"How To Be Single" and loving it

Single in New York City?  Or London, L.A., Munich, Miami, or anywhere in between?  These days, in cities big and small, there’s a nightlife rife with girls’ nights out, singles’ bars, online dating and one-night stands arranged on apps—no romance required.  Today’s singles aren’t necessarily looking for Ms. or Mr. Right, or drowning their sorrows in their lonely bachelor/ette pads.  “How to Be Single” is an all-out comedy that shows how they’re all out there making the most of the single lifestyle, in the most outrageous ways imaginable.

The film’s director, Christian Ditter, states, “I wanted to make a really modern and fresh take on the comedy genre as it deals with partying, having fun, dating—a snapshot of what it really means to be single today.  A lot of movies that deal with men and women and dating are about finding the right one, but this is not that; it’s about embracing the most fun and free time of life while you’re also finding your place in the world, finding friends, finding out what you want to do with your life.”

Led by an ensemble cast that includes some of today’s hottest comedic actresses, including Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie and Leslie Mann, and such rising comedy stars as Damon Wayans Jr., Anders Holm, Nicholas Braun, Jake Lacy, Jason Mantzoukas and Colin Jost, the film follows a host of singles at various stages of—and with varying opinions on—the single state.

Producer John Rickard notes, “It’s a universal experience, being young, right out of college and discovering a whole big world.  Or a few years later, hitting another one of those crossroads: what do I care about, what do I want to spend my life doing, does another person even figure into the picture?  We often think it’s a partner we have to find, but it’s really ourselves, and that can be scary.”

Happily, what’s scary in real life can make us laugh the hardest when it’s played out on film. Screenwriter/producer Dana Fox, a comedy veteran, offers, “Romantic comedies are always centered on the romance, but this is a comedy about the time in between the relationships, when you’re out there to have a good time in this crazy age of staring at your cell phone, having entire conversations in 140 characters or less and ‘swiping right’ to meet people.  There are so many advantages to a film with so many funny stories to tell.

“In any movie,” she continues, “you want audiences to feel like they’re along on the journey.  We have Dakota Johnson’s character, Alice, to provide the heart and soul of the story, and we have all these other great women and men to follow along and laugh with.”

Or laugh at.  Returning to her comedy roots, Johnson deftly handles Alice’s fumbling attempts to meet men upon finding herself newly single, especially when paired with Rebel Wilson’s extreme party girl, Robin, the perfect tour guide through the world of free drinks, hook-ups and text message protocol.  Alison Brie’s Lucy is a girl on an online dating mission, and Leslie Mann’s Meg has been on the career track and sort of forgotten to have a personal life.  Along with the guys they all meet along the way, they exemplify the wide range of what it’s like out there.

Ditter says, “I loved the script, I thought it was hilariously funny but also true to life, and it continued to evolve once we got on set with Dana and all these amazing comedic talents and their incredible improv skills.  So what we ended up with in the film are characters and stories I see a lot of my own experiences in, and friends’ experiences, too.  I think that anyone who’s been single—and that’s, well, everybody—will have a lot of fun and find a lot to laugh about when they relate it to their own life.”

New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures present, in association with Flower Films, a Wrigley Pictures Production, “How to Be Single.”  The film will be released theatrically worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company on Feb 11, 2016.

*Photo images courtesy of "Warner Bros. Pictures".

Dakota Johnson is back in "How to Be Single"

To those who have seen "Fifty Shades of Grey", Dakota Harrison has become one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars after landing the coveted role of Anastasia Steele in the box office record for which she received a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination.

Now, Dakota Johnson headlines New Line Cinema's romantic comedy “How to Be Single,” based on the book by Liz Tucillo (TV’s “Sex & the City”). Also starring Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann, the film follows a host of singles at various stages of—and with varying opinions on—the single state.

Returning to her comedy roots, Johnson deftly handles her character, Alice’s fumbling attempts to meet men upon finding herself newly single, especially when paired with Rebel Wilson’s extreme party girl, Robin, the perfect tour guide through the world of free drinks, hook-ups and text message protocol.

Just out of college, Alice is worried she’s missing out—on what, she’s not quite sure, but taking a “break” from longtime boyfriend Josh in order to make sure he’s the one is the right thing to do…isn’t it?

