68 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 
J
N

A

lex Grossman 
hasn’t forgotten 
about growing up 
in Michigan. That can be 
observed through people, 
places and messages about 
living expressed through his 
new film, That’s Funny.
As writer, director and 
actor in That’s Funny, 
Grossman made use of the 
production and performance 
talents of friends kept from 
his years living in Flint and 
came to the state to film 
different scenes, such as 
those in Charlevoix. 
To introduce his 
production as a theatrical 
film, Grossman is returning 
to theaters around the state 

with relevant presentations 
about cinema and the 
essence of his film content. 
For a time, he leaves behind 
his responsibilities as a 
commercial director and 
standup comic.
Although the film can 
be seen through digital 
platforms on television now, 
it will have its red-carpet 
opening Thursday, Dec. 7, at 
the Capitol Theatre in Flint. 
Other former Flint residents 
will join Grossman there, and 
he will travel with the movie 
for presentations the week 
after that. 
“I love the film’s idea that 
enjoying the journey is as 
much or more important 

than the destination,” 
Grossman said. “That’s a 
lesson I’m constantly trying 
to teach myself. All the 
accolades or finish lines 
in the world don’t mean 
anything if you’re not 
enjoying the moments it 
takes to get there. 
“I was turning 50, and 
it was the pandemic. Up 
until that moment in my 
life, everything had been 
about awards or milestones. 
Like I had to get this job or 
this award in advertising. 
I wanted to win an award 
or access a big career as a 
screenwriter. 
“I started to think I was 
going the wrong way. I need 

to focus more on enjoying 
what I was doing than any 
accolade. I was teaching 
myself a lesson in writing 
this, a lesson to myself.”
Grossman, who had his 
bar mitzvah at Temple Beth 
El in Flint and went to the 
University of Michigan as 
an English major thinking 
he would become a lawyer 
like his dad, decided that 
career wasn’t for him after 
graduation impelled him to 
move to New York. He got a 
job in advertising and entered 
commercial directing.
“This is a very personal 
film that hopefully will make 
audiences laugh and learn as 
much as I did about the idea 

ARTS&LIFE
FILM

Filmmaker Alex Grossman will premier his new movie That’s Funny in Flint.
Enjoying the Journey

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER