by Erik Childress
The "A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar…" Pitch: A lighthearted look at America's fascination with lawyers and suing each other, seen through the eyes of 6 people taking the Bar...or...”the lawyer movie.”
Is this your first trip to SXSW? Got any other film festival experience? As a festival veteran with Word Wars, let us know your favorite and least-favorite parts of the ride.
ERIC: First trip to SxSW. Very exciting, as my brother (Kid Beyond) will be one of the musical acts there. I am really looking forward to the intersection of music and film in Austin. We've got about 8 bands featured in the film who will be at SxSW, so it should be fun to meet them.
The best part of the festival ride is emerging from the filmmaking cocoon to actually reconnect with real people – filmmakers, local film buffs, general audiences. You find these great art houses all around the country with really cool, dedicated communities of independent
film-lovers.
No real downsides, except just making sure you stay present enough to appreciate that all this craziness is the FUN part.
Back when you were a little kid, and you were asked that inevitable question, your answer would always be “When I grow up I want to be a …” what?
ERIC: It was always either an actor or a computer-something...I figured I'd work it out as I went along. And having been a computer-guy and an actor, Filmmaker now seems like a nice happy medium.
Not including your backyard and your Dad’s Handycam, how did you get your real “start” in filmmaking?
ERIC: Well, I did actually make a film with my brother in our backyard where a bucket of Slime swallows a Rubik's cube, but otherwise it was just a decision to start making Word Wars. No more than declaring “I am making this movie.” All projects (and careers, I suppose) start with some kind of declaration like that.
Do you feel any differently about your film now that you know it’s on “the festival circuit?”
ERIC: It's just nice validation that we've got something with at least a modicum of entertainment value. When you’re making it, you think you’ve got something, but you really never know. Festival circuit is great. Hopefully more than that - we'll see.
Of all the Muppets, which one do you most relate to?
ERIC: Thank you for asking the tough questions. Maybe Gonzo? I like the name.
During production did you ever find yourself thinking ahead to film festivals, paying customers, good & bad reviews, etc?
ERIC: You try not to overdo it, but yes, we're always thinking of entertainment value and marketability as we're shooting and cutting. With so many cable outlets for docs now, what makes a doc theatrical? You try to make sure you're giving them enough production value, in character moments and storylines, high-profile people, graphics, music, etc. to be worth their $10. Reviews we take with a grain of salt.
How did this film get rolling at the beginning? Give us a brief history from writing to production to post to just last night.
ERIC: The principals of Camel's Back Films - Brandon Camp, Mike Thompson, and Jon Osborne - witnessed the travails of one of their close friends (a Co-Producer on the film) who was going through the unholy ritual that is the California Bar Exam. The difficulty of the California Bar had become something of pop-culture legend, with the Dean of Stanford Law School failing it, along with prominent Governors, Attorneys-General, and Mayors of the state, people suffering seizures during it, and the like. But in the larger picture - America has this love/hate relationship with lawyers but few people know what they have to go through to become one. The merger of these two ideas: "We Love to Hate Lawyers" and "The Bar Exam is ridiculously difficult." formed the basis of the idea. The Camel's Back guys got me a treatment and I laughed, which is a good sign. We brought on Tasha Oldham, who had a solid documentary filmmaking background, as Producer and we commenced putting out "casting calls" for people taking the Bar Exam. Many factors went in to picking the group that ultimately wound up in the film, and eventually 6 wound up as the main focus. After the Bar itself was complete, we proceeded to line up interviews with as many high-profile people associated with the law as we could, from Scott Turow to Alan Dershowitz to Nancy Grace to Catherine Crier to Vernon Jordan. So the film not only lets you live a bit with the main characters but also see them interspersed with a pretty broad array of recognizable people.
Last night: trying to finalize our musical cues.
If you could share one massive lesson that you learned while making this movie, what would it be?
ERIC: Do not call your fiancée at 9pm after a day of editing and say “What are you doing for dinner?”
