Hard Sell (film)

Last updated
Hard Sell
Hard Sell poster.jpg
Directed bySean Nalaboff
Written bySean Nalaboff
Produced byJimmy Seargeant
Sean Nalaboff
Jared Greenman
Starring Katrina Bowden
Skyler Gisondo
Kristin Chenoweth
CinematographyDanny Vecchione
Edited byMatthew Steinhart
Music byClyde Lawrence
Cody Fitzgerald
Production
company
Yellow Cote Productions
Distributed by Momentum Pictures (Entertainment One)
Release date
  • May 20, 2016 (2016-05-20)

Hard Sell is an American comedy-drama written and directed by Sean Nalaboff in his directorial debut. [1] The film stars Katrina Bowden, Skyler Gisondo, and Kristin Chenoweth, with Hannah Marks and Kevin Kilner in supporting roles.

Contents

Plot

The story centers around Hardy Buchanan (Skyler Gisondo), a poor high school senior surrounded by affluence at an elite private school, located on Long Island's Gold Coast. Hardy struggles to support his unstable mom (Kristin Chenoweth) and her prized possession, Walter, the family dog. When Walter gets sick, Hardy has to come up with fast cash to pay for the surgery. Alone and having no one to turn to, Hardy sides with Bo (Katrina Bowden), an aimless socialite. Hardy and Bo team up and discover ways of profiting off of the wayward teens at school with deep pockets and even heavier issues. The unlikely duo's new business takes a unique turn when the students learn that Bo has more to offer than what meets the eye as the characters get tossed headfirst into the lifestyles of the rich and dysfunctional. Hardy fights to save Walter and fix his broken family while Bo's past comes back to haunt her. As things begin to spiral out of control, Hardy has to make a decision to rebuild his life or to walk away.

Cast

Release

On February 22, 2016, Variety reported that film studio Momentum Pictures (Entertainment One) had acquired the domestic rights to the film and planned for a limited theatrical release in spring 2016. [2] The film was released on May 30, 2016. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristin Chenoweth</span> American actress, singer, author (born 1968)

Kristin Dawn Chenoweth is an American actress and singer, with credits in musical theatre, film, and television. In 1999, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway. In 2003, Chenoweth received a second Tony Award nomination for originating the role of Glinda in the musical Wicked. Her television roles include Annabeth Schott in NBC's The West Wing and Olive Snook on the ABC comedy drama Pushing Daisies, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2009. She also starred in the ABC TV series GCB in 2012, played Lavinia in Trial & Error in 2018 and was the antagonist, Mildred Layton, in the Apple TV+ musical comedy Schmigadoon! (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katrina Bowden</span> American actress

Katrina Bowden is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Cerie on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2006–2013) and as Flo Fulton on the CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (2019–present). She has also appeared in the films Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, Sex Drive, Piranha 3DD, American Reunion, and Scary Movie 5.

Skyler Augustus Gisondo is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films Licorice Pizza, Booksmart, and Vacation, as well as the television programs The Righteous Gemstones and Santa Clarita Diet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Brunetti</span> American media executive, film producer and entrepreneur

Dana Brunetti is an American media executive, film producer, entrepreneur and co-founder and chief content officer of Cavalry Media.

"Home" is the sixteenth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on April 27, 2010. It was directed by Paris Barclay and written by series creator Brad Falchuk. "Home" sees new cheerleader Mercedes Jones deal with body image issues, while Kurt Hummel sets his dad and Finn Hudson's mom together, in an attempt to get closer to Finn, and club director Will Schuester is reunited with his friend April Rhodes. Chenoweth first appeared in Glee in the episode "The Rhodes Not Taken". She enjoyed the role of April so much that she agreed to return for "Home", and has expressed an interest in reappearing in the future.

<i>Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb</i> 2014 film by Shawn Levy

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, also called Night at the Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb is a 2014 American fantasy comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and written by David Guion and Michael Handelman. It is the third installment in the Night at the Museum film series, and a sequel to Battle of the Smithsonian. The film stars Ben Stiller in the lead role, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Dan Stevens, Rebel Wilson, and Ben Kingsley. In Secret of the Tomb, security guard Larry Daley must travel to London to return the tablet of Ahkmenrah, an Egyptian artifact which causes the exhibits to come to life, before the magic disappears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Quinn (actor)</span> American actor and singer

Kevin Gerard Quinn is an American actor. He is known for his starring role as Xander in the Disney Channel original series Bunk'd (2015–2017), and for his roles in the 2016 Disney Channel Original Movie Adventures in Babysitting and the 2021 Netflix film A Week Away.

<i>Class Rank</i> (film) 2017 American film

Class Rank is a 2017 American romantic comedy film directed by Eric Stoltz and written by Benjamin August. The film stars Skyler Gisondo, Olivia Holt, Kristin Chenoweth, Kathleen Chalfant, Nick Krause, and Peter Maloney.

