Inventing a movie scene

In theaters Friday: Super 8, The Trip [limited]

New on DVD/Blu-ray: Just Go With It, True Grit, Sanctum 3D

What a wonderful kick-off weekend it was for Films at Manship, the brand name for the new movie-minded efforts of the Shaw Center-based venue. You can read my June issue article about the venue’s increased focus on showing everything from classic comedies and cult favorites to brand new documentaries and award-winning independent films right here.

Manship’s efforts should go a long way to filling the void of independent and arthouse films that Baton Rouge has long suffered from. The theatre has some exciting summer fare coming up, including a perfectly-timed July 1 screening of the original Jaws, and last weekend’s festivities featured Animal House and Thelma and Louise among other fan favorites.

On Sunday, I attended the packed out local premiere of Inventing Adam, the labor of love and whimsical life-affirming comedy from homegrown filmmaker and editor Richie Adams. Loosely based on Adams’ own experiences working for a large advertising agency in California, Inventing Adam tells the story of Adam Stephenson, a talented but frustrated patent attorney who feels trapped by an engagement to a woman he’s unsure of and his conniving, country club-living future father-in-law. When he gets the chance to return home to Baton Rouge to celebrate his 30th birthday Louisiana style, he not only reconnects with his high school buddies but gets a second chance and the girl who got away all those years ago.

While Inventing Adam is anchored by a strong and relatable performance from MadTV star Josh Myers, the strength of the film lies in the warm heart of its script and a cast of scene-stealing character actors. Adam’s best bud is played schlubby and sarcastic by fellow MadTV alum Ike Barinholtz who seems to improv some of the funniest asides in the movie. Jennifer Sipes who can also be seen this month in the Brad Pitt-starring Cannes Film Festival winner The Tree of Life turns up as Adam’s all-too-tipsy and exuberant birthday party host, while Keong Sim elicits huge laughs as a restaurant owner with an unrepentant crush on Myer’s perfectly coiffed hair and Donny Boaz’s snooty tennis pro feels like a character from a Wes Anderson movie and proves a worthy “adversary” for Adam with every stuck-up line he delivers.

But none of the film would work without the foundation of Myers and his relationship with Claire Coffey’s infinitely likable Spencer, a plucky sweatheart and single mom who understands him and loves him like no one else—his comically pampered fiancée included. If you missed this screening at Manship, check out inventingadam.com to support Richie Adams and the growth of Louisiana’s hardworking indigenous filmmakers.