Fame is an elusive figment that only the brave and the stupid dare to chase. Though when it comes to Nerdland's Elliot and John, being brave and/or stupid is pretty much a full-time job. Get ready for a raunchy, red band thrill ride as the first trailer for Nerdland is available to watch below!
Titmouse Animation Studio, expert purveyors of animated madness and shock value, have teamed up with a talent pool led by Paul Rudd and Patton Oswalt, and the resulting film look extremely promising. Nerdland tells the story of Rudd's John and Oswalt's Elliot, two best friends who are living the dream of pursuing their dreams. John fancies himself an actor, while Elliot thinks he's got what it takes to become a screenwriter extraordinaire. All they need is that prime opportunity to become known to the world, and it'll all fall into place. At least, that's the thought that keeps them going, and with the trailer provided by Variety, it looks like their odds of success are about even.
It's hard not to think of the recently successful SXSW screening of Sausage Party when looking at the trailer to Nerdland, and that's not meant as an insult. As a matter of fact, the two films would probably make the best double feature, as their similarly dirty frames of mind compliment one another. While the former film takes a swing at CGI family friendly entertainment, Nerdland uses hand-drawn animation to tell a more grounded story. Not to mention, in the first 30 seconds alone, you can tell that Nerdland will have a hard time even getting through the door of a movie theater, as the nudity alone would more than likely kick this film into an NC-17 bracket.
Perhaps the greatest selling point of Nerdland's first trailer is the fact that Paul Rudd and Patton Oswalt are teamed up for what looks like a filthy comedy of errors. But at the same time, knowing both Rudd and Patton's styles, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the film pivot into moments of pure drama and depth. With trailers having to get the folks in the door / clicking the "buy/rent" button, Nerdland obviously needs to put on a good show in order to convince audiences that the film is worth their time and money. And even if there isn't a softer, more serious side to the film, at the very least you'll get to see a kick-assed update of Rip Van Winkle, narrated by Oswalt's eccentric character. Which is extremely fitting, considering it sounds like something he'd have written for a stand-up bit.
Nerdland will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 14th, with a public release date to be determined.
