Dysfunctional families have been extremely fertile ground for Hollywood for a long time, as has been made clear by the abundance of dramas like August: Osage Country and Nebraska, and comedies like Little Miss Sunshine and the upcoming This Is Where I Leave You. Now, audiences can look forward to another film that explores broken family dynamics – Are You Here, which stars Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakis.
A new trailer for the flick, which focuses on a weatherman (Wilson) who accompanies his childhood friend (Galifianakis) to the reading of his late father’s will, has hit the web, and you can check it out below.
Normally, the involvement of Wilson and Galifianakis alone would be enough to get me excited, but the supporting cast for Are You Here is also superb. Amy Poehler (NBC’s Parks & Recreation) plays Terry, sister of Galifianakis’ flighty man-child, who understandably isn’t too happy when her brother inherits a large sum of money, their father’s business and his estate.
Jenna Fischer (NBC’s The Office), Melissa Rauch (CBS’s The Big Bang Theory), Laura Lapkus (Netflix’s Orange is the New Black), Laura Ramsey (She’s the Man), Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show), Alana de la Garza (NBC’s short-lived Do No Harm) and Edward Herrmann (The Lost Boys) all also have roles.
The most intriguing part of Are You Here, though, is the involvement of Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, who both wrote the script and directed. Mad Men is a very good but often grim and serious drama, so seeing Weiner work on a drastically different project should be interesting. The man’s skill is undeniable, but whether he’ll take to comedy as well as he has to drama remains to be seen.
Are You Here opens on VOD and in theaters on August 22nd.
