''The Marc Pease Experience'' is a 2009
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Todd Louiso and written by Louiso and
Jacob Koskoff
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Isla ...
. Shot primarily in and around
Wilmington and
New Hanover County, North Carolina
New Hanover County is one of 100 counties located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 225,702. Though the second-smallest NC county in land area, it is one of the most populous, as its county seat, Wilm ...
in early 2007, the film is centered on Marc Pease, a man living in the past, when he was the star of his high school's musicals. The film stars
Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician.
Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film '' Rushmore'', and has gone on to appear in six other Anderson films: ''The Darjeeling Limited'' (20 ...
as Pease,
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known ...
as Marc's former mentor, and
Anna Kendrick as his love interest.
Plot
In high school, Marc Pease (
Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician.
Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film '' Rushmore'', and has gone on to appear in six other Anderson films: ''The Darjeeling Limited'' (20 ...
) ran out on his performance as the
Tin Man in a production of ''
The Wiz
''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...
'', succumbing to his stage fright despite his mentor Mr. Jon Gribble's (
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known ...
) encouragement. Eight years later, he is dating Meg Brickman (
Anna Kendrick), a high school senior who is bitter about being in the chorus and not having a principal role in Gribble's latest production of ''The Wiz''. Marc is keen for Gribble to produce the demo tape for his
a cappella singing group Meridian 8 (which has already lost four of eight original members). Gribble, however, tries to avoid Marc, frustrated that Marc refuses to leave him alone because of the friendly advice he gave Marc eight years ago.
While tidying Meg's bedroom, Marc finds a tape labelled "Meg singing", but discovers after he listens to it that she is singing with Gribble, and at the end of the song, their noises suggest that they are having sex. Meg, meanwhile, begins to doubt Gribble's sincerity when he tells her what a terrific singer she is when she realizes that she is always in the chorus. Questioning whether she even enjoys singing, she decides to quit. Marc drives to a performance with Meridian 8, where the only way he can keep the group from splitting up is to lie that Gribble has given them the chance to record in a studio. After insisting that he should sing his Tin Man's song, he starts crying on stage, and is later forced to admit that Gribble has not yet responded to his request to produce the demo. That night, the opening night of ''The Wiz'', Marc is working as a chauffeur for a high school prom couple. After dropping them off and cutting off his frequently ridiculed ponytail, he arrives at the show in the interval. He unsuccessfully tries to discuss Meridian 8's demo with Gribble, who brushes him off, then learns from another bandmate that they are losing another member.
After hearing the Tin Man's song from outside the auditorium, Marc goes inside and drags Gribble out into an empty classroom. Marc confronts him about his empty promises for Meridian 8 to record in a studio. Gribble tells Marc that he is still living as if he were in high school, and an angered Marc threatens to play Meg's tape to the school principal and expose Gribble's affair with a student. As they fight, Marc accuses Gribble of denying Meg a main role as a means of revenge on him, and destroys the tape for Meg's sake. He then goes backstage and breaks up with Meg because she is too young for him. Seeing that the actor of the Wiz has injured himself, Marc takes his cape, runs onto the stage and sings the Wiz's song. Meg runs away but decides that she loves singing and returns to the stage. Marc's performance is met with cheers from the audience, and he is overjoyed.
One year later, having left exorcised his ''Wizard of Oz'' demons, Marc is working as a professional singer under the title "The Marc Pease Experience".
Cast
*
Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician.
Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film '' Rushmore'', and has gone on to appear in six other Anderson films: ''The Darjeeling Limited'' (20 ...
as Marc Pease.
*
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known ...
as Mr. Jon Gribble, Marc's overzealous former mentor.
*
Anna Kendrick as Meg Brickman, a high school senior, romantically involved with both Pease and Gribble.
[
* ]Jay Paulson
Joseph Andrew "Jay" Hughes Paulson is an American actor.
Personal life
Paulson was born in New York City, where he lived until 1984, when his father moved the family to Los Angeles.
Paulson graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in History and is a li ...
as Gerry
* Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Gavin
* Gabrielle Dennis
Gabrielle Dennis is an American actress and comedian, known mostly for her work in cable television series ('' The Game'', '' Blue Mountain State'', '' The Underground''). Dennis starred in the Fox medical drama '' Rosewood'' alongside Morris ...
as Tracey
* Amber Wallace as Ilona
* Shannon Holt as Debbie
* Austin Herring as Mr. Edwards
* Kelen Coleman as Stephanie
* Joe Inscoe as Mr. Brickman
* Matt Cornwell
Matt Cornwell (born 16 January 1985 in Leicester, England) is a former English rugby union player. He played as a fullback, fly-half and centre.
