THE WAY, WAY BACK - Trailer

A funny thing happened at last year's Oscar ceremony, when the man previously known as "the guy who plays the creepy Dean in Community"  stood up, collected his Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Descendants and flashed a bit of leg. A star was born.

As well as returning to his signature role on Community, the Dean, AKA Jim Rash, has kept busy (along with his creative partner Nat Faxon who bagged an Oscar along side him) by directing The Way, Way Back; a coming of age tale starring Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell.

Nothing to do with The Way Back, the Colin Farrell/Jim Sturgess prison escape drama from a few years ago, this film tells the story of Duncan, a typically shy teen who is forced to accompany his mother to her boyfriend's beach house where he meets pretty, cool girl AnnaSophia Robb. So far so Youth in Revolt, but the trailer also shows a healthy dose of Adventureland and Dazed and Confused in the mix too.

With appearances by Allison Janney, Maya Rudolph and Rob Corddry; not forgetting writer/director's Nat Faxon (as a creepy lifeguard) and Jim Rash (as a creepy... well, I don't know what he is but he looks creepy), when it gets released later this year, The Way, Way Back is sure to offer up many awkward reminders to those of us who spent their teenage summers wishing Sam Rockwell would turn up to act as their spirit guide and help them get girls.

SAVE THE DATE trailer

The tragic indie romantic comedy has long been the stomping ground of TV actresses wanting to show off their range whilst boosting their credibility, but when the film in question stars Community's Alison Brie and Lizzy Caplan, I'm inclined to pay more attention than I normally would. Yes, they're both quite easy on the eye, but both are also actresses on the cusp of wider recognition, and Save The Date seems like a promising enough drama to do that.

Documenting the troublesome times of late 20s dating and relationships, when Caplan's Sarah decides to split up with her long term boyfriend and re-evaluate her life, it has a domino effect on the seemingly happy relationship of her younger sister, Beth (Brie). With both young women approaching potential heartbreak with drastically different methods and Sarah finding rebound love with Mark Webber's Jonathan, Save The Date looks to sidestep its hipster leanings by being emotionally vunerable whilst offering some tragi-comic moments. I'm only really familiar with Brie's comedic side, so I'm keen to see how she adapts to a heartfelt indie romance.

The title might make you think we're in for another post-Bridesmaids "girls can be raucous too!" wedding movie, but from the evidence of this trailer, Save The Date appears to be more than that. The poster appears to be aiming for a much more middle of the road audience than the rather more frank trailer is, but with two of young Hollywood's unheralded talents flexing their dramatic muscles, hopefully it will attract the right audience.

Save The Date is released in the States on December 14th. Best make a note of it somehow so that you don't forget.