The world premiere of the Jamie Neese-directed Two Million Stupid Women was at the San Jose Repertory Theater Friday night as part of the Cinequest 19 film fest. What an amazing film. Brilliantly done. The film follows Anna, Todd and Melissa as they embark on an adventure to track down the latter's five ex boyfriends so she can say, "Tell me I'm stupid and pathetic and I should leave you alone!" Melissa (played by the charmingly sweet Anna Faris-like Sarah Lindsay Hall) believes this will help her gain closure from her past relationships. Hilarity and drama ensues as this emotional comedy pulls viewers in with its remarkably talented cast.
Interestingly enough, Katy Stoll (Anna) is from Redwood City and honed her acting skills locally at the California Theatre Center in Sunnyvale, while Mark R. Gerson (Todd) grew up in Palo Alto and attended Stanford University. In fact, Gerson came out of college as a management consultant when, much to the chagrin of his parents, he decided to try his hand at acting. Well, nice job, Gerson. We saw your family at the premiere. From the looks of the champagne and balloons they handed you, they are proud. "As a kid, I never dreamed of being in a festival like Cinequest," Gerson told us. "I'm 50 miles from my parents house. It's wild!"
The dialogue was so fluid, so relaxed, it almost seemed entirely improvised, yet few moments went unscripted. Amy Heidish did an amazing job writing this script. And big props to director/executive producer Jamie Neese shooting this film in only 11 days, braving all those freezing 4am nights in the Los Angeles and Pasadena areas.
Other showings for Two Million Stupid Women at the SJ Rep:
3/1 @ 9pm tix
3/4 @ 5pm tix
Here are a few pics of the cast.
Sarah Hall (Melissa), Katy Stoll (Anna), Jamie Neese (director), Mark R. Gerson (Todd), by Shannon Lee
Sarah Hall (Melissa), by Shannon Lee
Sarah Hall (Melissa) and Mark R. Gerson (Todd)
Katy Stoll (Anna), by Shannon Lee
Sarah Hall, Katy Stoll, Mark R. Gerson, by Shannon Lee
Katy Stoll (Anna), Sarah Hall (Melissa), by Shannon Lee
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Cool review! I saw it at the cinequest festival too and enjoyed it alot, didn't know it had local connections though. Hadn't seen other reviews for the film but nice to see it got some notice and a good review here. Go bay area locals!
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