''Let Go'' is a 2011

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film starring

David Denman David Denman (born July 25, 1973) is an American actor. He made his film debut in '' The Replacements''. His other feature credits include ''Big Fish'', '' Fair Game'', ''The Nines'', '' Shutter'', ''Smart People'', '' Fanboys'', '' Let Go'', '' ...

. It was written and directed by Brian Jett.

Plot

The film centers around the interlocking lives of a bored parole officer and three eccentric ex-convicts recently placed under his supervision.

Cast

as Walter Dishman *

Gillian Jacobs Gillian MacLaren Jacobs (; born October 19, 1982) is an American actress and director. She is known for her roles as Britta Perry on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015) and Mickey Dobbs on the Netflix romantic comedy series ''Love'' (2016� ...

as Darla DeMint *

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning se ...

as Kris Styles *

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' an ...

as Artie Satz *

Simon Helberg Simon Maxwell Helberg (born December 9, 1980) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Howard Wolowitz in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019), for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supp ...

as Frank *

Maria Thayer Maria Christina Thayer is an American actress and comedian. She first earned public recognition for her portrayal of Tammi Littlenut on the cult series ''Strangers with Candy'' in 1999. Thayer has also had supporting roles in the comedy films '' H ...

as Beth *

Alexandra Holden Alexandra Paige Holden (born April 30, 1977) is an American actress. Her credits include films such as '' Drop Dead Gorgeous'' (1999), '' Sugar & Spice'' (2001) and ''The Hot Chick'' (2002), and recurring roles in the television series '' Friends ...

as Kelly *

Kali Hawk Kali Hawk (born October 4, 1986) is an American actress, comedian, model and jewelry designer. She has starred in films such as ''Fifty Shades of Black'', ''Couples Retreat'', ''Bridesmaids'' and ''Tyler Perry Presents Peeples''. She recurred as ...

as Angela * Ogy Durham as Vanessa

Production

It was filmed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, shot in just 24 days. The cast, which includes Denman from ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...

'' and Jacobs from ''

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

'', worked for SAG independent film scale. Writer-director Brian Jett cited influences including

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...

drama ''

Straight Time ''Straight Time'' is a 1978 American crime drama neo-noir film directed by Ulu Grosbard and starring Dustin Hoffman, Theresa Russell, Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton, M. Emmet Walsh, and Kathy Bates. Its plot follows a lifelong thief in Los Angele ...

''.

Release

The film was released October 25, 2011 at the Austin Film Festival, October 31, 2011 at the Savannah International Film Festival before being released in the United States on August 21, 2012.

Critical response

CultureMap considered it a flop: they criticised it for poor technical quality, citing bad lighting, sound, and cinematography, and also felt the script did not give a talented cast much to do. Magdalena Bresson praised the performances from a variety of actors known for TV comedy, and the film's visual qualities, particularly its use of color.

References

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, let_go_2012 American independent films 2011 films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films