Digging for Fire, and indie comedy that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was soon picked up by the fledgling distribution company The Orchard, reunites Drinking Buddies director Joe Swanberg with one of that film’s stars, Jake Johnson.
Swanberg and Johnson – in his feature screenwriting debut – co-wrote the script about an LA-based married couple, Tim and Lee (played by Johnson and Rosemarie DeWitt from Rachel Getting Married), who go their separate ways for a weekend where they both embark on journeys of self-discovery. Tim stays at their house with some old buddies digging up bones in the backyard while Lee struggles with her identity on a trip to her parent’s home.
A packed supporting cast is also there to help these two characters along, including Sam Rockwell (Moon), Sam Elliott (Up in the Air), Orlando Bloom (Elizabethtown), another Drinking Buddies alum, Anna Kendrick, as well as Brie Larson (Short Term 12), and Jenny Slate (Obvious Child).
Based on the trailer, the film seems to show Swanberg hitting his stride. No stranger to independent filmmaking, he is finally beginning to gain more recognition with the help of Johnson’s brand of charming, bumbling comedy. On top of that, the film is saturated with equally unique and rising indie actors that will likely draw a sizable audience for the film.
Digging for Fire opens in theaters August 21.
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