This morning I finally caught the British coming-of-age comedy Submarine, which everyone else I know at TIFF has been raving about all week. The film produced by Ben Stiller had been compared to Rushmore and Harold and Maude, and even though it had starred no particularly famous actors, it seemed likely to get picked up before the festival was over.
And wouldn't you know it, the moment I stepped out of the morning screening, the news broke that the Weinstein Company had bought the North American rights to Submarine. It's the studio's second purchase at TIFF after Dirty Girl, and though that movie is an unmitigated disaster, Submarine is the real deal-- smart without being smarmy, tender without being sentimental, and not so inspired by other indie filmmakers that it can't stand on its own. With great performances from the kids in the lead roles and a nice supporting turn from Sally Hawkins as a mom, it's the kind of thing that critics could definitely embrace and send along to a large indie-friendly crowd.
The movie seems more like Fox Searchlight's kind of thing, to be honest, but apparently the Weinsteins are on an acquisitions tear here in Toronto and got to it first. Given their notorious issues with actually releasing the films they pick up, the road isn't clear for Submarine just yet, but I'm crossing my fingers and hoping you'll all get to share soon what I enjoyed so much this morning. More on Submarine later once I pull together my review.