“How to Be Single” takes us along with Alice as she ventures into a new job, a new city—New York—a newly unattached life, and all that goes along with it. Johnson says, “I loved how believable the story was—we’ve all been that person who is stumbling through, trying to figure things out.”
Screenwriter Dana Fox, who worked with Johnson previously, was happy to see the actress go back to a comedic role after several more dramatic parts. “Dakota is just naturally talented, especially when it comes to comedy, both physical and verbal,” she states. “As a writer, it’s such a pleasure for me to work with her again, because nothing comes out feeling ‘written.’”

When we first meet her character, Johnson observes, “She is sort of this doe-eyed, curious young woman starting college. She meets a boy right away and is quickly in a comfortable and nurturing relationship.”

Fast forward four years. “Like so many of us, Alice has always depended on someone, whether it’s her parents, her sister or her boyfriend. Suddenly, she has this profound moment of realization and forces herself into what she thinks is an awakening, but which is really just a break up,” the actress acknowledges. “But taking a break turns into a total explosion of life as she knows it, and now she has to figure out how to handle it.”

After persuading her very serious boyfriend she needs to experiment with being on her own, Alice heads to Manhattan to start a new job as a paralegal. “Right away, she falls into the hands of Robin, who’s kind of insane,” Johnson laughs. “Alice has been sheltered and established a lot of boundaries for herself; Robin has zero boundaries and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks of her, so long as she’s having fun.”

The role of Alice required a convincing amount of girl-next-door naiveté in order for moviegoers to slip into her shoes, or at least remember a time when they did. Director Christian Ditter found Johnson to be “absolutely gorgeous but at the same time completely relatable. She’s talented and gives a very authentic performance, which makes it easy for the audience to see themselves in her place. She grounds the story for all the other characters, who are much more outrageous.”

Opening across the Philippines on Thursday, Feb. 11, “How to Be Single” is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Making Friends with "The Other Woman"

KATE UPTON IN HER FIRST MAJOR FILM ROLE IN “THE OTHER WOMAN”

Kate Upton, one of the world’s most sought supermodel/endorser debuts in her first major film role in the hilarious romantic comedy “The Other Woman” starring alongside Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann.

An unconventional friendship begins between three unsuspecting women as they cross roads when the man of their dreams gets exposed as a three-timing liar.  Carly (Diaz), a stunning lawyer from New York suddenly appears on Mark’s (NIkolaj Coster-Waldau) doorstep to surprise him, but when the door opened and she was greeted by a sweet-suburban woman named Kate (Mann), who is actually Mark’s wife, Carly’s world suddenly turned upside down.  She can’t believe that Mark made her the other woman all along!  The two women don’t appear to have much in common, other than the philandering womanizer who has been tricking both of them. They become great pals, however, and decide to teach the lying Mark a few lessons to prove that cheating will not work. But their journey goes way beyond straightforward revenge. Infidelity may have led to hurt and upset, but they don’t let it destroy their lives. Far from it.

Everything becomes more complicated when Carly and Kate find out that the charming cheat has been engaging in yet another affair, with the beautiful Amber (Kate Upton) who is half his age.  Kate Upton plays the naïve Amber, a classic blonde bombshell who innocently believes she has found true love with her handsome and highly successful boyfriend, Mark, until she discovers that he has been deceiving her.

For the role of Amber, the third woman deceived by Mark, producer Julie Yorn considered a number of actresses, but in securing Kate Upton, the producer ended up where she started.  Yorn explains: “Initially, we used Kate as the loose prototype of the character, never thinking we were actually going to get her.  But she came in and she was just so disarming.  The key to that role was that you have to hate her when you first see her, at least a little bit, and then love her when you get to know her.  She fits the bill so well for both of those situations.”   Likewise, screenwriter Melissa Stack marveled at the similarities between the character Amber and Kate Upton the person.  “Kate is such a bombshell but she’s very sweet,” says the screenwriter.“Kate has this lightness and a kind way about her that is perfect for Amber. That was always who we all hoped Amber would be.”

Upton enjoyed her first major acting role under the tutelage of Diaz and Mann.  “I am so lucky to have one of my first movies to be with Leslie and Cameron,” she says.  “They’re so inspiring.”

As the youngest of the trio, fashion designer icon Patricia Field along with her longtime collaborator and protégé Paolo Nieddu says of Kate’s Amber,  “She’s the cool girl,” says Nieddu.  “Amber’s style is a young style. Her most memorable wardrobe moment is when Carly and Kate spot Amber on a sunny Hamptons beach, jogging in a perfect white bikini made by Malia Mills.Amber is your jeans-and-t-shirt, all-American girl-next-door.  She’s kind of a tomboy at times.  Amber shouldn’t be over-styled or overdone.  She’s not out on the prowl.”