What films and filmmakers have acted as your inspirations, be they a lifelong love or a very specific scene composition?
ERIC: I’m a simple guy, filmwise. I’ll let the auteurs give you the hoity-toity answer. I like Dog Day Afternoon, Blazing Saddles, Star Wars, Sideways, Dark Days. If you can find a theme, let me know. Dramatically, I respond to any moment where an actor or a documentary subject is so “present” that the audience almost feels like they’re being let in on something they shouldn’t be seeing. Almost. Comedically, I don’t think the rules have changed much since a secret cabal wrote them down in the Catskills: Take big things way too lightly and little things way too seriously.
Did you watch any movies in pre-production and yell “This! I want something JUST like this …only different.”?
ERIC: The general concept was pretty well formed when the idea got to me, but I did look at Kirby Dick’s “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” and hope we could emulate certain elements of that – weaving a character narrative into well-known people discussing of a larger issue. Also the notion of the “bogeyman nemesis” – in that case the MPAA, in our case The Bar.
What actor would you cast as a live-action Homer Simpson?
ERIC: Another good query. William H. Macy.
Say you landed a big studio contract tomorrow, and they offered you a semi-huge budget to remake, adapt, or sequelize something. What projects would you tackle?
ERIC: “The Phantom Tollbooth”, by Norton Juster. My favorite book. I think Warner has the rights. I’m listed, if they want to call. And “Shaft Among the Jews”, sadly, remains unmade. (Same answers I gave 3 years ago).
So what's the best lawyer joke you know that doesn't end with "a good start?"
ERIC: Let’s go for the high-concept:
Q: What’s the difference between a rooster and a lawyer?
A: The rooster wakes up early to cluck defiance.
Yeah, take a minute on that one. Whaddya want, I’m a word guy.
They say lawyers are like cops in that they are hated until you need one. Where do you think the fault of the symbiotic relationship between lawyers and their clients tilts? Is it on Joe Blow for filing such ridiculous lawsuits or the ambulance chasers for taking the cases?
ERIC: Let’s spread the blame. Our society is entrepreneurial. Law has increasingly gone in that direction. So, that makes the primary aim “business” as opposed to “justice” in some cases. But we also have this culture of entitlement, where people feel they should be compensated for more and more things. Statistically, personal injury filings are actually on the downtrend, however the types of things people can and do sue for get more and more “out there”. But a lawyer’s only going to work on contingency if they think they can convince a jury. And who’s on the jury? “We” are. So blame “us”. We have lots of people commenting on this topic in the film.
Have you ever desperately needed a lawyer? If so, can you tell us your best and worst experiences with them?
ERIC: Let’s see. In 10th grade I sort of hopped a turnstile to catch a subway to school in New York. Actually, I had a bus pass, but not a subway pass. Real hardened criminal here. A fun day in court in NYC - drug dealers, car thieves, and me. Stanley Applebaum got my case dismissed. A great guy, if you’re ever in a jam on Staten Island. That’s about as deep in as I’ve gotten.
Let's say you've been accused of a crime or being sued for millions. You've got five lawyers to choose from. Whom do you go to trial with? Atticus Finch ("To Kill a Mockingbird"), Clarence Darrow ("Inherit the
Wind"), Sebastian Stark ("Shark"), Frank Galvin ("The Verdict") or Colonel Dax ("Paths of Glory")?
ERIC: Galvin in The Verdict was an alcoholic, so let’s remove him. What jury could possibly side against Gregory Peck? The emblem of decency and goodness and justice. We’ll go with Atticus. But going off the board, I’d probably take Shatner’s character in Boston Legal. At least he’d get me off with a smirk.
Finish this sentence: If I weren’t a filmmaker, I’d almost definitely be...
ERIC: Still working with creative people – coaching actors, involved with creative development of projects, maybe in a creative part of the software industry.
Who’s an actor you’d kill a small dog to work with? (Don’t worry; nobody would know.)
