Based on his play by the same name, Neil LaBute's script follows a successful writer (Adam Brody) who, on the eve of his wedding, travels across the country to meet up with ex-lovers in an attempt to make amends for past relationship transgressions. Crisscrossing from Seattle to Boston, he reunites with high school sweetheart SAM (Jennifer Morrison), sexually free-spirited TYLER (Mia Maestro), married college professor LINDSAY (Emily Watson), his best friend’s little sister REGGIE (Zoe Kazan), and “the one that got away" BOBBI (Kristen Bell). Daisy von Scherler Mayer (PARTY GIRL) directs this journey of a modern-day Candide stumbling through a landscape familiar to most men—messy breakups.
Director's Statement
MAN: “You can’t compare some war with me not calling you!“
BOBBI: “Yes, I can. And I will. And I stand by it.”
Is he a toxic bachelor or a misguided romantic? A sensitive seeker or a sadist? Making SOME GIRL(S) was like staying up all night with a friend hashing out our most complicated relationships – the ones that still gnaw at us years later. The scenes were so much longer and more dense than normal film scenes that the process felt voyeuristic – like listening to your neighbors break-up through the apartment wall. I would catch the most unlikely crew members standing riveted at the monitors. Yes, we were all living in the play, the film, the therapist’s office.
It's such a pleasure to work on a script as rich and complex as this. Neil LaBute holds up such an unflinching mirror to his characters we knew that we had to stay true to these complex people in all their awkwardness and authenticity. Each scene had a rigorous rehearsal process and the actors worked tirelessly – digging deeper with each new approach. Because the audience’s relationship with the characters is constantly shifting, we wanted the camera to organically follow their lead. The camera also subtly reflects the different women; Emily Watson’s scene as Lindsay is shot with more elegance, on a dolly, while Mia Maestro’s Tyler literally loses focus and Zoe Kazan’s raw performance as Reggie is shot handheld. The text also dictated when we shifted perspective to allow for funnier or more dramatic lighting. We wanted to keep the visuals interesting given that these intense, intimate scenes are confined to a series of very specific rooms. Exploring the script, interpreting the characters, visually enhancing their story -- this process is nothing new, it’s as old as drama itself. But it’s so rare that you get to do it!
Honestly, my hope is that after watching the movie people will be debating the characters in it. If we’ve really done our job, then some might even go home and call their best friend or their brother so that they can talk, one more time, about that relationship, the one that got away, the one you’re still trying to figure out...
