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Philip Seymour Hoffman Directing Jack Goes Boating Adaptation

by Alex Billington
August 15, 2008

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is making his directorial debut with Jack Goes Boating, a big screen adaptation of an off-Broadway play that debuted last year. Before anyone stops reading after hearing that it's a play, you've got to hear the concept. The play is a quirky romantic drama about two stoners in love, one a limo driver who "embarks on such quixotic missions as cooking and swimming lessons", and the other another lovable loser. Hoffman actually stars in the play (as seen above) and has never directed a film before, although he has directed plays. The film will be produced by Big Beach Films (of Little Miss Sunshine) and Hoffman's Cooper's Town Productions, although there is no start date just yet.

The New York Times gave a very positive review to the play last year, saying "you're likely to leave the theater with a contact high from the ripe pleasure that Mr. Hoffman and his cast mates derive from portraying everyday eccentrics." They even compare it to Little Miss Sunshine, mentioning that it "pushes the same buttons so adroitly manipulated by Little Miss Sunshine." What a perfect time to announce that this is in the works, coming off of the buzz from Pineapple Express, another great stoner comedy. And reading about Hoffman's exquisite performance as a pothead not only makes me even more excited to see him in Synecdoche, New York, but also builds my interest in this project as well. It may not be anything that you've ever heard of before, but I'm expecting you will be hearing a lot about it in the near future.

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