Following The Little Hours, Horse Girl and Joshy, Jeff Baena and Alison Brie are back for their fourth indie collaboration — and second (after Horse Girl) as co-writers.

Spin Me Round, which Baena also directs and produces while Brie stars and produces, follows a woman who wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy through the Italian restaurant where she works, setting up an adventure after she meets the restaurant chain’s wealthy owner.

“After we made our film Horse Girl together, Jeff came to me and said, ‘I read an article about an exemplary managers program that is run out of an Italian chain restaurant in the States,’ and the article sort of outlined how lackluster that program was; how there were big promises of full immersion in Italian culture but actually it was just like a lot of American managers from restaurants hanging out,” Brie told The Hollywood Reporter at the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Wednesday. “We just thought that idea was really funny. He had sort of beaded out the main plot points and I got to come in and really dig into the characters with him.”

The film co-stars Aubrey Plaza, Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen and Debby Ryan, who have all worked with Baena and Brie on their previous films; Brie joked they’re creating a “Baena-verse” and explained why she works so well with Baena and Plaza, who are married.

“The three of us love film, we love filmmaking, we love independent film, so it’s really fun to work with them because they’re so unique in the way that they think about film and storytelling,” she said. “It’s just really satisfying to work on something where the sky’s the limit and you can follow your imagination wherever it goes.”

Plaza said she took on a smaller role in this project as she was working on her new film Emily the Criminal at the same time, opting to become “the cast cheerleader — I was organizing all the social activities, driving people around Tuscany.” And what did those social activities look like? “Just dinners, basically. That’s what you do in Italy: You drink and have long dinners.”

Plaza also celebrated reuniting with several of their longtime comedy friends for the film, noting that Baena “has a shorthand with all of these actors, so I think it just makes the process more fun. When you’re shooting movies it’s a tough life; it’s hard when you’re shooting small movies, so it’s good to feel like it’s all in the family and we’re all friends. It just makes the experience that much richer.”

Spin Me Round hits theaters Friday.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Alison Brie and Dave Franco are the cool cat parents pet owners aspire to be.

The longtime couple — who wed in 2017 — share cats Arturo, Max, and Otis. Their beloved feline Harry, unfortunately, died in June 2020.

Giving an update on her trio of fur babies, Brie, 39, tells PEOPLE exclusively they’re doing “great” at this time. The actress also shares just how invested she is in the cats she cares for with Franco, 37.

“My husband has to always kind of calm me down,” says the actress and screenwriter while promoting her new film Spin Me Round out in theaters and on AMC+ on Friday, August 19. “Lately, I’ve been obsessed with getting some leashes to take them out of the box. He’s like, ‘No.'”

But Brie’s reasons for wanting to leash her cat children are valid.

“They’re indoor cats. We live in an area with a lot of coyotes, so we really can’t let them be indoor-outdoor because animals get eaten by coyotes all the time,” the Community alum explains.

Brie and Franco, 37, aren’t “dressing them up in much,” but the pair enjoys bonding with Arturo, Max, and Otis as much as possible.

“We love to play with them,” she says. “We’re really devoted.”

Thinking of ways to get her pets outdoors, Brie has contemplated getting a knapsack for carrying her cats while walking around her neighborhood.

“I’ve seen people do it, hiking with their dogs, with a baby carrier. I don’t know,” she explains. “I worry that next time I see you, I’m going to have rashes all on my neck. I’m going to be like, ‘I tried to carry the cats in a carrier.'”

Figuring out ways to bond with her cats isn’t the only thing that’s top of mind as of late. Brie is starring in Spin Me Round as Amber, a woman whose company flies her out to an Italian immersion program, but the trip soon takes a chaotic turn.

“[My collaborator] Jeff [Baena] came to me with the idea. We’ve worked together four times before, and this is our second time writing together and producing together,” the GLOW alum says of the film. “He really had based it on this idea of this exemplary managers program that the characters go on to Italy, thinking that they’re going to get this immersive Italian program, but actually it’s a very Americanized situation. He came to me with that idea and really was basing it on some articles that he sent me about a similar program that exists.”

“I think we just thought that idea alone was so funny and a great chance to get a great ensemble together, playing different characters and getting to bounce off of each other, their different expectations and disappointments around this program,” she continues. “And then he laid out these additional beats. We extrapolated it from there in terms of how a trip like that could go wrong.”

Brie also got to pull from her real-life encounters with men, which loosely inspired her character’s primary love interest, played by Alessandro Nivola.

“It was really fun for me to come in and infuse the story with the nuances of my personal experiences as we were fleshing out the different characters,” she adds. “I find that is, like, a fun way.”

Spin Me Round hits theaters and AMC+ on Friday.

