Ari Graynor and Lauren Anne Miller -
Movie
By Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist
Ari Graynor and Lauren
Anne Miller
Team Up On The Phone For
A Good Time!
 |
| L-R Lauren Miller, Ari Graynor Focus Features Photo |
When one is up against the wall and has to
make choices to survive, some pretty bazaar situations could be the result. In
the movie “For a Good Time, Call,”
roommates Katie and Lauren are in a pinch for money so they hatch up a scheme
to start a phone sex line. Katie is played by Boston, MA, native Ari Graynor
and Lauren is played by Long Island, NY, by way of
 |
| Lauren Miller and Ari Graynor Focus Features Photo |
Lakeland, FL native and
Florida State University Film School grad Lauren Anne Miller. The film is based
on the real life phone sex exploits of its co-writer/producer Katie Anne Naylon
who actually ran a real phone sex line from her dorm room while in college at
Florida State where she and Lauren were actual roommates. Lauren was a film
major and Katie was a creative writing major. Some years after graduation the
two hooked up again, started writing together and walla; came up with the
script that led to “For A Good Time,
Call.”
Even though the movie hinges on a sexual
theme, there are lines in it that are true and hit close to home. What should
one take away from this film if anything? Graynor explains, “I think what’s
nice about the movie is let’s just say it’s like a sex positive movie. There
can often be so much needless shame about women and their sexuality and owning
that part of yourself and using it as a way to get to know yourself better. But
I also know in this movie there’s an emotional
attachment to the sex part.
It’s
like yes, we have this phone sex line and yes we say some crazy things. But we
wanted to make sure that phone sex stuff was always funny first and never make
it overly sexy” Did the actors have to do any actual research on the phone sex
industry? Again Graynor responds, “I was very skilled already. No I’m just
kidding. It’s really tricky to keep phone sex from being overly sexual and it’s
that sweet spot of how to make it just real enough so that you don’t get taken
out of the movie. So it’s not too dirty, it’s too over sexual it’s not too
titillating. If anything it was about kind of keeping your mind away from the
sort of usual mechanical idea of what a phone sex conversation would be if
you’ve got a way to turn it into comedy.”
One could easily classify this movie as a
so-called “Chick-Flick” or “Girly Movie” because it shows the up and down,
rollercoaster type relationship that Katie and Lauren have throughout the film.
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| L-R Ari, James Wolk, Lauren Focus Features Photo |
What was it like for the two actors to keep that tipsy-topsy balance throughout
the entire movie? Miller laughs, “You know friendships are delicate, they’re
layered and they’re tricky and we really wanted to explore the fact that girls
can hate each other for no reason. Sometimes your best friend is not a clone of
you. They can be someone very different from who you are and can enrich your
life in such a way and open you up. It was that balance throughout the whole
script. It was like how can these two girls find themselves and find each
other. And that’s what it was; it was about that balancing act.”
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| L-R Jamie Travis (Director) Lauren, Seth Rogan, Katie Naylon (Writer/Producer) RC photo |
Miller and Naylon heard no after no and
went through the high waters and hell fire to make this movie independently to
end up having it picked up by Focus Features Films at Sundance. Miller
thankfully says, “I mean this doesn’t happen. We’re very aware that very few
movies that are made this way end up at the Four Seasons (the press junket
hotel) talking to you lovely people (the press), you know what I mean?
I’m
excited to see what happens next. When asked about the backlash from the
jealous haters? Miller laughs again,
“I’ll be flattered and it is already happening. If people aren’t on the message
board saying bad things about you – you are a failure!That can only mean good
things are happening if people are saying nasty things on the internet.”
©
2012 Rych McCain Media/Syndication tm
(You DID Hear It From Me!)
E-Mail:
feedbackrych@sbcglobal.net
