Magnolia Pictures Burn Later Productions, Killer Films / CYRK Productions
Presents
A MAGNOLIA PICTURES RELEASE
A film by Janicza Bravo
83 minutes
Written by: Janicza Bravo & Brett Gelman
Official Selection
2017 Sundance Film Festival – NEXT – World Premiere
2017 SXSW
2017 BAM Cinemafest
FINAL PRESS NOTES
http://www.magpictures.com/lemon/
Distributor Contact: / Press Contact NY/Nat’l: / Press Contact LA/Nat’l:Matt Cowal / Adam Kersh / Ryan Collins
Arianne Ayers / Brigade Marketing / Ginsberg / Libby PR
Magnolia Pictures / (917) 771-7021 phone / (323) 645-6807 phone
(212) 924-6701 phone / /
SYNOPSIS
Lemon: a person or thing that proves to be defective, imperfect, or unsatisfactory. Isaac Lachmann is a dud. Isaac Lachmann is 40. Isaac Lachmann is a man in free fall immobilized by mediocrity. His career is going nowhere. His girlfriend of ten years is leaving him. And his overbearing family doesn’t help matters. What did he do to deserve this? Things were supposed to work out differently for him. Isaac Lachmann had big dreams. Now he just watches as his life unravels.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT – JANICZA BRAVO
“One day I had the pleasure of waking up in my thirties. I noticed a dark cloud hanging over my head and a crushing sensation in my chest. Most of what I had imagined or seen for myself had yet to materialize. The only things that I had were a pit in my stomach and a ball in my throat.
With that as my new starting point, I plunged head first into an abyss.
LEMON is a pure manifestation of my greatest fear; arriving at a life or an end meant for someone else. You're supposed to be the hero of your own life but what do you do if you aren't born with the tools?
I thought I deserved certain things. I felt like I'd been handed a fair amount of suffering that I had done a great job of getting through. I felt I’d put in plenty of days and hours into my craft and nothing worthwhile was presenting itself. LEMON was birthed out of a deep frustration.
- Janicza Bravo
ABOUT THE CAST & CREW
Janicza Bravo (Director/Co-Writer)
Janicza Bravo is a writer/director based in Los Angeles. She was raised on an army base in Panama City, Panama. She studied directing and design for theatre at NYU. She's mounted plays in the states and abroad. Her foray into film began 5 years ago. Her first short, Eat, premiered at SXSW. Her follow up Gregory Go Boom played in competition at Sundance and took home a Short Film Jury award. Other shorts include Pauline Alone, Woman in Deep, Man Rots From The Head and Hard World for Small Things. The latter of which can be seen in virtual reality. Her work has also screened at AFI, BAM, Carnegie Hall and Tribeca. Filmmaker Magazine named her one to watch. TV credits includeFirst Dinnera segment for Amazon’s The New Yorker Presents andJuneteenthan episode of FX's award winningAtlantastarring Donald Glover.
Brett Gelman (Isaac Lachmann/Co-Writer)
Since Variety named him one of its “10 Comics to Watch” in 2010, Brett Gelman has shown film, TV, web and live audiences how he has a signature intensity and fearlessness that continues to earn praise from critics and peers alike.
A member of the Upright Citizens Brigade, he recently entertained television audiences as writer/performer/ringleader of two Adult Swim specials “Dinner with Friends with Brett Gelman and Friends” and the follow-up “Dinner with Family with Brett Gelman and Brett Gelman’s Family.” Both specials were such huge successes that they are already in pre-production for the next installment! His television credits include the critically acclaimed FX comedy, “Married,” opposite Nat Faxon and Judy Greer, Judd Apatow’s Netflix series, “Love”, Starz’ critically acclaimed series “Blunt Talk” opposite Patrick Stewart, the Gelman-produced short film Gregory Go Boom, about a paraplegic man who leaves home to be on his own, recently won the Short Film Jury Award for U.S. Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
A native of Highland Park, Illinois, Brett Gelman earned a drama degree from University of North Carolina School of the Arts before heading east to New York. While in New York he discovered the Upright Citizens Brigade and spent eight years developing his comedic oeuvre, eventually grabbing the attention of Funny or Die, and the website’s co-founder Will Ferrell, with his performance art parody “One Thousand Cats.”
Migrating to L.A. in 2008, Gelman has since been in high demand. He has appeared on a breadth of other TV series including those for HBO (“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Bored to Death,” “Funny or Die Presents”), NBC (“The Office”), IFC (“Comedy Bang! Bang!”), Comedy Central (“The Kroll Show”), CBS (“Bad Teacher”), MTV (“The Inbetweeners”) and FX (“The League”), among other broadcast and cable networks. His diverse work in feature film has included roles in the independent comedy Awful Nice, the 2013 biography Jobs, the recent indie comedy Someone Marry Barry, the comedy romance Watching the Detectives, and the Columbia-distributed comedies The Other Guys and 30 Minutes or Less. His most recent film, “Joshy” premiered to rave reviews at Sundance.
Brett recently wrapped shooting David Lynch's "Twin Peaks” reboot and the second season of the critically acclaimed Judd Apatow series, “Love.” He can currently be seen in a major recurring role on Amazon’s smash hit, “Fleabag” as well as his third comedy special for Adult Swim, “Brett Gelman’s Dinner in America.”
Judy Greer (Ramona)
Judy Greer’s career in both film and television has been prolific, as she has appeared in over 80 roles to date. She starred in the FX comedy series MARRIED opposite Nat Faxon, and also appeared in Marvel’s ANT MAN opposite Paul Rudd as well as the star of Jamie Babbit’s indie ADDICTED TO FRESNO. She shot Fox’s sequel to PLANET OF THE APES for director Matt Reeves and wrote her first book I DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU KNOW ME FROM. She continues to voice the role of “Cheryl” on FX’s award-winning animated secret agent spoof ARCHER, going into its eighth season. She also shot Jason Reitman’s MEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN in Austin, TX.
