''Easier with Practice'' is a 2009 American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film written and directed by

Kyle Patrick Alvarez Kyle Patrick Alvarez (born 1983) is an American film director and screenwriter. Early life and education Alvarez was born in Miami, and attended the University of Miami. Career His first film, '' Easier with Practice'', was based on a '' GQ'' ar ...

. It stars

Brian Geraghty Brian Timothy Geraghty (born May 13, 1975) is an American actor, known for his roles in the 2005 film '' Jarhead'', the 2008 film ''The Hurt Locker'', and in the 2012 film ''Flight'', along with his recurring role in the HBO drama series ''Board ...

, Kel O'Neill,

Marguerite Moreau Marguerite Moreau (born April 25, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jesse Reeves in the fantasy horror film ''Queen of the Damned'', Katie in the comedy '' Wet Hot American Summer'', and her role as Connie in '' The Mi ...

, Jeanette Brox, Jenna Gavigan and

Katie Aselton Kathryn Aselton (born October 1, 1978) is an American actress, film director and producer. She directed and co-starred in '' The Freebie'', which was shown in the non-competition "Next" category at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. She also st ...

. The story is based on the 2006 '' GQ'' article "What Are You Wearing?" by

Davy Rothbart David Ira "Davy" Rothbart (born April 11, 1975) is a bestselling author, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, contributor to ''This American Life'', and the editor/publisher of '' Found Magazine''. Found Magazine Davy Rothbart's magazine ''Found'' is d ...

. The film was nominated for an

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...

for Best First Feature and won the

Someone to Watch Award The Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl's, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. History The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. The award was first given at the 1994 a ...

for Alvarez.

Plot

Davy Mitchell is an introverted writer struggling on tour to promote his unpublished short stories. His lonely nights heat up when Davy receives a seemingly random phone call from a woman named Nicole. The sultry stranger seduces him into an intense session of phone sex, sparking an erotic and intimate relationship that is based entirely around the phone calls that she initiates. Davy wants to make it work, but he becomes frustrated when she refuses to give out her number. Fed up with her games, he determines to meet Nicole in person. That is, if she ever calls again.

Cast

as Davy Mitchell * Kel O'Neill as Sean Mitchell *

as Samantha * Jeanette Brox as Sarah * Jenna Gavigan as Josie *

as Nicole

Production

Director Kyle Patrick Alvarez was inspired by a ''GQ'' article written by Davy Rothbart. Filming on ''Easier with Practice'' began in the summer of 2008. The film was produced by Forty Second Productions with a Red One camera system.

Release

''Easier with Practice'' had its world premiere at the

CineVegas CineVegas was a film festival held annually at the Palms Casino Resort in Paradise, Nevada that ran from 1999 to 2009, typically in early June. CineVegas was originally held at Bally's. The first Festival featured “The Best of the Fests”, showc ...

Film Festival, where it won the 2009 Grand Jury Prize. Its international premiere was at the

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...

, where it garnered Best New International Feature. ''Easier with Practice'' was theatrically released in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

on February 26, 2010. It was also distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media. The film was rated

NC-17 The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures ...

by the

Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distrib ...

. Though the film does not feature any nudity, the rating was supposedly given for the graphic sexual dialogue.

Home media

The film was released on DVD by Breaking Glass Pictures on April 6, 2010.

Reception

On review aggregate website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, ''Easier with Practice'' has an approval rating of 88% based on 34 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads, "This promising debut from writer-director Kyle Patrick Alvarez is anchored by a startlingly honest and tender performance from Brian Geraghty that helps make ''Easier with Practice'' more than just another road trip drama." Justin Chang of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it "a quietly provocative love story about emotionally stunted manhood and the risks some guys will take to connect." Scott Tobias of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' wrote, "Love stories don't come much squirmier than this one, and Alvarez plays it with honesty, insight, and the awkwardness inherent in this blindest of blind dates."

Peter Bradshaw Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''. Early life and education Bradshaw was educated at Haberdasher ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' said "The film is a slow-burner: a study in loneliness and alienation, whose unexpected ending and ambiguous aftermath require us to reassess all that has gone before."

Awards

* 2010 Independent Spirit Awards ** Best First Feature - nominated **

- Kyle Patrick Alvarez, winner * 2009 CineVegas International Film Festival - Grand Jury Award, winner * 2009

- Best New International Feature, winner * 2009 Memphis Indie Film Festival - Special Jury Prize, winner

References

External links

* * * * * *
Easier with Practice
' at Mongrel Media {{DEFAULTSORT:Easier With Practice 2009 films 2009 directorial debut films 2009 drama films 2009 independent films 2000s drama road movies American drama films American drama road movies Films about writers Films directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez 2000s English-language films 2000s American films