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| Scene from The Lovers |
In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.
Released: May 5, 2017
Release Number: 49
Directed By: Azazel Jacobs
Starring: Debra Winger, Tracy Letts, Aidan Gillen
Plot: Debra Winger and Tracy Letts play a long-married, dispassionate couple who are both in the midst of serious affairs. But on the brink of calling it quits, a spark between them suddenly reignites, leading them into an impulsive romance.
In A24's most recent history, they were coming off one of their most youthful, explosive films with Free Fire: a film that was considered to be the longest shootout in cinematic history. It's why the sudden turn to an older audience seems like a jarring move, especially for a drama as nuanced and quiet as director Azazel Jacobs' The Lovers, starring Tracy Letts and Debra Winger as a couple who find that their extramarital affairs are no longer satisfying and return to their own humdrum lives. It's a comedy about romance in aging, and how sometimes it's best to love the one you're with. While the film may not have the flashiest of components for the studio's releases, it definitely had a lot of heart and humor that made it a nice change of pace after a manic, chaotic film that pushed the limits of what violence on screen could do.
The story begins with Jacobs, who has been a seasoned indie director for awhile at this point. He had worked on the HBO series Doll & Em and had a feature length career with such films as Terri. In some respects, he made The Lovers because Terri had one particular big fan: Debra Winger. The Oscar-nominated actress was a fan of the film and sought out Jacobs for potential collaborations. This flattered Jacobs, who looked for projects but didn't seem to find any. However, he did find one that was based on a simple premise in which an aging couple finds that having affairs are no longer satisfying. He imagined it in the vein of old Rock Hudson and Doris Day films, most notably Pillow Talk. Winger was the first to sign onto The Lovers and comparatively the rest fell on much, much more easily.
The big appeal of the film was in part that it deal with romance from an older perspective. Given that most films portray love at younger ages, the actors were drawn to the film because of what it allowed them to explore. Of course, Tracy Letts had an additional reason for signing onto the film. He claimed that when watching films with his wife, he would notice that the A24 logo was attached to all of the good ones. He wanted to make an A24 movie. Since Jacobs had connections with the studio, they were able to make that a reality. From there, Jacobs pretty much allowed Letts and Winger to define the cinematic marriage with their own personal details. He noted how Letts has a routine in his use of a pillow around the house. He also admired Winger's ability to be quiet and also expressive with her eyes, which told a story far greater than what was being portrayed. Add in a score that was booming with the energy of a Pillow Talk-era romantic comedy, and the film began to look like a modernized take on the genre. The film was shot in Santa Clarita Valley, CA during May of 2016, roughly a month after A24 agreed to distribute it.
The film would have its premiere roughly a year later at the Tribecca Film Festival in April 2017. Jacobs was initially nervous, wondering how audiences would take the film. He remembers grabbing his wife's hand in fear at first, but eventually letting go when he felt that it belonged to audiences now, and that they determined its legacy. The feedback was mostly positive and The Lovers was considered a film that doesn't get made and distributed all that often. With that said, it was a modest success for Jacobs, earning $2.1 million at the box office. The reviews were also generally positive reviews, earning an 85% on critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. The positive reviews reflected similar thoughts to Ryan Porter of Toronto Star, noting "Jacobs has delivered a two-handed character study and, in this mission, he is handily assisted by his two powerful leads." Barbara Shulgasser of Common Sense Media also praised its mature exploration of romance, suggesting "Mature drama about middle-aged couple; sex, cursing."Ken Eisener of George Straight tended to reflect the few negative reviews when writing "The cast works hard, but they still end up phoning it in." The film would go on to get an Independent Spirit Film Award nomination for Jacobs in the Best Screenplay category.
While it is a modest film with not a lot of flashy elements, The Lovers is a film that had the power to appeal to a demographic who didn't receive a lot of intelligent romantic comedies. Thanks to A24, it also started a partnership with Letts that would continue later in 2017 with the Oscar-nominated Lady Bird. For now, it was a sign of how diverse the output could be for a studio who was known for making edgier films geared at more eclectic audiences. What's more incredible is that their next film, The Exception, would mark only their 50th film release - and it would return them to war cinema for the first time since Remember. So where does five years, 50 films, and multiple Oscar winners get you? It gives you one of the most impressive run of films by any studio this decade. Now the question will be whether The Exception will be the best way to celebrate that honor.