Learning his early rugby at Syston RFC and Oakham School, Cornwell played in two Daily Mail Cup F ...
as Rick Berger
* Preston Corbell as The Winged Monkey
* Damien Haas as Techie
* Tyler Easter as The Lion
* Brittney McNamara as Dorothy
* Jared Grimes as The Wiz
* Dylan Hubbard as The Tinman
* Chaz McNeil as Brendan/The Scarecrow
Production
''The Marc Pease Experience'' is Todd Louiso's second directorial project, having previously directed '' Love Liza'' (2002) and acted in minor roles in '' High Fidelity'' (2000), '' Thank You for Smoking'' (2006) and ''Snakes on a Plane
''Snakes on a Plane'' is a 2006 American action film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006, in North America. The film was written by David Dalessandro, John Heffernan, ...
'' (2006). Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician.
Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film '' Rushmore'', and has gone on to appear in six other Anderson films: ''The Darjeeling Limited'' (20 ...
was signed to star in the film by February 2007, with Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known ...
in talks.[ Final funding from ]Paramount Vantage
Paramount Vantage (also known as Paramount Classics) was a film distribution label of Paramount Pictures (which, in turn, has Paramount Global as its parent company), charged with producing, purchasing, distributing and marketing films, generall ...
and producer Michael London was received in early February, with production slated to start in March.[ Anna Kendrick's role in the film was announced in mid-April, after filming had begun.][
]Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
began on March 12, 2007 in the state of North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
, where the entirety of the film was shot. Various locations around Wilmington and New Hanover County
New Hanover County is one of 100 counties located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 225,702. Though the second-smallest NC county in land area, it is one of the most populous, as its county seat, Wilm ...
were used for filming,[ including Wilmington's Eugene Ashley High School and the school's auditorium. Filming continued through March and into April. On the last day of shooting at Eugene Ashley High, Stiller presented the school's morning announcements.][
A number of student interns from the ]University of North Carolina at Wilmington
The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW or UNC Wilmington) is a public research university in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina System and enrolls 17,499 undergraduate and graduate students ea ...
's Film Studies Department were actively involved in ''The Marc Pease Experience''s production as part of their internship program. After principal photography was completed, during post-production
Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments.
Th ...
Louiso "realized we needed to go back and add some stuff". The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike began at this time, however, and so there was a delay of six months before the extra scenes could be scripted and filmed.[
]
Release
Due to the consolidation of Paramount Vantage
Paramount Vantage (also known as Paramount Classics) was a film distribution label of Paramount Pictures (which, in turn, has Paramount Global as its parent company), charged with producing, purchasing, distributing and marketing films, generall ...
into Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, its parent studio, in June 2008, ''The Marc Pease Experience'' had a limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unit ...
into ten U.S. markets on August 21, 2009. The film opened in San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Dallas, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Seattle, Sacramento, and Boston in what was described by Drew Taylor of ''The Playlist'' as only "an obligation by the studio to release the film theatrically".[
]
Box office
The film grossed US$3,000 from ten screens on its opening weekend with a per-screen average of only $300. By the end of its domestic run, the film had grossed $4,033 and an international addition of $386,551, totaling $390,584.
Critical reception
Before the film's release, Alex Billington of FirstShowing.net dubbed it "the next '' Rushmore''" — which also starred Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician.
Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film '' Rushmore'', and has gone on to appear in six other Anderson films: ''The Darjeeling Limited'' (20 ...
in the lead — based on the similar character elements.
In spite of this early buzz, however, critical response was overwhelmingly negative. Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
called it "badly written and inertly directed, with actors who don't have a clue what drives their characters". 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 cr ...
's Nathan Rabin, in a "D+" review, asked, "Who could have guessed a concept as promising and long overdue as a musical Jason Schwartzman vehicle would lead to such a regrettable little nothing?"
On review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
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 Wan ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 18% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 3.18/10.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Marc Pease Experience, The
2009 films
2009 comedy films
American comedy films
Films about music and musicians
Films shot in North Carolina
Paramount Vantage films
Films scored by Christophe Beck
2000s English-language films
Films directed by Todd Louiso
2000s American films