It wouldn’t be Sundance without an emotionally nuanced dissection of male fragility and the weirdness of life from the Duplass brothers.
This year’s festival will play home to at least one melancholic buddy comedy from the Duplass brothers, thanks to Alex Lehmann’s “Paddleton.” The dramedy reunited the three-time filmmaker with his “Blue Jay” writer and star Mark Duplass — who also produced the film, alongside his brother Jay Duplass — and adds in beloved “Big Sick” co-star Ray Romano for a story of two mismatched pals who undertake an “unexpectedly emotional journey.”
Per the film’s official synopsis: “An unlikely friendship between two misfit neighbors becomes an unexpectedly emotional journey when the younger man is diagnosed with terminal cancer.” The film’s first trailer doesn’t shy away form the tough stuff — Duplass’ character is terminally ill, and he’s hellbent on doing some bucket list stuff before ending his life on his own terms — but it also plays up the bond between the film’s main characters without getting too deep into the “misfit” side of their lives.
