May

Tribeca Films Acquires North American Rights to Jagjaguwar-Produced, The Comedy

Tribeca Film announced today that it has acquired all North American rights to The Comedy, director Rick Alverson’s provocative character study, which is already one of the most talked about films since it bowed at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

The film, which Variety called “compulsively fascinating,” and Film Threat noted as “one of the most wildly inappropriate and pitch black comedies I’ve ever seen” also played South by Southwest and is set for BAMcinemaFEST this June, will be released in October 2012. Jagjaguwar, the prominent independent music label known for artists such as Bon Iver and Sharon Van Etten, produced The Comedy in conjunction with Greyshack Films and Larry Fessenden’s Glass Eye Pix, along with Mike S. Ryan and Brent Kunkle producing. Rough House Pictures, the Production Company of Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, and Matt Reilly attached themselves to the film during Sundance.

Tribeca Film plans a select theatrical release day and date with on-demand platforms where it will be available in 40+ million homes through a variety of video-on-demand offerings, as well as iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, VUDU, Xbox and Samsung Media Hub.

On the cusp of inheriting his father’s estate, Swanson (Tim Heidecker, “Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”) is a man with unlimited options. An aging hipster in Brooklyn, he spends his days in aimless recreation with like-minded friends (“Tim & Eric” co-star Eric Wareheim, LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy and comedian Gregg Turkington a.k.a.“Neil Hamburger”) in games of comic irreverence and mock sincerity. As Swanson grows restless of the safety a sheltered life offers him, he tests the limits of acceptable behavior, pushing the envelope in every way he can. Heidecker’s deadpan delivery cleverly masks a deep desire for connection and sense in the modern world. The Comedy wears its name on its sleeve, but director Rick Alverson’s powerful and provocative character study touches a darkness behind the humor that resonates with viewers long after the story ends.

“Tim Heidecker’s performance pushes the limits and the result is a film that feels refreshingly new and fearless,” said Geoff Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “We look forward to the film sparking conversation and debate when it reaches a wider audience through Tribeca Film.”

“My hope is that The Comedy may be seen as both a challenging, cautionary tale and an unapologetic immersion in a culture of irony and recreational cruelty many have come to find liberating,” said Rick Alverson. “We’re very happy to be in the competent hands of Tribeca Film and look forward to a partnership that will bring this movie to a wide audience.”

The deal was negotiated for Tribeca Film by acquisitions consultant Randy Manis and Nick Savva, Director of Acquisitions, and on behalf of the filmmakers by Josh Braun and David Koh of Submarine.

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