhere,” said co-producer Charles Roven of Atlas.
Sight unseen, this has The Bucket List or even Crystal’s own Parental Guidance written all over it – a safe, slightly edgy comedy that will be softened for mass appeal. And yet, having Oz at the helm gives me more hope for a button-pushing comedy than we probably should expect. His directorial resume includes Little Shop of Horrors, What About Bob?, In & Out and Bowfinger -- comedies that earned a fair share of respect by being flat out funny with accessible premises. Crystal has Monsters University in the hopper, but he could use a rock-solid comedy starring himself, not his voice, and maybe Discontent will be it.
