Listen Up Philip, the newest film from director Alex Ross Perry (The Color Wheel), has released its first trailer. The movie stars Jason Schwartzman (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Elisabeth Moss (The One I Love), and Jonathan Pryce (Brazil) and will be released through Tribeca Films on October 17th.
Listen Up Philip details the life of a talented, albeit selfishly entitled writer, getting set to publish his second novel. With his relationship with his girlfriend in tatters, he loses any desire to promote the novel. This results in a getaway at a summer house with his idol, that may or may not be help matters.
The trailer for Listen Up Philip has a Woody Allen-esque rhythm, with Jason Schwartzman playing the self-involved writer archetype so familiar to Allen fans. It does appear however that there are differences in how Perry depicts New York as opposed to Allen’s body of work. The film garnered an interesting response when it premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland earlier last year, surprising foreign audiences in the way that it portrays New York as an unforgiving, competitive, and darkly harsh city where people are mainly jealous and self-interested. This portrayal is in deep contrast with the magical and charmingly idealistic backdrop so many New York-set films use.
Listen Up Philip had its U.S. premiere at Sundance earlier this year, where it received some fanfare and critical attention. For Elisabeth Moss, who’s become sort of an indie go-to girl of late, it was her second film at the festival, with the other being Charlie McDowell’s The One I Love.
Listen Up Philip will play at the New York Film Festival this fall. After its October 17th theatrical release, it will be available on iTunes on October 21st.