The ultra-low budget film Isn't It Delicious, which can be seen in the upcoming Manhattan Film Festival, stars award-winning theater actors, Kathleen Chalfant, Keir Dullea and Alice Ripley, who skillfully demonstrate that all the world is indeed a stage as they play out their drama and antics across Connecticut and New York City. "Isn't It Delicious" will screen twice at the Quad Theatre on June 23rd and 25th respectively. The 1st screening is already sold out.
The film, directed by Michael Pat
Rick Kelly, is delighting multi-generational audiences, having won Best Feature Film at the Rainier Independent Film Festival and taking 2nd place at the Tupelo Film Festival in May.
Don't expect the film to bring you through the traditional dying process. The story is a mad dash through messy and often humorous attempts by
Joan Weldon, played by Chalfant, to set her children on the
right course before she dies. The course also includes seeing her reliable, but rather absent husband, played by
Keir Dullea, for the first time in their 50-plus-year marriage. The chemistry between Dullea and Chalfant, who previously had never worked together, is so charged that they seem as if they really have been married for decades. Dullea, who broke into Hollywood in the 1960s, is best known for his portrayal of
Dave Bowman in
Stanley Kubrick's film "2001 A Space Odyssey", while Chalfant has garnered critical acclaim for her performances both on and off-Broadway.
The news of Joan's illness brings together their children. There's the eldest, Caroline, a successful ad executive working her way through the tail end of her drinking and failed relationships with women, who is played by
Alice Ripley. Ms. Ripley won the Tony award for Best Actress in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "Next to Normal", and is a perfect fit for this crazy family. Ripley is able to show us that despite all their flaws, it's the showing up that really counts. It's in the final showing up where real love emerges.
Then there's Bobby, a money-making machine on Wall Street, played by
Nick Stevenson, who can be seen in the upcoming Netflick's series "Orange is the New Black". Bobby turns out to be a great resource for the family as he uses his drug connections to get pain killers and pot for his mother, while her doctor, a life-long friend, won't loosen his grip on his prescription pad for fear she may try to take her own life.
This wonderful cast is rounded out with Tony nominated actress
Mia Dillon playing Molly, Joan's former best friend, and sister-in-law, who certainly has an ax to grind as we discover Joan once had an affair with Molly's husband.
Malachy McCourt plays Father Bob, an Irish-Catholic priest who serves as a lighting rod for questions about faith and God, throws up his hands in the end when dealing with Joan and the Weldon family.
Robert LuPone plays Sam, a friend from Joan's past, will be key in helping Joan leave this world in a dignified and rather glorious way.
The production team was able to assemble this marvelous cast, and shoot the film in 25 days. So committed, both Chalfant and Ripley worked during an East coast hurricane. Director Kelly says: "Shooting a film with little money and resources forces people to do great things, and many crew members came aboard because they felt that with a cast this special, who were willing to work for so little, that we would succeed, the cast and crew rallied, working late hours under incredible conditions because they believed in the script and these wonderful actors."
According to a recent article in Variety, the ultra-low budget feature film is no longer a method used only by independent filmmakers. Hollywood now sees it as a way to make great films with a smaller budget.
To view the actors, and producer bios, visit the Isn't It Delicious film site; the film's trailers can also be viewed here:
http://deliciousfilm.com/trailers or
www.facebook.com/DeliciousFilm.
