Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: Lina Roessler, Rialto Distribution.
Academy Award-winner Sir Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza match wits — and red pens — as an irritable, retired author and a young, lively publisher embark on a final book tour.
Actually, so is born the book tour from hell — where fame doesn’t equal fortune, twitter followers don’t add up and the legacy you are trying to uphold might be born out of lies the past can’t contain.
This drama, directed by Lina Roessler (Little Whispers: The Vow) and written by Anthony Grieco, is an exuberant literary comedy.
Lucy Stanbridge (Plaza, An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, Happiest Season, Black Bear) has inherited her father’s boutique publishing house, and the ambitious would-be editor has nearly sunk it with failing YA titles and bad reviews. When she discovers the company is owed a book by Shaw, she looks to him for one last stab at salvation, both commercial and critical. Her timing is just right as Harris owes money and he happens to have a new book — which he hates.
Needless to say, their meeting doesn’t go well. Shaw — the sort of recluse who answers the phone by shouting “He’s dead, bugger off!” — pulls a shotgun on them.
However, we know he’s also tapped for funds, so he agrees to let them publish his long-gestating manuscript, The Future is X-Rated. Unfortunately for him, his contract also states that he must submit his book for editing, and he doesn’t take kindly to the idea.
Caine is perfect as the cloistered, booze-addled author who originally put the company on the map. With Plaza’s clever unpretentious play, both leads work well together. It’s kind of a fun story that’s designed to play on your emotions.
Best Sellers opens in cinemas on 25 November 2021.
