I'll be at South by Southwest for the first time this March, and I'm ridiculously excited about it. Never been to Texas, much less to Austin, and I get to balance the joys of seeing movies with the joys of getting drunk at a plethora of bars! But now that the festival has announced their opening night film, I'm a little more likely to stay sober for it.
Debuting on opening night will be I Love You, Man, a comedy starring two of my favorite Apatow cohorts, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. Segel, you might remember, debuted his first starring vehicle, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, at SXSW last year to great success. This time around he'll be playing the new best friend of Peter (Rudd), a guy who gets engaged but realizes he has no close male friends to be his best man. After a series of "man-dates" he picks Sydney (Segel) as his new BFF, but runs into trouble with his fiancee (Rashida Jones) in the process.
The press release below, from SXSW, has the rest of the details. Those of you not in Austin to catch I Love You, Man on March 13 will be able to see it a week later in wide theatrical release. But you know Josh and I will just gloat about seeing it early for the whole week before that.
JOHN HAMBURG COMEDY “I LOVE YOU, MAN” STARRING PAUL RUDD AND JASON SEGELTO OPEN SXSW FILM FESTIVAL
Austin, Texas -- December 15, 2008 -- The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced today that the DreamWorks Pictures film "I Love You, Man" will be the 2009 Opening Night film. The De Line Pictures comedy, co-written and directed by John Hamburg (“Along Came Polly,” co-writer of “Meet The Parents,” “Meet The Fockers,” and “Zoolander”) stars Paul Rudd, Jason Segel and Rashida Jones. The film centers on a man who, upon getting engaged, realizes he has no close male friends and must find someone to be the Best Man at his wedding. The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival runs March 13 – 21, 2009 in Austin, Texas.
“We are thrilled to have ‘I Love You, Man’ kick off the 2009 festival. The film is the perfect representation of the kind of smart and unconventional humor that SXSW audiences flock to,” said Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson, “and we are happy to welcome back SXSW Alumni Paul Rudd and Jason Segel.” Rudd appeared in three films at the 2007 Festival (“Knocked Up,” “The Ten” and “Diggers”) and Segel attended in 2008 with “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” In true SXSW synergy where film, music and new media intersect, Rashida Jones’ father, legendary music producer Quincy Jones, will serve as Keynote speaker for the SXSW Music 2009. 2008 SXSW Opening Night film “21” opened theatrically to $24.1 million following its highly successful debut at the festival.
“I Love You, Man” follows Peter Klaven (Rudd), a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey, (Jones), discovers that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man, so he embarks on a series of bizarre and awkward “man-dates,” before meeting Sydney Fife (Segel). But the closer the two men get, the more Peter’s relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancée and his newfound “bro,” in a story that comically explores what it truly means to be a “friend.” The film opens wide on March 20th, 2009.
DreamWorks Pictures Presents A De Line Pictures Bernard Gayle Productions Montecito Pictures Company Production A John Hamburg Movie “I Love You, Man” starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtin, Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly. The film is directed by John Hamburg. Screenplay by John Hamburg and Larry Levin. Story by Larry Levin. The producers are Donald De Line and John Hamburg. The executive producers are Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock, Jeffrey Clifford, Andrew Haas and Bill Johnson. The director of photography is Larry Sher. The production designer is Andrew Laws. The film is edited by William Kerr. The costume designer is Leesa Evans. The music is by Theodore Shapiro. The film is distributed through DreamWorks/Paramount Distribution. This film has not yet been rated.
Previously announced panelists for the 2009 SXSW Film Conference & Festival include acclaimed writer/directors Todd Haynes and Richard Linklater in conversation together, longtime Stanley Kubrick producer Jan Harlan, as well as a rare appearance by Col Needham, Vice President of IMDb.com Service Limited. The complete festival lineup will be announced in early February 2009.
SXSW offers a uniquely creative space for filmmakers, film fans, and even cinephiles to partake in the big and small picture discussions about filmmaking today. The Conference hosts a five-day adventure in the latest filmmaking trends and new technology, featuring Conversations with film icons, intimate mini-meetings and one-on-one mentor sessions with industry veterans. The internationally-acclaimed, nine-day Festival boasts some of the most wide-ranging programming of any US event of its kind, from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies, with a special focus on emerging talents. Learn more at sxsw.com/film.
SXSW Film Conference and Festival is sponsored by Miller Lite, The Independent Film Channel (IFC), The Austin Chronicle, Fuze Beverage and Zone Perfect.
