Michelle to star in French Exit

YAYYYYYY super exciting it better be good haha

Maybe on any normal year this would of gone to Toronto but with everything that's going on they didn't see a need for it to play all the festivals. I just hope the film is received well and it's not another let down.

Good points from you both. But I just see Ammonite doing just about every festival, The Father doing just about every one and Nomadland doing every single one and wonder why it's not happening with this one too. Just find it curious.

As far as other festivals after NYFF, the only one I think it can do is AFI and maybe Berlin? I believe Sundance has a rule all their films have to be world premieres, but I could be wrong and they also might relax that rule this year, who knows.

I saw someone on GoldDerby say that he has heard from several people that Pfeiffer is fantastic in FE. Take it with a grain of salt because it's just a random message board user, but just adds to the buzz.

Oh that's a decent runtime.

So I don't know if this film will be shown virtually or just in person, but right now NYFF is offering a discount if you want to sign up to be a member and get early ticketing access and discounts. You could also call them and ask if they have any idea if this film will be available to screen online if you sign up just to be sure:

I just listened to Anne Thompson and Eric Kohn's podcast (probably the most credible Oscar pundits), and they briefly discussed French Exit's NYFF. They basically said:

1. They assume French Exit will have a theatrical run because Sony Classics managed to get the movie in a festival.
2. Michelle is definitely going to be in the running for the Oscars. They said Sony Classics will definitely push hard for her.
3. The advantage of this movie (and Michelle) over other possible Oscar contenders right now is that it has a slot. She said she assumed other Oscar contenders were looking for festival slots, but were probably unsuccessful (so far). So other contenders are in the bubble right now. French Exit's a little more definite.

I just listened to this too! I was hoping one of them had some insider info about the film's quality or her performance though.

On a side note, I hate how Anne talks over and interrupts Eric ALL THE TIME.

Thanks! Man, among other things, they want previous festival pieces (if not NYFF, then other fests), an official letter of assignment from my editor, ethnicity/gender/sexual orientation info!! Sheesh!!

I wonder though if Pfeiffer is going to be more involved with her awards campaign this time (I'm assuming it will push through). Especially now with her Instagram, she's never been this visible and accessible. I think somebody posted a video of Kate Hudson (?) here talking about Michelle, how they don't really know each other, but because of IG they've become sort of friends. I also see a lot of actresses engaging with her on IG. I feel like she's a lot more visible to actual Oscar voters right now through her IG. It could be helpful, given that she seems to hate the in-person aggressive campaigning in the past.

Agree about the Anne Thompson comment - she is full of herself but I'm such a movie geek I that can't help but like her. 

Re: Pfeiffer's IG - she has a number of celeb fan girls following her. Naomi Watts always likes her postings. 

True, her Oscar chances depend greatly on the quality of the film. Hoping DeWitt's script is great, ditto Jacob's direction. I hope the film delivers on the quirkiness and surreal feeling of the novel. It has a real shot at saying something pointed about the upper 1% in these divisive times. There's a lot of crazy, entitled behavior to mock.

This role seems perfect for Michelle and I hope she runs with it all the to the Oscar podium, virtual or in person. 

The last Sony Classics title to have its World Premiere on Closing Night of NYFF was...Miles Ahead. Not great. Let's hope for better results with this film. Also that film went on to play at Sundance, so I was wrong about what I said earlier. FE could do both too.

That's a good date! Just in time for awards eligibility. Although that's quite a long while from the NYFF premiere, I think that means they'll take it to Sundance and other festivals as well to continue the buzz closer to the actual release. Also I think this further shows SPC thinks at least Pfeiffer can be a major contender.

I don't wanna be the downer here cuz that's just not my brand lol but is that maybe too close to the end of awards in terms of dates/timing? I keep thinking about how much traction Jennifer Aniston got with Cake back in 2014 and then despite all the buzz around her, blew her chances cuz her and the producers held off releasing the film until virtually the last minute. How confident are we that this won't be a similar outcome for French Exit? I know personally, unless something INCREDIBLY high profile gets a screening/release at the last minute (such as Scorsese's Silence back in...2016??), a lot of awards voters will be done and checked out from the process. That's usually what happens with me and others in AFCA. You just get too burned out and already know who you like. So basically I need somebody ease my fears and tell me this isn't gonna be an 11th hour plea for French Exit and Michelle lol

Ok, I hope so!! As someone who deals with a few awards seasons under my belt, there's nothing more annoying than a film/performance showing up at the last minute and the expectation for us to be automatically wowed and taken by it. It's a huge turn off for voters.