Source: PEOPLE

Alison Brie and Dave Franco continue to inspire each other in more ways than one.

At a screening for her new film Spin Me Round in Los Angeles Wednesday, the actress, 39, told PEOPLE about how she and husband Franco, 37, support each other as they venture behind the camera.

Franco made his directorial debut in 2020 with his film The Rental, which he also co-wrote. Now, it was Brie’s turn as she co-wrote Spin Me Round with director Jeff Baena. She says watching each other wear new hats in their career is “inspiring.”

“Within our household, it’s really fun because it’s inspiring,” she says. “It’s fun to watch each other work on other stuff.”

Brie continues, “I think that was the impetus for any writing on my part was watching Dave write The Rental with Joe Swanberg and seeing his excitement as he was trying out this new endeavor every day.”

Brie recalls her husband being “so empowered and electrified by the process” when he would return home. She says that “empowered” her to explore an idea she had with Baena.

“I think it’s just really fun to come into our own confidence at the same time and in these different ways of working, and that fuels each other,” Brie says. “And it’s a new way for us to connect with each other as well.”

She says the two have “always” related to one another as actors and these new ventures have “just expanded that.”

The couple tied the knot in March 2017. In 2020, Franco opened up about working with his wife on The Rental, which Brie starred in alongside Jeremy Allen White, Dan Stevens, Sheila Vand and Toby Huss. Speaking to Moviemaker Magazine, Franco told Moonlight director Barry Jenkins he couldn’t have done it without her.

“We’ve acted together, and so we knew that we would get along well on a set, but we’ve obviously never worked together in this capacity,” Franco told Jenkins in the cover story. “But what I will say is that I’ve always known that she’s an amazing actress.”

Franco said Brie was indispensable on the set, not just as an actress but as a teammate.

“There were moments throughout the shoot where I would really get into my own head and start to doubt myself in small ways,” he admitted. “And so to be able to go home to her every night and have someone who would build me up and remind me that things were going well and that I was doing a good job — it was invaluable and I honestly don’t think I could have done this without her.”

He continued, “But I swear, watching her intently every day for five weeks, I realized that she might be the greatest actress on the planet and I’m not just saying that because she’s standing 10 feet away.”

Spin Me Round — starring Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Tim Heidecker, Zach Woods, Debby Ryan, Ayden Mayeri and Molly Shannon — premieres Friday in theaters, on demand and streaming on AMC+.

Source: PEOPLE

Alison Brie and Dave Franco are one of those rare Hollywood couples that seem to just work. Brie says one reason for their close connection apparently stems from them working hard to keep in touch, despite their schedules.

Brie and Franco walked the red carpet at a special IFC screening of her new film, Spin Me Round, at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills, and the celebrated actress spoke with ET’s Cassie DiLaura about her happy marriage of five years — as well as their upcoming project.

Brie is starring in the forthcoming romantic dramedySomebody I Used to Know, which Franco is directing and was co-written by the couple.

“To me the best part is getting to experience all these other people on set realizing how incredible he is,” Brie said of getting to work with her husband on a film. “I already know, [but] its really fun to watch all the new eyes kind of take him in. And as a director, he is extraordinary.”

Franco previously directed Brie in his directorial debut, The Rental, which came out in 2020. It’s just one of the many projects the pair have collaborated on, and for Brie, its one way the pair stay close.

Reflecting on her secret to maintaining a healthy and happy marriage, Brie shared, “Communication. Its all about good communication.”

“Everybody says it, but I think that’s why we try to work together so much honestly, just so we can spend more time together,” she shared. “So we don’t have to be apart so much.”

“But even when we’re apart, we really make an effort to connect every day,” she added. “and that’s important.”

As for her latest film, Spin Me Round, Brie not only stars, but also co-wrote the script with director Jeff Baena, and she serves as a producer.

The movie follows Amber (Brie), the manager of an American restaurant chain who is selected to go on a company trip to Italy for special chef training. However, the idyllic vision of a European vacation slowly takes a strange turn.

“Its really unexpected,” Brie said of the movie excitedly. “I don’t think its gonna be like anything that they’ve seen before and to me that’s exciting! It might not be exciting for everybody, but I hope that they’re excited by it and that it makes them want to rethink their vacations.”

Spin Me Round is in theaters, on VOD and is streaming on AMC+ on Aug. 19.

Source: ET Online

Alison Brie added another impressive notch to her writing belt with the film Spin Me Round, screening at the Cinequest Film Festival Wednesday evening (September 17) at 7:15 p.m. PT at the Hammer Theatre Centre in San Jose, California. Spin Me Round will be in theaters, On Demand, and streaming on AMC+ August 19th.

The movie marks the third feature film writing credit for Brie, who plays “Amber” in addition to co-writing the movie about a woman who wins an all-expenses-paid trip to her company’s facility outside of Florence and the chance to meet the restaurant chain’s rich, charismatic owner.

