Directed by:
Lina RoesslerScreenplay:
Anthony GriecoCinematography:
Claudine SauvéComposer:
Paul Leonard-MorganCast:
Aubrey Plaza, Michael Caine, Cary Elwes, Ellen Wong, Scott Speedman, Elana Dunkelman, Veronica Ferres, Victoria Sanchez, Frank Schorpion, Philip Le Maistre (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Harris Shaw is still typing on his rickety typewriter, even though he likes to bellow into his (rotary dial) phone that he is long dead. He coughs and swears, drinks and smokes, quite unlike Lucy Stanbridge, heir to the publishing house which made it big half a century ago with the author’s successful novel, “Atomic Autumn”. While the old curmudgeon has turned his back on life, the energetic young woman jogs through New York’s Upper East Side, receiving live updates from her ambitious assistant about (falling) sales figures and (crushing) influencer blogs. A book tour, of all things, with the old boy and his new work is meant to save the publishing house. But the old codger is a real pain in the arse. Spewed out in a British accent, his “bullshite!” quickly becomes the hashtag of a generation of US hipsters – but it doesn’t sell any books. In her directing debut, Lina Roessler stages Lucy and Harris’ at times absurd, at others heartfelt motel trip as a road movie in which Aubrey Plaza has to pull out all the stops to brave Sir Michael Caine (who was born, we should remember, in 1933). And she succeeds. In the end, this visibly moves not only the grumpy old man, but also all fans of literary films – and, of course, of Caine himself. (Berlinale)
(more)Cast
Aubrey Plaza
USA
Best movies:
Monsters University (2013)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Ned Rifle (2014)
Michael Caine
UK
Best movies:
The Dark Knight (2008)
Inception (2010)
The Prestige (2006)
Cary Elwes
UK
Best movies:
Stranger Things (2016) (series)
Hot Shots! (1991)
Saw (2004)
Ellen Wong
Canada
Best movies:
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
The Christmas Setup (2020) (TV movie)
Best Sellers (2021)
Scott Speedman
UK
Best movies:
My Life Without Me (2003)
The Vow (2012)
Net Worth (1995) (TV movie)
Elana Dunkelman
Canada
Best movies:
My Salinger Year (2020)
Best Sellers (2021)
Troll: The Tale of a Tail (2018)
Veronica Ferres
West Germany
Best movies:
Les Misérables (2000) (series)
Neger, Neger, Schornsteinfeger (2006) (TV movie)
Das Wunder von Berlin (2008) (TV movie)
Victoria Sanchez
Spain
Best movies:
A Dog's Journey (2019)
Wolf Girl (2001) (TV movie)
Mambo Italiano (2003)
Frank Schorpion
Canada
Best movies:
Race (2016)
Human Trafficking (2005) (TV movie)
To Catch a Killer (2023)
Philip Le Maistre
Best movies:
Tangled (2010)
The Jackal (1997)
Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (1999) (TV movie)
Christopher Hayes
Best movies:
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (2015) (TV movie)
Bon Cop Bad Cop 2 (2017)
Fatherhood (2021)
Alexandra Petrachuk
USA
Best movies:
On the Basis of Sex (2018)
The Voyeurs (2021)
Best Sellers (2021)
Frank Fiola
Canada
Best movies:
Arrival (2016)
Scream VI (2023)
Best Sellers (2021)