arts & life
film

Mickey Sumner, James Wolk and Cloris

Leachman star in This Is Happening

This Is Happening

Metro Detroit

natives James

Wolk and Matthew

Weinberg bring a

new film home.

Ronelle Grier
Contributing Writer

I

t is fitting that a film about
the importance of family is
premiering where two of its
key players grew up.
Actor James Wolk and pro-
ducer Matthew Weinberg, both
Jewish native Detroiters, are
delighted their new film, This
is Happening, is opening at the
Maple Theater for a weeklong
run beginning Friday, Sept. 25,
before it opens nationwide Oct. 2.
In addition to Wolk, known

Leachman and Matthew Weinberg on set

This is Happening premieres

at the Maple Theater in

Bloomfield Twp. Friday, Sept.

25. Actor James Wolk will

appear on opening night for a

question-and-answer session

following the film. For details:

(248) 750-1030;

themapletheater.com .

for his roles in Mad Men and the
new CBS drama Zoo, the movie
stars Mickey Sumner as Wolk's
sister and Hollywood icon Cloris
Leachman as Estelle, the siblings'
tenacious grandmother who is
determined to live life on her
terms. The cast is rounded out by
veteran actors Judd Nelson and
Rene Auberjonois.
The indie film, written and
directed by Ryan Jaffe and pro-
duced by Jaffe, Weinberg, Scott
Einziger and Lisa McGuire,

focuses on estranged siblings
Philip (Wolk), an unassertive
people-pleaser, and Meagan
(Sumner), a free-wheeling pot
dealer. The unlikely companions
are thrust into an unwanted road
trip in pursuit of their grand-
mother Estelle (Leachman), who
has run away to avoid being
placed in a home.
Estelle, who has fled from her
grandchildren accompanied by
her taxidermied shitzu, Ralph,
is unaware 5 pounds of pot have
been stashed in her car trunk by
Meagan, who is planning to sell
the drugs when the group arrives
in Los Angeles.
This is Happening began more
than 10 years ago when aspir-
ing screenwriter Jaffe brought
Weinberg, then working as an
agent, some samples of his work,
including a short story called
"Sweat:' When Weinberg read the
story, he was moved by its heart
and its message about family ties
and encouraged Jaffe to expand it
into a script.
While the script, called The
High Road, was not produced as
a film for many years, it helped
Jaffe gain credibility in the indus-
try. A few years ago, Jaffe, who
had started producing films in
addition to writing, obtained the
financing necessary to turn his
original idea into a film.
"It was an 11-year journery for
Ryan and me says Weinberg,
whose mother is actress
Henrietta Hermelin Weinberg.
"[It] was always a sweet gem:'
Weinberg, who is executive
vice president of production

and development at Tomorrow
Studios, was elated at the oppor-
tunity to work with Leachman,
whose work he has long admired:
He actually recalls sitting in his
high chair and reciting lines
from Mel Brooks' 1974 hit film
Young Frankenstein, where
Leachman, who is part Jewish,
played the ominous housekeeper
Frau Blucher.
"To me, Cloris Leachman is
an icon:' Weinberg says. "The
character of Estelle is so well-
captured, so richly written. She's
a stubborn woman who didn't
want to be told what to do with
her life. It's the perfect role for a
classic actor:'
For writer/director Jaffe, the
story is personal, based on a
10-day trip he and his brother
made to visit their dying grand-
mother in Florida. Like the
siblings in the film, Jaffe and
his brother had very different
personalities and lifestyles, and
their grandmother was a difficult
person to get close to.
"It was three people thrown
into this 10-day trip who really
didn't have that much in com-
mon:' Jaffe has said.
While his original short story
focused on that trip to Florida,
the movie was expanded to
include the siblings' pursuit of
their grandmother after she
leaves her retirement community
and takes to the open road.
According to Jaffe, "It's a dys-
functional family movie, and
ultimately ... it's about a journey
where you need to find your
family in order to find yourself:'

Weinberg agrees.
"It's about the pull of family,
the fighting that happens with
people you love to get them to be
the best versions of themselves:'
he says.
For Wolk, who grew up in
Farmington Hills, the story hit a
personal note as well. In a tele-
phone interview from California,
Wolk says the storyline about
a feisty elderly woman dealing
with the beginnings of demen-
tia struck a chord because it
reminded him of his own grand-
mother, "an incredible woman
who is very smart:' And, he adds,
"I thought it was an important
story to tell:'
Wolk says his portrayal of
Philip was enhanced by his
relationship with his sister,
Katie Johnston, who, with their
father, Robert, owns Sundance
Shoes on the Boardwalk in West
Bloomfield. Wolk's mother, Edie,
a retired schoolteacher, also helps
run the popular store.
"I developed a sisterly bond
with Mickey Sumner during the
filming. I'm close with my own
sister in real life, and I was able
to draw on that:' says the recent-
ly married Wolk. "And working
with Cloris was unbelievable:'
To Weinberg, who grew up
in West Bloomfield, the Maple
Theater is the perfect venue for
the premiere of This is Happening
"I used to go there to see indie
films:' Weinberg says. "[Maple
owner] Jon Goldstein was awe-
some, very supportive. He and
his staff went out of their way to
be helpful:' ❑

September 24 • 2015

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