Shout! Studios Acquires North American Rights To Humor Me

Shout! Studios, the multi-platform filmed entertainment distribution and production arm of Shout! Factory, has acquired North American rights to HUMOR ME, a heartfelt father-son comedy feature, written and directed by Sam Hoffman (Madam Secretary, Moonrise Kingdom, Old Jews Telling Jokes). The film was produced by Courtney Potts, Jamie Gordon, Sam Hoffman and is a Fugitive Films / Spitting Cobra Films Production in association with Humorous Films and Superlative Films. HUMOR ME stars Jemaine Clement (Legion, Flight of the Conchords), Elliott Gould (9JKL, Ray Donovan), recording artist Ingrid Michaelson, Annie Potts (Young Sheldon, Ghostbusters), Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago, Cheers), Priscilla Lopez (Law & Order: SVU, Maid in Manhattan), Erich Bergen (Madam Secretary, Jersey Boys), and Maria Dizzia (13 Reasons Why, Orange Is the New Black). Executive producers are Emily Blavatnik, Ruth Pomerance, Danielle Renfrew Behrens and Fiona Rudin. The announcement was made today by Shout! founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos, and writer-director Sam Hoffman.

Shout! Factory has secured all North American distribution rights to HUMOR ME, including theatrical, video on-demand, digital, broadcast and home entertainment for cross-platform releases. Shout! Studios plans a strategic rollout of this movie across multiple platforms beginning with a theatrical launch in early 2018.

The deal was negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers by XYZ Films, with Vanessa Keiko Flanders of Shout! Factory.

“HUMOR ME is a winning coming-of-middle-age comedy fueled by charming characters and guided by the spirit of a good joke. We’re eager to share our passion for it with North American audiences across a variety of platforms,” said Jordan Fields, Vice President of Acquisitions at Shout! Factory.

Writer-Director Sam Hoffman added, “My producers and I are incredibly excited to partner with the team at Shout! Studios for the release of Humor Me. As a filmmaker, it’s a dream to work with a distributor who is truly excited about your project and also has the talent and experience to bring it to its audience.”

HUMOR ME is a heartfelt father-son comedy about a struggling playwright who is forced to move in with his joke-telling dad in a New Jersey retirement community and learns that, as his father often says, “life’s going to happen, whether you smile or not.”

A once-acclaimed New York playwright, NATE (Jemaine Clement), is struggling to finish his new play when his wife (Maria Dizzia) leaves him, taking their son. Desolate, broke and unable to pay the rent, Nate begrudgingly moves in with his widowed father, BOB (Elliott Gould), in his New Jersey retirement community.

Bob, always quick with a joke, uses humor to deal with all of life’s challenges, even the death of his beloved wife. It drives Nate crazy.

Thinking his son could benefit from some discipline, Bob sends Nate to work for ELLIS (Willie Carpenter) an older ex-Marine who runs operations at the community. While at work, Nate stumbles on a senior citizen theater troupe staging a musical. Nate agrees to help but quickly realizes it won’t be easy to get these quirky women to cooperate. And one of them, DEE (Annie Potts) even invites him to dinner to not-so-subtly set him up with her daughter, ALLISON (Ingrid Michaelson.) Things reach a breaking point when a video of Nate’s earlier play surfaces, opening old wounds between him and Bob. Ultimately, the father and son realize they each have their own forms of storytelling and come to appreciate their differences.

HUMOR ME

A Fugitive Films, Spitting Cobra Films Production in association with Humorous Films and Superlative Films
Director-screenwriter: Sam Hoffman
Producers: Courtney Potts, Jamie Gordon, Sam Hoffman
Executive producers: Emily Blavatnik, Ruth Pomerance, Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Fiona Rudin
Director of photography: Seamus Tierney
Production designer: Tania Bijlani
Costume designer: Amy Roth
Editor: Paul Frank
Music: Gabriel Mann