I first saw THAT EVENING SUN at a screening in Tribeca. The second time I drove three hours to the Newport Film Festival. (Disclosure: part of the reason was to hang out with writer/director Scott Teems, who is also my comedy filmmaking partner. Scott wrote a part for me in the film — a stand-up comic bombing at the nursing home, but the scene was cut before shooting. Not to brag, but the director said I would have been “perfect for this role.”)
Characters such as Abner Meecham (Hal Holbrook) and Lonzo Choat (Ray McKinnon) reminded me of some of my own flaws that I’d prefer to hide from myself. I saw a story of how regret can crush a man and fuel hatred making forgiveness almost impossible. Because of this film, I’ll work harder to extend grace to others, and to myself. The movie also stars Walton Goggins (”The Shield”), Carrie Preston (”True Blood”), Mia Wasikowska (Tim Burton’s upcoming Alice In Wonderland), Barry Corbin (No Country for Old Men), and Dixie Carter.
The film won at SXSW and about 10 other festival awards, received a glowing review from Variety, and several of the Hollywood critics added to their Oscar prediction list Holbrook for Best Actor, and Scott Teems for Best Adapted Screenplay. It opens this week in NYC at Cinema 123; purchase tickets online from Fandango. There will be a Q&A with the cast and director after the 7PM show on Nov 6th and 7th. I’ll be there on the 7th, for the third and fourth time.
THAT EVENING SUN, the feature film written and directed by my comedy filmmaking partner Scott Teems won its first awards yesterday, as reported by Variety. Its premier at SXSW in Austin this week earned it both the Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast and the Narrative Audience Award. And the fun is just beginning, if film critic Eric Childress is on target:
Over the years we’ve seen some actors get that one big role late in their careers. Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond, Paul Newman in Nobody’s Fool, Richard Farnsworth in The Straight Story, Peter O’Toole in Venus and James Cromwell in Babe, Oscar nominees one and all. And some may consider Hal Holbrook’s nominated turn in Sean Penn’s Into the Wild to be that role for him. Certainly the best thing in that film, but director Scott Teems has gone a step further and done for Holbrook what Thomas McCarthy did for Richard Jenkins last year in The Visitor – given one of our great character actors a chance to shine in a lead role. And shine Holbrook does in That Evening Sun.
I trust there will be a meaty role for me in the sequel, as Holbrook’s tax accountant.
The human characteristic which holds the greatest potential to change the world is the ability to encourage others. And I absolutely love it when Hollywood uses its reach to do this. One of the best recent scenes comes from Peter Berg in “Friday Night Lights,” when Coach Taylor convinces his player Smash before his college football tryout.
You listen to me. You listen to me closer than you’ve ever listened to me before. You remember that Rutledge game? Fourth quarter. You came into that game. You took over that game, play by play. You owned that game.
I watched you that day and I said to myself, ‘that kid is going to go all the way.’ Right now, right here God has placed you to do what you do best.
Go all the way.
I’ll soak up this scene again before my next big audition.
