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Fox Searchlight Picks Up Jay and Mark Duplass' Table 19

by Alex Billington
April 7, 2009

Who are Jay and Mark Duplass? Well, if you haven't seen The Puffy Chair or Baghead yet, then you might as well hit Netflix and spend some time catching up this weekend. Not only are they great directors, but Mark Duplass has been trying his hand at acting, too, with a big role in the Sundance sensation Humpday. Fox Searchlight has picked up the pitch for their latest film, called Table 19, a half-comedy half-drama about the experiences of those wedding guests quarantined at the dreaded "singles table." Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy and Tom McNulty of 21 Laps will produce the ensemble comedy.

The idea was originally based on Tom McNulty's stories from attending a good friend's wedding in England. "We had tried to crack this idea with several writers over the years, and we were always huge fans of Mark and Jay Duplass," McNulty said. "When they said they wanted it to be their next film to write and direct, we were thrilled." Their version is told from the points of view of the strangers randomly thrown together, and the story explores what marriage means to those on the sidelines. The Duplass Brothers also have Safety Man in the works as well, and being a big fan of the two, I'm always excited to see their latest work.

Explore tags: Movie News, Opinions

schizznic

wow a whole post on Duplass without using the word mumblecore.
Bonniedune

Good for them. Great guys, great directors.
scm1000

Yeah, if you get the The Puffy Chair or Baghead you ought to know they're both basically no-budget movies made on hand-held cameras with natural light, and are often classified as "mumblecore." That is, the actors all try to talk and act as natural and realistic as possible within the context f their characters, and it almost feels like watching real people. THis would be okay if the people were interesting and likable, but they really aren't. You feel like yelling at the characters all the time for being stupid and getting irritated at them, instead of feeling their pain and empathizing. Baghead is actually OK, but I hated The Puffy Chair with a passion. Just my opinion.