A Stage of Fools

Author(s): T.D.
Location: Killeen, TX

“A Stage of Fools"

Directed by James L. Brooks
Produced by Laura Ziskin
Written by Mark Andrus
Music by Carly Simon

Comedy

Principal Cast:

Wes Bentley as Jake
Emily Blunt as Chelsea
Steve Carell as Ernest
Billy Crudup as Michael
Claire Danes as Hilary
Paul Dano as Patrick
Embeth Davidtz as Nilana
Will Ferrell as David
Bonnie Hunt as Grace
Beyoncé Knowles as Yolanda
Laura Linney as Madeline
Bill Murray as Raymond
John C. Reilly as Albert Lindsey
Jack Rovello as Tanner
Meg Ryan as Sandra
Chloë Sevigny as Kim

Tagline: "New York City , get ready to meet Broadway’s weirdest cast ever!"

Synopsis: Albert Lindsey (Reilly) is an aspiring director who is trying to make it in New York City ’s busy Broadway business. While eating in a diner he comes across an alcoholic writer named Raymond ( Murray ), and he is also destined to make it in the Broadway business. Albert asks Raymond to write him a script that could make them successful and famous. Raymond agrees, and after two months of planning and writing, Raymond comes up with a play entitled “Hickory Hills,” which tells the life of a dysfunctional neighborhood in the suburbs of Chicago . Albert had instantly loved it, and decided to make Raymond’s bitch-on-wheels wife Grace (Hunt) the casting director, and she has no experience at all in this business, and make Raymond’s gay, recent college graduate son Patrick (Dano) to be the fashion designer. As Patrick’s outgoing childhood friend Chelsea (Blunt) was visiting, she was chosen to schedule auditions and take care of public relations.

During the audition process, Grace does an o.k. job at casting the actors and ends up casting unusual and interesting actors. First, she casts Jake (Bentley), an unsuccessful Broadway actor with a drug problem, and his longtime girlfriend Hilary (Danes), a well known Broadway star with an eating disorder that she keeps a secret, as the newly married couple in the neighborhood. Then she casts Kim (Sevigny), a single mother with little acting experience, as the noisy next door neighbor, and then Grace quickly decides to cast her son Tanner (Rovello), a quiet but intelligent young boy, as the son. While this part of the audition was taking place, Albert goes on a search for a theater that was willing to let his play take place there. Luckily he finds the Sanborn Theater, which is run by Sandra (Ryan), an intelligent, single woman who is destined to make her theater known throughout New York City , and by her divorced, loud mouth sister Madeline (Linney). When Albert returns to the audition, he sees Grace casting the rest of the individuals.

She casts Yolanda (Knowles), a beautiful nightclub singer who auditioned for a play instead of a musical but ends up doing the play, as the music-loving best friend of the newly married bride. Then she casts Ernest (Carell), a theater fanatic who lives in the world of acting, as the neighbor with polio, and his mute, South African wife Nilana (Davidtz) was cast as the wife with no voice. Finally, she casts David (Ferrell), a selfish raunchy actor as the gardener, and his moody friend Michael (Crudup) as the store clerk.

After the auditions, Albert begins to have a romantic relationship with Sandra during the rehearsals, and as this is going on, the cast begins to develop friendships, enemies, and even love relationships as well. Also, their personal lives will also be revealed to everyone and their friends do everything they can to help them overcome their problems. In the end, Albert gets the girl of his dreams, the cast becomes united, and they manage to pull off the play and become Broadway’s biggest stars.

What the press would say:

John C. Reilly leads an all-star cast as Albert Lindsey in this wonderful and heart-warming comedy. Both Bonnie Hunt and Meg Ryan delivered wonderful lead performances, and the supporting cast collectively were amazing. Expect this to be at the Oscars come May because this is a film that you don’t want to miss!

For Your Consideration

Best Picture
Best Director – James L. Brooks
Best Actor in a Leading Role – John C. Reilly
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Bonnie Hunt & Meg Ryan
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Bill Murray, Paul Dano, & Steve Carell
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Claire Danes, Laura Linney, & Embeth Davidtz
Best Original Screenplay – Mark Andrus
Best Film Editing
Best Original Score – Carly Simon