Up Next: The Exception (2017)
In A24's most recent history, they were coming off one of their most youthful, explosive films with Free Fire: a film that was considered to be the longest shootout in cinematic history. It's why the sudden turn to an older audience seems like a jarring move, especially for a drama as nuanced and quiet as director Azazel Jacobs' The Lovers, starring Tracy Letts and Debra Winger as a couple who find that their extramarital affairs are no longer satisfying and return to their own humdrum lives. It's a comedy about romance in aging, and how sometimes it's best to love the one you're with. While the film may not have the flashiest of components for the studio's releases, it definitely had a lot of heart and humor that made it a nice change of pace after a manic, chaotic film that pushed the limits of what violence on screen could do.
The story begins with Jacobs, who has been a seasoned indie director for awhile at this point. He had worked on the HBO series Doll & Em and had a feature length career with such films as Terri. In some respects, he made The Lovers because Terri had one particular big fan: Debra Winger. The Oscar-nominated actress was a fan of the film and sought out Jacobs for potential collaborations. This flattered Jacobs, who looked for projects but didn't seem to find any. However, he did find one that was based on a simple premise in which an aging couple finds that having affairs are no longer satisfying. He imagined it in the vein of old Rock Hudson and Doris Day films, most notably Pillow Talk. Winger was the first to sign onto The Lovers and comparatively the rest fell on much, much more easily.
The big appeal of the film was in part that it deal with romance from an older perspective. Given that most films portray love at younger ages, the actors were drawn to the film because of what it allowed them to explore. Of course, Tracy Letts had an additional reason for signing onto the film. He claimed that when watching films with his wife, he would notice that the A24 logo was attached to all of the good ones. He wanted to make an A24 movie. Since Jacobs had connections with the studio, they were able to make that a reality. From there, Jacobs pretty much allowed Letts and Winger to define the cinematic marriage with their own personal details. He noted how Letts has a routine in his use of a pillow around the house. He also admired Winger's ability to be quiet and also expressive with her eyes, which told a story far greater than what was being portrayed. Add in a score that was booming with the energy of a Pillow Talk-era romantic comedy, and the film began to look like a modernized take on the genre. The film was shot in Santa Clarita Valley, CA during May of 2016, roughly a month after A24 agreed to distribute it.
The film would have its premiere roughly a year later at the Tribecca Film Festival in April 2017. Jacobs was initially nervous, wondering how audiences would take the film. He remembers grabbing his wife's hand in fear at first, but eventually letting go when he felt that it belonged to audiences now, and that they determined its legacy. The feedback was mostly positive and The Lovers was considered a film that doesn't get made and distributed all that often. With that said, it was a modest success for Jacobs, earning $2.1 million at the box office. The reviews were also generally positive reviews, earning an 85% on critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. The positive reviews reflected similar thoughts to Ryan Porter of Toronto Star, noting "Jacobs has delivered a two-handed character study and, in this mission, he is handily assisted by his two powerful leads." Barbara Shulgasser of Common Sense Media also praised its mature exploration of romance, suggesting "Mature drama about middle-aged couple; sex, cursing."Ken Eisener of George Straight tended to reflect the few negative reviews when writing "The cast works hard, but they still end up phoning it in." The film would go on to get an Independent Spirit Film Award nomination for Jacobs in the Best Screenplay category.
While it is a modest film with not a lot of flashy elements, The Lovers is a film that had the power to appeal to a demographic who didn't receive a lot of intelligent romantic comedies. Thanks to A24, it also started a partnership with Letts that would continue later in 2017 with the Oscar-nominated Lady Bird. For now, it was a sign of how diverse the output could be for a studio who was known for making edgier films geared at more eclectic audiences. What's more incredible is that their next film, The Exception, would mark only their 50th film release - and it would return them to war cinema for the first time since Remember. So where does five years, 50 films, and multiple Oscar winners get you? It gives you one of the most impressive run of films by any studio this decade. Now the question will be whether The Exception will be the best way to celebrate that honor.
Up Next: The Exception (2017)
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