As Alison has impressed with her acting in major projects like Community, Glow, and Mad Men over the years, as well as 70-plus other works, I found myself zeroing in on the story, character development, and jokes in Spin Me Round — which all flowed beautifully like an Italian red — that she helped create.

Brie co-wrote the film with Jeff Baena, who directed the movie. Molly Shannon had plenty of room to steal scenes and Aubrey Plaza and Alessandro Nivola gave strong, memorable performances as well.

Alison had worked with Baena and Shannon on previous films and was game to give it another whirl for Spin Me Round.

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Hold on to your hats from the Hat Club, human beings: We could be headed back to Greendale. Maybe. Possibly. At least according to Community star Alison Brie.

While promoting her new film Spin Me Round, which she stars in and co-wrote with director Jeff Baena, Brie addressed recent rumors that the beloved show could be closer than ever to getting the movie cherry on top of its six-season sundae.

“Recently you were quoted as saying that a Community movie is maybe a possibility—can you say anything else about that?” Newsweek asked her on August 15.

Brie’s answer: “I don’t think I can say anything else, but I will double down on what I did say: It’s maybe a possibility. It’s definitely maybe a possibility.”

She added with a laugh, “Honestly, and I’m not trying to be coy, I’m honestly trying to give you as much information as I have. It’s been talked about in the way that’s the most hopeful that I’ve ever witnessed, but still who knows. I’m crossing my fingers as much as anyone else. I hope it happens.”

Ever since Community wrapped in 2015, fans and those involved with the show alike—including stars Brie, Joel McHale and Danny Pudi, along with creator Dan Harmon—have expressed their enduring desire to do a film. The hashtag #sixseasonsandamovie has been a fandom rallying cry, an homage to the TV-obsessed character Abed (Pudi), who demanded nothing less than six seasons and a movie for the criminally underrated series The Cape. (Sadly, The Cape lived on only in the darkest timeline.)

Against all odds, Community got its six seasons, premiering on NBC in 2009 and surviving showrunner changes, cast member departures (Donald Glover, Chevy Chase and Yvette Nicole Brown) and even a hopscotch across platforms, landing on Yahoo! for its sixth and final season in 2015. Now, could it finally get its movie all these years later?

“It surprises me and warms my heart truly,” Brie said about fans’ ongoing dedication to the series and getting the film made. “I loved making that show and I still love that cast; we’re all texting this morning. Our group chain is constant after what, 12 years? It means so much to me that it still means so much to the fans.”

Brie was less optimistic about a resurrection of her critically acclaimed series GLOW, which was canceled in 2019 after three seasons.

“I have heard nothing on that front,” she said. “Sadly, I continue to not be optimistic about that. I don’t see a resurrection happening. I was so heartbroken to say goodbye to GLOW. It will forever be that great love of my life in terms of work, and I miss it a lot.”

As for Community, Brie partly credits new fans for reinvigorating the discussion around a movie. “I think that ever since it went up on some more streaming platforms in the past couple years…we’ve seen a whole new audience who’s come to love the show, and it means a lot to all of us.”

All six seasons (but no movie…yet) of Community are available on Netflix.

Spin Me Round, which also stars Aubrey Plaza, Molly Shannon, Ayden Mayeri, Debby Ryan, Zach Woods, Tim Heidecker, Ben Sinclair, Alessandro Nivola and Lil Rel Howery, hits theaters, VOD and AMC+ on August 19.

Source: Newsweek

With her breakout supporting work in “Mad Men” and “Community” far behind her, Alison Brie has been fashioning a lead career by in part portraying characters who don’t usually see center stage. In 2020, she expressed a spectrum of mental illness in a quiet and bold performance in “Horse Girl,” a glass character study she co-wrote with director Jeff Baena. In “Spin Me Round,” Brie uses that same gentleness and actor’s empathy for a woman named Amber, who Brie describes as “very passive for a film’s protagonist.” A manager of an Olive Garden-like Italian food franchise, Amber is sent on a special work retreat in Italy with stars in her eyes. The trip proves to be a manipulated rip-off in more ways than one, especially when she meets franchise owner Nick (Alessandro Nivola), who is nothing like she had dreamed him to be.

Brie co-wrote “Spin Me Round” with Baena, and is joined on-screen by an ensemble cast that includes Debby Ryan, Molly Shannon, Zach Woods, Tim Heidecker, Ben Sinclair, Ayden Mayeri, Fred Armisen, Lauren Weedman, and Aubrey Plaza.

RogerEbert.com spoke to Brie about the collaborative energy of “Spin Me Round,” its personal components, the time she got nervous meeting Frances McDormand, and more.

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