Upton, an American actress and supermodel also did cameos in the films “The Three Stooges” and “Tower Heist.”   As one of the most in-demand supermodels, Upton has broken boundaries in the fashion world, gracing the covers of the industry’s leading international publications including VOGUE US, VOGUE UK, VOGUE Italy, VOGUE Brazil, ELLE US, GQ US, as well as being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition two years in a row. Kate was most recently the cover subject of the 100th Anniversary issue of Vanity Fair.   An avid horseback rider, she showed for the American Paint Horse Association and competed on a national level.

“The Other Woman” opens May 7 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

LESLIE MANN COMEDIC TALENT SHINES IN “MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN,” “THE OTHER WOMAN” & “RIO 2”

LESLIE MANN’S COMEDIC TALENT SHINES IN “MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN,” “THE OTHER WOMAN” & “RIO 2”

Leslie Mann’s impeccable timing and improved skills will soon be seen in the upcoming comedy movies “Mr. Peabody & Sherman, “Rio 2”” and in “The Other Woman.”

In DreamWorks Animation’s “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” Mann is the voice of Patty, parent to Sherman’s friend Penny where they set foot in Peabody’s home to settle the brawl that happened between their children. Director Rob Minkoff was thrilled to be working with comedy actress Leslie Mann, “Leslie has incredible charm and a great and unexpected attitude in her voice,” he says.

The worldwide smash hit “Rio” by Blue Sky Studios brings the wacky group of Blu and Jewel back in the height of adventure in “Rio 2” with Carlos Saldanha at the helm once again where Mann lends voice to Linda who is now married to Tulio (voiced by Rodrigo Santoro), Blu’s best pal.  The newlyweds are exploring the Amazon, where they discover there may be more Blue Macaws, and set out to find them.    Mann describes the game-changing discovery in “Rio 2,” “From the sky, a little blue feather falls between Linda and Tulio.  He tastes it and he realizes it’s a Blue Macaw feather.  And they go off in search of more Blue Macaws.”

In the upcoming hilarious estrogen-filled comedy, The Other Woman, Mann plays wife to a cheating husband played by Nikolaj Coster- Waldau.  Together with Cameron Diaz , whose role as Waldau’s girlfriend who is unaware that his boyfriend is married, teams up with Mann’s character to teach their man a lesson and hit him where it hurts the most. Uncovering yet another philandering act, the two women further find out another ‘other woman’ in the mix played by Kate Upton.  In this laugh-out-loud comedy, three women are brought together by the same man who have wronged then and ultimately become the best of friends, forming a bond like no other.
Leslie Mann’s comedic timing and standout performances captivate audiences and critics alike. She recently starred opposite Paul Rudd in Judd Apatow’s “This Is 40.”  Mann’s stand out performance as Debbie in “This Is 40” earned her a Critics’ Choice Movie Awards nomination in the category of Best Actress is a Comedy.
Mann continued her recent voice performance work in the Oscar nominated “ParaNorman,” an animated 3D, stop-motion film from the team behind “Coraline,” including writer/director Chris Butler, Focus Features and LAIKA.  In 2011, Mann starred opposite Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman in David Dobkin’s “The Change-Up” and in 2009 was seen in the indie hit “I Love You Phillip Morris” alongside Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor.
Among her other feature films are “The Bling Ring,” “17 Again,” “Big Daddy,” “Little Birds,” “George of the Jungle,” “Timecode,” “She’s the One,” “Drillbit Taylor,” “Orange County,” “Funny People” and “The 40 Year Old Virgin.”

A native of Southern California, Mann studied acting with the improved troupe the Groundlings whose alumni include most of the familiar faces in comedy today. One of her first big breaks was Ben Stiller’s “The Cable Guy” with Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. While auditioning for the film she met future husband Judd Apatow. This film marked their first collaboration and the beginning of their creative professional partnership.
Mann and Apatow are longtime supporters of the non-profit organization 826LA. Founded by Dave Eggers, the organization focuses on encouraging disadvantaged youth’s writing skills by offering a range programs on-site at their tutoring center and for teachers to implement in their classrooms. Mann and Apatow’s philanthropic contributions were honored earlier this year with the Bogart Pediatric Cancer Research Program’s 2012 Children’s Choice Award for their work with children, and their families, who are dealing with pediatric cancer.  In 2009 the couple was also recognized by The Fulfillment Fund who honored them at their annual benefit gala.