New Jersey Native Makes Directorial Debut With 'Friendsgiving'

ACROSS NJ (Oct. 23, 2020) - From writer-director Nicol Paone and produced by Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Productions, "Friendsgiving" is a very funny new holiday film starring Malin Ackerman and Kat Dennings as best friends who attempt to set aside their struggles in celebration of Thanksgiving in Los Angeles.

Newly-divorced Molly (Ackerman) balances being the single mother of an infant child with dating her new fling Jeff (Jack Donnelly), an affably goofy British philanthropist. Abby (Dennings) is still dwelling on her breakup with a toxic girlfriend and doesn’t see much to be thankful for this year. About halfway through Paone’s directorial debut, Molly raises her glass and reminds Abby of one thing she has to be grateful for: “friends.”

These friends are what make the light-hearted comedy as realistically jumbled and funny as a real holiday with extended family and awkward acquaintances. Chelsea Peretti, Ryan Hansen, Andrew Santino, Aisha Tyler and more round out the Thanksgiving table, making for some of the film’s most hilarious moments, thanks to Paone’s deft direction and improvisation that is highlighted in the credits blooper reel. Jane Seymour is Molly’s mother, Christine Taylor is a botox-laden girlfriend, and Wanda Sykes, Fortune Feimster and Margaret Cho make appearances as Abby’s “fairy gay mothers.”

These characters come and go at the same pace of a typical forced holiday gathering - the type of gathering we took for granted before 2020. From the chaos in the kitchen to the painfully awkward small talk (“My brother has been missing for seven years!”) and strange combinations of people in your life who come together each year, "Friendsgiving" will actually make you miss those traditions which used to induce eye-rolls and anxiety.

“I come from a very large Italian family in New Jersey where sitting around the table on a holiday and making each other laugh is considered an art form,” Paone said of her semi-autobiographical film, which was shot over just three weeks. “And to see this group of people sitting around our fake table laughing brought me back to those Italian family Sundays in NJ that were incredibly special to me in my formative years. And that’s what we need right now. Laughter. Levity. Love. Plus the ability to go to a party and casually make out with people. Remember when we could do that?”

Rather than leaning too heavily on any particular plot, Paone’s movie just offers a glimpse into a group’s get-together on a single day. It’s refreshingly simple, and as she wrote in her director’s statement: what we need right now. "I think that comedy is grossly underrated," she said. "When everyone is laughing, no one is arguing, and I miss that.”

Apart from its genuinely funny moments and strange tangents, “Friendsgiving” is the all-too-rare funny film that is simply about family. “While family looks different for everybody, when you have family and friends that really love you, and show up for you like everyone did for me and my first movie, the joy is immeasurable,” Paone said. “And that’s why I hope you enjoy this movie, for the joy it will hopefully bring you.”

“Friendsgiving” is in select theaters, On Demand and digital platforms Oct. 23. It will be available on Blu-Ray and DVD Oct. 27.