<i>Hairspray Live!</i>

Hairspray Live! is an American television special that aired live on the American television network NBC on December 7, 2016. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and hosted by Darren Criss, it is a performance of a new adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical Hairspray.

Steele Stebbins is an American actor. He is best known for his performance as Kevin Griswold, in the 2015 comedy film Vacation and as Wyatt, in the 2014 comedy film A Haunted House 2. In addition, he has appeared in two short films, Wish You Were (Here) in 2010 and Metered in 2011.

<i>Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later</i> American television series

Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later is a satirical comedy streaming television miniseries created by David Wain and Michael Showalter, and directed by Wain. The Netflix series, which is part of the Wet Hot American Summer franchise, is a sequel to both Wain's 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer, and the 2015 prequel television series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. The series consists of eight episodes, and was released on August 4, 2017. The show is set in 1991 in both the camp and New York City. Showalter cited St. Elmo's Fire, Singles, and The Big Chill as inspirations.

<i>The Nightingale</i> (Hannah novel) 2015 historical fiction novel by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale is a historical fiction novel by American author Kristin Hannah published by St. Martin's Press in 2015. The book tells the story of two sisters in France during World War II and their struggle to survive and resist the German occupation of France. The book was inspired by the story of a Belgian woman, Andrée de Jongh, who helped downed Allied pilots escape Nazi territory.

<i>The Star</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

The Star is a 2017 American computer-animated biblical comedy film directed by Timothy Reckart. Inspired by the Nativity of Jesus, the film's screenplay was written by Carlos Kotkin and Simon Moore, based on an original concept by Tom Sheridan. It is produced by Sony Pictures Animation, with partnership from Walden Media, Affirm Films and The Jim Henson Company. It stars the voices of Steven Yeun, Gina Rodriguez, Zachary Levi, Keegan-Michael Key, Kelly Clarkson, Patricia Heaton, Kristin Chenoweth, Tracy Morgan, Tyler Perry, and Oprah Winfrey.

<i>Band Aid</i> (film) 2017 American film

Band Aid is a 2017 American comedy-drama film, written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones in her directorial debut. It stars Lister-Jones, Adam Pally, Fred Armisen, Susie Essman, Retta, Hannah Simone, Ravi Patel and Brooklyn Decker. Lister-Jones also co-wrote the original songs in the film with multi-instrumentalist Kyle Forester.

<i>Booksmart</i> 2019 film directed by Olivia Wilde

Booksmart is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Olivia Wilde and written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman. It stars Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as two graduating high school girls who set out to finally break the rules and party on their last day of classes. Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, and Jason Sudeikis also star.

<i>Feast of the Seven Fishes</i> (film) 2018 American film

Feast of the Seven Fishes is a 2018 American comedy film written and directed by Robert Tinnell and starring Skyler Gisondo, Madison Iseman, Jessica Darrow, Addison Timlin, Josh Helman, Joe Pantoliano, Paul Ben-Victor and Ray Abruzzo. It marks the film debut of Jessica Darrow. It is based on Tinnell's 2005 graphic novel of the same name.

<i>The Starling</i> 2021 film directed by Theodore Melfi

The Starling is a 2021 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Theodore Melfi and written by Matt Harris. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Timothy Olyphant, Kim Quinn, Skyler Gisondo, Loretta Devine, Ravi Kapoor, Daveed Diggs, Rosalind Chao, Laura Harrier, and Kevin Kline.

<i>The Binge</i> 2020 American comedy film directed by Jeremy Garelick

The Binge is a 2020 American black comedy film directed by Jeremy Garelick and written by Jordan VanDina. A parody of The Purge, the film stars Skyler Gisondo, Eduardo Franco, Dexter Darden, Vince Vaughn, Grace Van Dien and Zainne Saleh.

Matt Harris is an American screenwriter and television producer.

<i>National Champions</i> (film) 2021 American film by Ric Roman Waugh

National Champions is a 2021 American sports drama film directed by Ric Roman Waugh, based on the play of the same name by Adam Mervis. The film stars Stephan James, J. K. Simmons, Alexander Ludwig, Lil Rel Howery, Tim Blake Nelson, Andrew Bachelor, Jeffrey Donovan, David Koechner, Kristin Chenoweth, Timothy Olyphant, and Uzo Aduba.

References

  1. The Deadline Team (October 10, 2013). "Kristin Chenoweth & Katrina Bowden Join 'Hard Sell', Angelina Jolie's 'Unbroken' in Talks with Jordan Patrick Smith". Deadline Hollywood .
  2. McNary, Dave (February 22, 2016). "Kristin Chenoweth's Dramedy 'Hard Sell' Lands at Momentum". Variety .
  3. Hard Sell, RottenTomatoes.com, accessed June 10, 2016