FILMMAKER INTERVIEW

JASON MANTZOUKAS, DIRECTOR ANDREW JAY COHEN, AND WILL FERRELL ON THE SET OF THE HOUSE PHOTO BY GLEN WILSON THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS ANDREW JAY COHEN DIRECTS WILL FERRELL AND IN THIS SUMMER’S SUBURBAN COMEDY

by Daniel Loria

This is your fourth feature film much funnier, because when you start >> Taking an eagerly awaited leap from screenplay. Where did the idea for a putting yourself in it, that’s when the screenwriter to director, Andrew Jay suburban casino come from? comedy really started to fly. I can’t open Cohen is bringing his screenplay, The Gambling is close to my heart up an illegal casino—I don’t know how to House, to movie theaters across the [laughs]. In high school I would go to my intimidate a cheater, I don’t know how to friend’s house and play poker, and it was run my gang with an iron fist—and the country this summer. The comedy brings a whole lot of fun. The original idea was thought of attempting to do that seemed together Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler as to make a movie about a bunch of high infinitely funny. parents who resort to running an illicit school kids who start an illegal casino How much did you have to adapt in casino from their suburban home in without their parents knowing. The good ideas always pop, and this one sat around directing one of your screenplays for a order to fund their daughter’s college for a bit—it wasn’t ready yet. My writing major studio for the first time? tuition. Packed with a strong supporting partner at the time and I then did Neigh- I think I needed to let go of the words. cast full of established and up-and-com- bors and that was really successful, and I had spent so long on sets trying to think ing comedy stars, The House emerged as my manager suggested the change: “You of the perfect joke to write on a piece of write adults that act like kids so well, so paper and hand to the director. I let go of one of the most talked about comedies what if you flipped it and have the adults that and started thinking of the flow of following the Warner Bros. presentation start the casino?” And we approached it the movie in my head, and that’s a whole at CinemaCon 2017. Boxoffice talked in the style that we had been developing other skill—super hard—balancing the up to that point—these adults make the images and words and trying to put them with Cohen about the project’s origins worst decisions in the world but you together in the right way. Stepping back and the challenges of coming up with still understand where they’re coming and imagining the movie as someone in comedy gold. from emotionally. Once we understood the audience—it was more of an im- it that way, it really started getting so mersive experience than I imagined. I

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June17_TheHouse.indd 66 5/26/17 9:55 AM love directing. It’s what I dinary things. They’re went to college for, and AT THE MOVIES almost always war movies: I’ve wanted to do it since “I saw Pulp Fiction in the theater when it came out. I saw it Neighbors is a battle I saw Coming to America. between the two houses; Being in charge of all these four times and each time found something new in it. I even Mike and Dave Need Wed- different departments and wrote an in-depth analysis of it for my high school newspa- ding Dates is a battle of dealing with the super-spe- the sexes. The House isn’t cific questions from each per. It sucked me into filmmaking in such a big way. I saw it really like those movies, of them in rapid succes- in a midnight showing this year, and seeing it in a theater is but you do have a tension sion—you have to develop there—between wanting a very strong opinion very unbeatable. And I feel that way about how we approached The to be good parents and quickly. Procrastination is House. There are some things that are so surprising that it takes wanting to be gangsters— a writer’s number one tool, that sets everything up. It’s but you can’t procrastinate your breath away when you watch it with an audience. You’re a chemistry that exists in when a group of people looking at the person next to you, even if you don’t know all families; you love each are waiting on you to say other but are also weirdly what to do or where to them, and asking, ‘Did you just see that!’ There’s nothing better competitive with each go. That quick decision than strangers high-fiving when you’re at the movies.” other. The family is the making was a big shift. original unit, and you can find infinite stories there. A big draw for the film is CONCESSIONS STAND the pairing of Will Ferrell They should really know and Amy Poehler, not “I’m a Sour Patch Kids guy. I’ll admit it, I binge on them.” better but can’t help to mention the rest of falling into the traps they the cast who make it an set for themselves. ensemble comedy. How much of the together The Simpsons. Jason Mantzoukas, There’s nothing better than somebody casting did you have in mind when you our third lead, is someone who I think who is put in a situation that I could took on the project? should be a huge star. People know him totally see myself in and either makes I think it really came together in the as Rafi from , and he played the decision that I wish I had made, writing phase, when you get to a point in an awful doctor in Neighbors. He’s a guy or that on my worst day I might have a script that is three-quarters of the way who is great at saying the worst thing made, and letting the situation go to the there and sort of have an idea of who can you could possibly say. Everyone in our craziest place. That’s the fun of comedy. play it. Once we zeroed in on Will [Fer- cast knows each other, and they worked If your premise is tight—and almost a rell], we pitched it and got him interested together so well. It starts with Will and dramatic premise—you earn the right to in playing the role. From there you have Amy, and it’s easy to fall in together when crank it up as high as you want if you get Will’s voice, and the question becomes everyone is having fun on set. They really the audience to buy in. That tension of who he plays against. We realized he helped set the tone. getting a ticking time bomb of a character hadn’t done a movie with Amy [Poehler] and adding another character that acts as since Blades of Glory. It was about picking Family has played a big role in all your gasoline or gun powder. If you populate the best person they could play against, movies, as it does here. It’s not so much your script with flawed characters, like just how we brought together Seth Rogen that you depict dysfunctional families really flawed characters, humanly flawed and Zac Efron. Putting Will and Amy but that they’re very relatable in their characters, the more people recognize together, the king and queen of comedy, shortcomings. Your leads seem to be themselves in them and that’s when you that’s when you start to realize that you fully cognizant that they might not be start to get gasps and screams. The rolling can have an all-star [cast]. Alison Jones, the best parents or siblings. laugh is the gold standard, and that’s the casting director, is one of the best in I love dysfunctional family stories— when you get a rolling laugh. Audience the business. She cast Freaks & Geeks. She that’s part of their beauty. Coming from a reaction is so key, too—watching screen- knows everybody—including people you family that has very strong personalities, ings and seeing when they’re laughing, don’t know about yet. It was an amaz- you see what happens when things mix how they’re laughing—because we want ing experience, populating a town that together. I like watching ordinary people their interaction. The clearer the idea of Will and Amy live in. It felt like putting under extraordinary pressure do extraor- the joke is, the harder the laugh. n

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