ERIC: Philip Seymour Hoffman. Forest Whitaker, Carl Reiner, Malcolm MacDowell.
Have you “made it” yet? If not, what would have to happen for you to be able to say “Yes, wow. I have totally made it!”
ERIC: Now, wouldn’t it be the kiss of death to think you’d “made it”? That would imply there’s a “there” there. It is very rewarding to feel like a film that I and team of people have put a lot of energy into seems to be getting some good response. Career-wise, what would be nice would be knowing I’ve got a slate of projects lined up – generated by me or others – which would keep me busy and keep the rent paid for the foreseeable future. And working with interesting, talented, cool, grounded people to tell compelling stories and create unexpected off-center, intelligent entertainment. Not that that applies on this film. Just saying, it would be nice. ;-)
Honestly, how important are film critics nowadays?
ERIC: They are important. Lots of product out there. Especially in the big markets, a film without a studio behind it has to rely on word of mouth, and critics have the first and most influential words and mouths. More and more bloggers and other e-critics are helping to shape the perception of a film from its first festival debut on. But like I said – grain of salt. On my last film, we got great response everywhere but one reviewer in NYC called the direction “constipated”. Am I really going to worry about what that guy had for breakfast? No. This one will be a critical and audience fave! A boffo pic from a brash 2nd time helmer!
You’re told that your next movie must have one “product placement” on board, but you can pick the product. What would it be?
ERIC: Oof. A bad trend. If you’re gonna do it, go all the way. Like the “White Castle” movie. Put it in the title. “The Adventures of Romy and Michelle on Red Bull.” Something like that.
You’re contractually obligated to deliver an R-rated film to your producers. The MPAA says you have to delete a sex scene that’s absolutely integral to the film or you’re getting an NC-17. How do you handle it?
ERIC: The MPAA is just trying to help, aren’t they? Shouldn’t we just do what they say? Seriously, go for the “South Park” method. Add some even more gratuitous content so when they trim it back, you’ve still got the scene you want.
What’s your take on the whole “a film by DIRECTOR” issue? Do you feel it’s tacky, because hundreds (or at least dozens) of people collaborate to make a film – or do you think it’s cool, because ultimately the director is the final word on pretty much everything?
ERIC: I didn't ask for that particular credit, but I didn't turn it down. It's very much a team effort, no question. Many hands steered this ship into port - from our Producer Tasha Oldham to our DP Stephanie Martin
to our editor Deborah Barkow to our EPs Camp and Thompson, who brought all of their studio feature experience to bear. “A film by…” is nice, but I wouldn’t make too much of it.
In closing, we ask you to convince the average movie-watcher to choose your film instead of the trillion other options they have. How do you do it?
ERIC: Here goes: (with winning smile…) Come on, you **say** you hate lawyers but you know you really **love to hate them**. That’s why you sneak a peek at those Ally McBeal reruns when they’re on. This one will surprise you all the way through. No one thinks “The Bar Exam - what a hoot." BUT IT IS! They didn't think so for Scrabble either. Trust me you won't believe what your lawyer had to go through to get that license. There are enough famous people, lawyers going nuts and undergoing hypnosis, cool graphics, good music, and an edge-of-your-seat section where you will be shouting at the screen as
you find out who passed and who didn't. The surprise hit of the film is legendary Texas old-timer Joe Jamail. Joe won a 10 billion dollar verdict in the 80's. And we got him at his uncensored best. So come check it out.
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Eric Chaikin's A Lawyer Walks Into a Bar… will have its world premiere at the 2007 South By Southwest Film Festival on Tuesday, March 13 at 10:30 pm and screen again on Thursday, March 15 at 4:30 pm (both at Austin's Paramount Theater.) And check out BSide.com for even more info!
link directly to this feature at http://www.efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=2098
originally posted: 02/23/07 09:20:38
last updated: 03/07/07 09:26:09
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