“Curb Your Enthusiasm” co-star Jeff Garlin premieres his feature directorial debut, Chicago-and-L.A.-shot “I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With,” at the Tribeca Film Festival, which runs April 25-May 7.
Garlin based “Eat Cheese” on his one-man show at Second City. He stars as “an overweight, underappreciated Chicago actor in search of a soul mate.”
According to the festival program, “The urban, odd-man-out humor is reminiscent of early Woody Allen, but the angst remains low-key in this highly personal, immensely likable film.”
The movie co-stars Sarah Silverman (“Jesus is Magic”), Amy Sedaris (“Strangers with Candy”) and Bonnie Hunt (“Return to Me”), and features Dan Castellaneta, Steve Dahl, Tim Kazurinsky, Paul Mazursky, David Pasquesi, and Larry Neumann, Jr.
The extensive producing team includes Harold Ramis, Steve Pink, and composer Rob Kolson. Misty Tosh of fatcake productions is line producer. Pete Biagi (“Eden Court”) is DP.
“Everything is subjugated for the comedy and the liveness to come out,” said Biagi, who also shot Chicago native Garlin in Pete Jones’ local indie comedy “Outing Riley.”
“Jeff loves working with people who can improvise a lot, like on ?Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ and the results are absolutely hilarious,” Biagi said.
Three Arts Entertainment co-produced with Garlin’s Sawin and Puddin. Principal photography ran on-and-off from spring to fall 2004.
Garlin played series creator Larry David’s manager on the five-season HBO comedy series “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and also directed episodes of that show. He was a regular on “Arrested Development” and “Mad About You,” and directed Denis Leary’s and Jon Stewart’s HBO specials.
The pilot for his “Jack Benny-style variety show” “The Jeff Garlin Program” is in the pipeline at TBS.
