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This week on BEHIND THE LENS, we\u2019ve got a lotta laughs thanks to director\/writer\/producer GREG PORPER and co-director\/co-writer\/ and editor JOHN SCHIMKE, who talk about their new, and often side-splitting comedy that opens this Friday, DON\u2019T TELL LARRY. \u00a0And who doesn\u2019t love musical theater, especially fresh off last week\u2019s exhilarating Tony Awards? \u00a0Also on hand talking about their new film and first collaboration, EVERYTHING\u2019S GOING TO BE GREAT, are two filmmakers whose work I have long admired, director JON S. BAIRD and writer\/producer STEVEN ROGERS.<\/p>\n
Kicking things off is my exclusive interview with director JON S. BAIRD and his partner in crime for EVERYTHING\u2019S GOING TO BE GREAT, writer STEVEN ROGERS. \u00a0I had the pleasure and privilege and speaking with Jon several years ago about his delightful film Stan & Ollie<\/em> and before that, Filth<\/em>. \u00a0Jon is a gifted and thoughtful director who brings his light touch to EVERYTHING\u2019S GOING TO BE GREAT. \u00a0And Steven Rogers, well, you all know some of his films – I, Tonya<\/em>, the wonderful Hope Floats<\/em> with Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr, and Gena Rowlands, Stepmom<\/em>, and he\u2019s the man who came up with the story for Kate & Leopold<\/em> starring Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan.<\/p>\nEVERYTHING\u2019S GOING TO BE GREAT is a love letter to the theater and everyone who had a dream. \u00a0A dramedy at heart, as we hear with the rousing opening strains \u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s No Business Like Show Business\u201d, we meet the Smart family. \u00a0Led by Buddy and Macy Smart, theirs is an unpredictable life of regional theatre while trying to raise their sons, Les and Derrick. \u00a0Les dreams of nothing but a future in the theatre (and dare I say that his dreams also include conversations with Tallulah Bankhead, Noel Coward, and Ruth Gordon) while Derrick wants only to stay in one place, go to school, have friends, and play football. \u00a0Often living on a shoestring, if even that, Buddy refuses to give up on his dreams for the family, while Macy has to try and keep the family together and afloat. \u00a0A true journey of self-discovery while grappling with identity and belonging, each member of the Smart family learns the power of owning the spotlight, no matter what stage of life you\u2019re in.<\/p>\n
A fantastic cast is led by Bryan Cranston and Allison Janney, with a scene-stealing and show-stopping performance by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Les. Jack Champion stars as Derrick\u2014you probably know Jack from films like SCREAM 6, FREAKY TALES, and RETRIBUTION. Chris Cooper pops in as Macy\u2019s estranged brother, Walter.<\/p>\n
Solid production values, first-rate performances, especially when Cranston and Ainsworth are together, this is a film not to be missed. So take a listen as JON S. BAIRD and STEVEN ROGERS as they talk about EVERYTHING\u2019S GOING TO BE GREAT, from their collaboration and the film’s origins to casting challenges particularly for the roles of Les and Derrick to the upbeat positive atmosphere on the set led by Cranston and Janney to Rolfe Kent\u2019s score to balancing comedy and drama to the beautiful visual style courtesy of cinematographer Mark Wolf which grounded the film in reality while incorporating stylized elements.<\/p>\n
EVERYTHING’S GOING TO BE GREAT is in theaters June 20, 2025.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
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