When it premiered just about a year ago at the Sundance Film Festival, The Bronze spurred varying reactions across the board from critics. As many dubbed it a “comedy of meanness,” it remained up for debate whether Melissa Rauch’s (TV’s The Big Bang Theory) vulgar former gymnast turned coach persona would hold up among audiences. The film is now finally getting its shot. After Relativity picked it up at the festival, the distribution rights moved over to Sony Pictures Classics once the former company faced recent bankruptcy issues.
The Bronze, written by Rauch and her husband Winston Rauch and directed by Bryan Buckley (Asad), follows Hope Ann, the former Olympic bronze medalist who must fight for her small town celebrity status when a new, young gymnastics star comes onto the scene (newcomer Haley Lu Richardson). The comedy also stars Thomas Middleditch (HBO’s Silicon Valley), Sebastian Stan (Captain America: Winter Soldier), and Gary Cole (Office Space).
The new (non-red band) trailer gives audiences a sense of the story minus much of the curses and vulgarities to come. However, we do see plenty of lewd hilarity and bursting hubris from Rauch’s Hope Ann that will likely make her character a dynamic driving comedic force.
The Bronze was produced by Duplass Brothers Productions and will hit theaters on March 18. Check out the trailer below.