Arts & Entertainment 35 E 0 0 .0 West Bloomfield's Lee Brody knells about the star of a new film set in Michigan. Elaine Perlin Crossley Special to the Jewish News H e may have said his dewy-eyed goodbyes as the quirky, lovable Seth Cohen on the hit TV series The OC, but Jewish actor Adam Brody, now 27, is greeting the big screen with a new brand of charisma as he stars in two films opening April 20. Opening nationwide is In the Land of Women, in which Brody plays Carter Webb, a TV writer from Los Angeles who has been jilted by his actress girlfriend and packs up his shattered heart to head to suburban Michigan to tend to his ail- ing grandmother (Olympia Dukakis) and escape into a long-awaited writing project. Brody's other new film, Smiley Face, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and opens in limited release on the same day (no Michigan date set as of press time) is a quirky comedy starring Anna Faris as a struggling but perpetu- ally stoned actress, with Brody making an appearance as "Steve the Dealer." When Brody's character heads to Michigan in In the Land of Women, he unexpectedly meets a family of females who live directly across the street from his grandmother. Meg Ryan plays Sarah Hardwicke, a mom of two daughters, Lucy (Kristen Stewart), a beautiful angst-ridden teen, and Paige (Makenzie Vega), a savvy, precocious 11-year-old. As the members of the Hardwicke household reveal their respective secrets to Carter, each falls for him in her own way, indelibly impacting his life. And voila: a recipe for a fresh film peppered with comedic elements, human vulnerability, relatable characters and self-discovery. The movie is the directorial debut of Jonathan Kasdan, who also wrote it. Kasdan has followed in the show business footsteps of his famous parents, Lawrence and Meg Kasdan, and older brother, Jake (Orange County). His dad is the writer-director-producer fondly regarded, especially in these parts, for writing and directing the University of Michigan-laced hit film The Big Chill. Mom Meg, with local roots, also is a writer and producer. Jake Kasdan is set to release The TV Set, his industry satire starring David Duchovny. Some Coincidence In a rare film coincidence of life imitat- ing art, not only does Adam Brody's film grandma in In The Land of Women reside in suburban Michigan, so does Brody's real-life grandmother, Lee Brody of West Bloomfield. In contrast to his screen grandma, however, Lee is active, attrac- tive, stylish — and overjoyed by Adam's Photo by bane Hentscher Adam Brody, center, with Grandma Adam Brody as Carter Webb and Olympia Lee Brody, right, and actress Dukakis as Grandma Archer in In the Land of Rachel Bilson Women Adam Brody as Carter Webb in director Jonathan Kasdan's In the Land of Women stardom. "Every time I watched him on The OC:' Lee says, "I kvelled. I'd say to myself, `That's my grandson!' I'm so proud and excited that he's starring in a new movie' She still smiles about the facial expres- sion of the young man in the movie the- ater box office when she bought herself a ticket to see Adam in the 2003 crude- humored teen skateboarding flick, Grind. "He looked pretty puzzled:' she chuckles. Adam's more recent film credits include Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Thank You For Smoking. Lee visited with her grandson last Thanksgiving at the San Diego home of her son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Valerie Brody. Both of Adam's parents were raised in Metro Detroit and are gradu- ates of Southfield High School. Mark is an attorney, and Valerie (nee Siefman), a graphic designer. "When we're all together for a family dinner:' says Lee of her grandson, "he's just Adam, and he pitches in to help like everyone else. Yet, he's a movie star." She and her late husband, Bernie, lived in San Diego from 1979 to 1987, during the time when Adam, their first grandson, was born. Lee reminisces, "I was excited then and still am. He was a bright, cute child. We bought him his first pair of cowboy boots as a toddler, and he loved them so much that he slept in them." She adds, "With all of his accomplish- ments, Adam remains level-headed, his feet are on the ground, and that's what excites me most." A volunteer for hospice and an occa- sional usher at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Lee's life is filled with friends, volunteer work and the joy she reaps from Adam and his younger twin brothers, Matthew and Sean, 22. Matthew will embark upon graduate studies in the field of environmental toxi- cology, and Sean, an exceptional surfer, has traveled the globe and is resuming studies at San Diego State University. "Grandma Lee as the boys call her, gets a kick out of the reactions of young women she meets when they discover she is Adam's grandmother. They swoon, and she beams. Protective of her family's privacy, Lee is willing to confirm a few bytes of informa- tion about her grandson: He was born Adam Jared Brody on Dec. 15, 1979. He's a good surfer, is the drummer in a band called Big Japan, and he and his former girlfriend and OC co-star, actress Rachel Bilson, amicably parted company late last year. E In the Land of Women, rated PG-13, opens nationwide on April 20. 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