kaitlyn dever – The Comedy Bureau

Coastal Elites Trailer Shows HBO’s First Socially Distant Original Production

August 17, 2020

coastal elites, dan levy, hbo, issa rae, jay roach, kaitlyn dever, paul rudnick, Sarah Paulson, trailer

The complete unveiling of HBO’s first socially distanced original production is just around the corner. Pretty quickly into quarantine, HBO put Coastal Elites into production with director Jay Roach and writer Paul Rudnick and very, very star studded cast of Bette Midler, Kaitlyn Dever, Dan Levy, Sarah Paulson, and Issa Rae.

The prestige of a network such as HBO wouldn’t dare settle for a simple lo-fi Zoom look even though every cast member has to perform a monologue to camera by themselves. So, as you can see in this very first trailer, they really make use of very dramatic lighting and subtle (or not so in Paulson’s case) set decoration to give some sort of stately, theatrical look.

It does come off as sort of a stage play with individual performances that exude the title “Coastal Elites”, but the more than capable cast has us drawn in just to see exactly what Roach, Rudnick, and HBO are attempting to pull off.

We won’t really find out until Coastal Elites premieres on Sat. Sept. 12th on HBO, but you can get a very sweet, but short taste in the trailer here.

HBO Made an Entirely Remotely Produced Under Quarantine Satire, “Coastal Elites”

June 17, 2020

News

Bette Middler, coastal elites, dan levy, hbo, issa rae, kaitlyn dever, Sarah Paulson

It’s inevitable that some upcoming television and film will speak to the unprecedented time that we live in now. Already, Parks and Recreation and Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest have made remote specials/episodes.

Now, HBO is stepping into the realm of remotely-made-specials-in-quarantine with the upcoming Coastal Elites from writer Paul Rudnick and director Jay Roach (maybe you caught his Bombshell right before the pandemic reared its ugly head). Boasting a dream cast of Bette Middler, Kaitlyn Dever, Dan Levy, Sarah Paulson, and Issa Rae, the special will hone in on the sort of tension and anxiety that the pandemic has brought to us all, especially when it comes to where we all stand politically.

Thus far, shows/networks that have attempted to do remotely produced content have gotten incredibly clever with how to tell a story while in lockdown, especially as they’ve been making “very special episodes” of pre-existing shows. Coastal Elites will stand as an original stand-alone special and will very likely have a lot more leeway with what they can do rather than trying to figure out why Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are in the same room even though they are enemies on Parks and Recreation.

The September premiere date would also suggest that Rudnick and Roach are going to take their time to make the most out of watching, presumably, talk directly to camera.

Enjoy the First Six Minutes of Booksmart Before Seeing It This Weekend

May 25, 2019

Uncategorized

beanie feldstein, booksmart, kaitlyn dever, olivia wilde

We already said our peace about the wonderful feature debut from Olivia Wilde, Booksmart. In short, it’s a high school buddy comedy that’s not only timely, but hopeful for the future (and gives star making turns for Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever).

Booksmart is now in theaters nationwide and, again, you absolutely should go see it. If you need more goading, then get into the first six minutes that Annapurna has been nice enough to put up on YouTube.

Booksmart Is the Coming-of-Age Comedy of the Summer

May 17, 2019

Uncategorized

annapurna, beanie feldstein, booksmart, kaitlyn dever, olivia wilde

Sure, this Summer hasn’t every officially kicked off yet, but we’re so charmed by Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut with Booksmart to say that it should reign in the coming-of-age comedy sub genre in 2019 like Blockers did in 2018.

First off, we want to say that Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever’s performances really are the sparks that get this movie cooking. Their performances, for our money, should put Hollywood on notice of their arrival.

Overall, there’s a certain hope that we get from how Gen Z is depicted throughout the movie in a way that avoids being disingenuous. It’s refreshing to see a teen comedy that has hope for the future as its two leads are both high achievers, but are also fully realized as teens clawing for their first taste of freedom. The framework for the classic high school buddy comedy is there without pandering to any generation in particular.

One could very easily say that it’s a “woke Superbad”, but that is being too reductive of our tastes and ignores the nuances that Wilde and writers Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katherine Silberman, Emily Halpern crafted into the film. Booksmart truly manages a delicate balance of being a broad comedy, but still having lot of heart and warmth without forcing it.

Booksmart comes out nationwide on May 24th, but there are special advanced screenings that start tomorrow. Get all the details here.

Olivia Wilde’s Directorial Debut “Booksmart” Could Be This Year’s Blockers

March 13, 2019

Uncategorized

beanie feldstein, booksmart, kaitlyn dever, olivia wilde, red band trailer, trailer

Blockers was a pleasant surprise last year as a heartfelt, yet still widely appealing teen comedy for these times.

Enter Olivia Wilde’s first feature as a director Booksmart with a script written by Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katherine Silberman, Emily Halpern, which very well could be that kind of film for 2019. It has overtones of Blockers and Superbad, and, from the looks of this red band trailer, a lot of promise like those predecessors. The duo of stars Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein seem have a very charming, yet grounded chemistry and the trailer doesn’t seem to be giving all the best set pieces and jokes away (unlike so many teen comedies these days).

If you’re into it, look for Booksmart to start rolling out in theaters at the end of May on Memorial Day Weekend.