BEST SELLERS – Now available In Theaters & On Demand!
Synopsis: Lucy Standbridge (Aubrey Plaza) has inherited her father’s publishing house, and the ambitious would-be editor has nearly sunk it with failing titles. She discovers she is owed a book by Harris Shaw (Michael Caine), a reclusive, cantankerous, booze-addled author who originally put the company on the map decades earlier. In a last-ditch effort to save the company, Lucy and Harris release his new book and embark on a book tour from hell that changes them both in ways they didn’t expect.
Commentary: We sometimes forget what a powerful actor Sir Michael Caine is until we watch him in his rawest emotional form. As a washed up, one-time best selling author Harris Shaw makes Hemingway look like the poster child for happy-go-lucky. When the daughter of his former publisher – who is having a streak of bad luck herself – reaches out to him, the two have to navigate the treacherous waters of second chance self-discovery.
The story is an intriguing one and Anthony Greico hooks us from the start. There are moments of predictable cliches but not enough to spoil the journey. Aubrey Plaza has the task of sparring with Caine. If she showed any timidity it was fixed in post. Plaza has come along way since Parks and Rec, but her smirkiness remains.
Anyone who has ever felt like a fraud in their career or as if they never quite had what it takes – which should be most of us – will relate to Shaw on a level or two. Same with Lucy. It is that human inadequacy that glues this film together.
BEST SELLERS is unrated but certainly an adult drama due to the language and themes. I give it 3.5 out of 5 book tours. solid on-demand watch for sure.
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