It’s Kind of a Funny Story

World-premiering at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. What’s a 16-year-old boy doing playing music and table tennis with adult psychiatric patients – on a school day? It’s kind of a funny story…It’s Kind of a Funny Story, adapted from Ned Vizzini’s 2006 novel of the same name, is the new comedy-drama from acclaimed writer/directors Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden.

It’s @5:00 AM on a Sunday in Brooklyn. Craig Gilner (played by Keir Gilchrist of “United States of Tara”) is bicycling up to the entrance of a mental health clinic; this bright 16-year-old is stressed out from the demands of being a teenager. Before his parents (Lauren Graham [of “Parenthood”] and Jim Gaffigan [of Away We Go]) and younger sister are even awake, Craig checks himself into Argenon Hospital and is admitted by a psychiatrist. But the youth ward is temporarily closed – so he finds himself stuck in the adult ward. One of the patients, Bobby (Zach Galifianakis of The Hangover), soon becomes both Craig’s mentor and protégé. Craig is also quickly drawn to another 16-year-old displaced to the adult ward, the sensitive Noelle (Emma Roberts of the upcoming Scream 4), who just might make him forget his longtime unrequited crush Nia (Zoë Kravitz of the upcoming Mad Max). With a minimum five days’ stay imposed on him by the adult ward’s staff psychiatrist Dr. Eden Minerva (Academy Award nominee Viola Davis), Craig is sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside as he learns more about life, love, and the pressures of growing up.

Opens in limited release October 8th.

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Going the Distance

Erin’s (Drew Barrymore) wry wit and unfiltered frankness charm newly single Garrett (Justin Long) over beer, bar trivia and breakfast the next morning. Their chemistry sparks a full-fledged summer fling, but neither expects it to last once Erin heads home to San Francisco and Garrett stays behind for his job in New York City. But when six weeks of romping through the city inadvertently become meaningful, neither is sure they want it to end. And while Garrett’s friends, Box (Jason Sudeikis) and Dan (Charlie Day), joke about his pre-flight calorie-cutting and his full-time relationship with his cell phone, they don’t like losing their best drinking buddy to yet another rocky romance. At the same time, Erin’s high-strung, overprotective married sister, Corrine (Christina Applegate), wants to keep Erin from heading down an all-too-familiar road.

But despite the opposite coasts, the nay-saying friends and family, and a few unexpected temptations, the couple just might have found something like love, and with the help of a lot of texting, sexting and late-night phone calls, they might actually go the distance.

Academy Award®-nominated documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein (“On the Ropes”) makes her feature film directorial debut with “Going the Distance.” The film is written by Geoff LaTulippe and stars Golden Globe Award winner Drew Barrymore (“Grey Gardens”), Justin Long (“He’s Just Not That Into You”), Charlie Day (TV’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), Jason Sudeikis (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Jim Gaffigan (“17 Again”) and Golden Globe Award nominee Christina Applegate (TV’s “Samantha Who?” and “Jesse”).

The film is produced by Adam Shankman (“17 Again”), Jennifer Gibgot (“The Last Song”) and Garrett Grant (“Hairspray”). Dave Neustadter, Richard Brener and Michael Disco serve as executive producers.

Burstein’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Eric Steelberg (“Up in the Air”), production designer Kevin Kavanaugh (“Whip It”), editor Peter Teschner (“Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”), costume designer Catherine Marie Thomas (“The Proposal”) and composer Mychael Danna (“(500) Days of Summer”).

A New Line Cinema production, “Going the Distance” is scheduled for release on September 3, 2010 and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The film is rated R by the MPAA for sexual content including dialogue, language throughout, some drug use and brief nudity.

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