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Rob Reilly
Back to Manhattan writer/director talks to us about writing comedy, collaborating with actors and the challenges of filming on the streets of New York.
by
James Kass
September 28, 2003 |
In his comedy film Back to Manhattan, Writer/Director Rob Reilly deftly weaves stories and eccentric characters together with comic skill that by the end of the film, the plot lines intertwine in a hilarious, unexpected Seinfeld-meets-Sopranos ending.
Recently, My8by10.com had a chance to talk with Rob about Back to Manhattan, which is having its third local festival screening this November as official selection of the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival.
My8by10: Describe your writing process, where you write, how you decide which
scenes to re-write, etc...
Rob Reilly: Well, when I get a writing process I'll let you know... Anytime, anywhere, has been the case so far. But I found dialogue comes a lot easier to me when I'm driving. I start acting out the characters and just go back and forth with the dialogue. Then I scribble the ideas on a pad on the seat next to me. After I get home, I try to decipher what I wrote and put it in the computer.
So in the future if you see a silver Saturn swerving around on the road, just wave and pass cautiously. Maybe it's time to invest in a little recorder.
My8by10: And for Back To Manhattan?
RR: As far as writing "Back To Manhattan", there were many re-writes. I wrote it, but I would also bounce ideas off certain people and it would usually make the scenes better. My friend Jerry (Jerard Egan in the film), who also helped me shoot the film with his wife Lisa, my cousin Lou (Lou Farragher in the film) and a couple of the cast members were usually the ones I went over some of the ideas with.
I don't care who comes up with what, as long as it works. Paul Dunleavy, who plays Paulie in the film, came up with the idea of his character doing the hopscotch, I loved it, so it went in.
And the scene with Frankie and Paulie sitting in the car talking about barbers, came from a conversation I had a few weeks prior with Eddie Sicoli, who plays Frankie in the film. He was telling me about his barber and I was cracking up. So that inspired that scene.
Everything is inspiration and a film is a collaborative effort, plus we all have a similar sense of humor, so it was a great blend.
My8by10: What are your comedy influences?
RR: I think my friends play a big part of my comedy influences. My friends and I have been cracking each other up our entire lives, especially my friend Jerry and I. We've been making each other laugh since we were kids.
As far as TV, the Honeymooners, Taxi, Cheers and of course Seinfeld are among my favorites shows, such great characters. Dave Letterman is someone I've loved watching for years and I'm a big Conan O'Brien fan. Anybody who comes up with the Masturbating Bear and the Preparation H Guy, is a funny guy.
When it comes to comedians, Eddie Murphy has always been able to crack me up, he's got great expressions and perfect timing. Jim Carey, Colin Quinn... I think Brian Regan is hilarious. I like a lot of them. I love going to comedy clubs.
My8by10: There are some very funny scenes about... oh, we'll just say "anti-itch cream"... and a flashback to a "mustard incident". How many of these strange scenes were influenced by real-life events?
 RR: Not too many, thank God. The mustard scene was fiction. But I am allergic to powered laundry detergent and I do break out in a rash, so that's how I wrote that. What happens to Jack after that is Jack's fault, not mine. I am a Met fan though and Keith Hernandez is my all time favorite Met. Other than that, pretty much fiction.
My8by10: How would you describe your directing style?
RR: In progress... I'm a big fan of actors so I want to be the kind of director that an actor would want to work for. For the most part, in “Back To Manhattan” anyway, I would act out the scene the way I pictured the characters when I wrote them. I acted out each character when I wrote them. Then I let the actors bring their own style to the character and watch them grow. It's a very interesting process, to write a character and then watch he/she come to life. It was my first experience with it and I loved it.
My8by10: Was there much improvisation during the filming process, or did you stick mostly to the script?
Most of it was scripted, but there was definitely a lot of improvisation. That's what makes it a collaboration, having your actors - or crew for that matter - come up with gems in the moment, it's part of the fun.
A great example of that is when Johnny (Justin Allen) says “double underline” when writing on the newspaper. I never would have thought to write that, I loved it...
There were two short scenes I didn't even write any dialogue for. The scenes weren't dialogue driven, more action. I just described the scene and what the characters should be saying and let them run with it. I had very talented people working with me. And I'm finding that part of being a good director is knowing when to step in and knowing when to shut up and let it happen. I'm learning as I go.
My8by10: Just about all of the action takes place on the streets of New York City. As an independent, low-budget filmmaker, what did you find was the biggest challenge of shooting on location in Manhattan?
RR: What isn't? Noise has got to be at the top of the list, especially for no/low budget films. The people were awesome though, especially the cops. And we only got robbed once. Seriously. The tripod, my bag with my checkbook and a battery belt were stolen. I'd say something in hopes that the people who robbed us that day would see this, but I'm sure they can't read.
When we were shooting a scene where Jack drops a twenty-dollar bill and it starts to blow away. A woman walking down the street picked it up and put it in her pocket and kept walking. Some of the guys went over and told her that it was for the film and she said she found it, so it was hers. When we told her to look at the bill, she noticed it had a fishing line attached to it. She was a little embarrassed. We all thought it was pretty funny. Besides if she ran, all we had to do is pull the twenty back out of her pocket, we still had the other end of the line.
My8by10: With such a large cast, at least in relation to the budget, how did you go about casting "Back to Manhattan"?
RR: I didn't really do casting calls. Michael MacKewice (Jack) and Lora Pfeiffer (Karen) are two actors I met in a pub in Nyack, NY. I had just started writing what would eventually become Back To Manhattan. I took their headshots and pinned them up on my corkboard next to my computer. And as I was writing, I realized I started writing it for them.
Steve Devito was one of the first actors on board. I liked him and his character so I decided to write him a partner, Johnny, played by Justin Allen. That clicked instantly also. Same with Carly Robins and Ami Colon.
 I got the biggest response and received the most headshots for the roles of Frankie and Paulie. But I didn't do a casting call for them either. I found Eddie Sicoli's headshot on My8by10.com, and he had the exact look I was thinking of. Paul Dunleavy responded to an online casting and as soon as I saw him, I knew I had Frankie's partner. It was just a matter of would they click, together. That was answered in the first 5 minutes; we had each other cracking up right away.
Christine Celander, who plays the bride at the end of the film, I met through a woman who was renting an apartment. Christine was a friend of Sue Fox, who plays Frankie's "big" date. Richard Warner, who plays the main peddy cab driver, is a real peddy cab driver. So you never know.
Almost all the other principal actors, except the wedding videographer, my cousin Lou Farragher, who I knew could do it, I got from going to online sites or posting castings on the sites. A lot of them I got from My8by10.com, so thank you!
Aaron Fiore, Jerry Deal, Steve Gleich, Rich Mamola, Jason DePeri... they all just kept clicking. I wish I could name them all (I'm trying). But it just kept happening like that. Meant to be, I think. They all did such a great job!
My8by10: What's next? Any plans for sequel?
RR: No plans for a sequel... but yeah I would do it down the line. Next is a very original comedy that I just began writing a couple of weeks ago. This next film needs an actual budget though and I'll get it or die trying. And the goal for the next film is Miramax!
Back to Manhattan A Film by Rob Reilly. A cineMOOK film. Screens Saturday, November 15th, 8pm as part of the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, at the Village East Cinema, 187 2nd Ave at 12th Street, New York, NY. Tickets: $10.00 through TicketWeb.com |
James Kass is the Features Editor and Database Administrator of My8by10.com. |
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