Judy was in MGM’s update of Brian DePalma’s classic CARRIE, in which she appeared alongside Julianne Moore and Chloe Grace Moretz for director Kimberly Peirce. Judy also made her Broadway debut opposite Katie Holmes in DEAD ACCOUNTS. She reprised her role as Kitty Sanchez, George Bluth (Jeffrey Tambor)’s assistant/girlfriend in the fourth season of cult classic ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT on Netflix on top of all of that.
Judy’s film work also includes Fox Searchlight’s Academy Award-winning THE DESCENDENTS, directed by Alexander Payne and starring George Clooney, as well as Jay and Mark Duplass’ JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME, in which she starred opposite Ed Helms and Jason Segel. Her film credits include Robbie Fox’s dramedy PLAYING THE FIELD, Barry Blaustein’s PEEP WORLD, Magnolia Pictures’ BARRY MUNDAY and Ed Zwick’s LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS, in which she appeared opposite Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal. Most recently, she can be seen in WILSON, starring Woody Harrelson, Cheryl Hines and Laura Dern. This is only a small sample of Judy’s extensive film work.
Judy is no stranger to the small screen either, having appeared in a multi-episode arc on TWO AND A HALF MEN and a recurring role on the aforementioned ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. Her additional television credits include the ABC comedy MISS GUIDED as well as CBS’s MAD LOVE opposite Sarah Chalke and Tyler Labine, along with guest appearances on MODERN FAMILY, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, THE BIG BANG THEORY, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, and CALIFORNICATION, just to name a few.
Most recently, she helmed her first feature film A HAPPENING OF MONUMENTAL PROPORTIONS. Written by Gary Lundy, A HAPPENING OF MONUMENTAL PROPORTIONS stars Common, Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Jennifer Garner, Anders Holm, Nat Faxon, Rob Riggle, Katie Holmes and Storm Reid to name a few. Produced by Principato-Young Entertainment and Depth of Field, this dark comedy will be released in 2017.
Michael Cera (Alex)
Michael Cera’s work includes the role of George-Michael Bluth in the Emmy Award® winning Fox series “Arrested Development,” as well as lead roles in the feature blockbusters “Superbad” and “Juno.” Other film roles include “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” “Youth in Revolt,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” and comedy hit “This is the End.” Most recently, Michael Cera can be heard in animated blockbusters “Sausage Party” and “Lego Batman.”
Cera made his Broadway debut in Kenneth Lonergan’s award-winning play “This is Our Youth” following a sold-out and critically acclaimed run at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater.
Cera starred in “Crystal Fairy” and “Magic Magic,” two films directed by award-winning Chilean director Sebastian Silva. Both films premiered to standing ovations and critical praise at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013.
Nia Long (Cleo)
Nia Long has cultivated an expansive and impressive body of work and consistently turns out performances that prove why she is one of Hollywood’s most celebrated leading actresses. 2017 promises to be one of her most exciting years to date, showcasing Long in a multitude of mediums and roles that demonstrate her incredible versatility as an actress.
Long recently wrapped the feature ROXANNE, ROXANNE from the producers of DOPE and FRUITVALE STATION, which follows rapper Roxanne Shante’s incredible journey to becoming the baddest battle rapper on the East Coast in the ‘80s. Long also recently wrapped the indie drama LEMON directed by Michael Larnell, which centers on an out of work actor who tries to stop his life from unfolding after he is left by his blind girlfriend. Both ROXANNE, ROXANNE and LEMON premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in January 2017.
Also in January 2017, Long will be seen starring in the contemporary reboot of the classic film BEACHES which starred Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey. Long will play Hillary, the daughter of a prominent civil rights lawyer who struggles to find her own destiny. The film co-stars Idina Menzel. In Spring 2017 she will be appear in a recurring role on the second season of Amazon’s original drama series “Hand of God.”
Since making her film debut in John Singleton’s Oscar nominated film BOYZ N THE HOOD, Long has been no stranger to box office success. She has been a part of three successful film franchises including the THE BEST MAN for which she earned an NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture” and its 2013 follow-up THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY which earned critical and commercial success. Martin Lawrence’s BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE 1 & 2 collectively grossed over $300 million and earned Long another NAACP Image Award nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture.” Additionally, she co-starred in the Ice Cube family comedies ARE WE THERE YET? and ARE WE DONE YET?
Most recently, Long was seen opposite Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele in New Line’s feature comedy KEANU, and also starred in THE SINGLE MOMS CLUB which co-starred her son, Massai. Additional film roles include FRIDAY with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker, MADE IN AMERICA with Whoopi Goldberg, LOVE JONES which won the Audience Award at Sundance and earned Long an NAACP Image Award nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture,” SOUL FOOD, STIGMATA, THE SECRET LAUGHTER OF WOMEN opposite Colin Firth, ALFIE with Jude Law, and PREMONITION with Sandra Bullock.
In television, Long last starred in the ABC comedy, “Uncle Buck,” based on the classic John Hughes film. She first caught audiences’ attention as Will Smith’s love interest on NBC’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” which garnered her first NAACP Image Award nomination for “Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.” Long co-starred alongside Vanessa Redgrave, Sharon Stone and Ellen DeGeneres in the Emmy Nominated HBO telefilm, “If These Walls Could Talk 2;” the performance earned Long an NAACP Image Award Nomination for “Best Actress in a Television Movie.” Her portrayal of Officer Sasha Monroe on NBC’s “Third Watch” earned her two NAACP Image Awards for “Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.” Additional television credits include recurring roles on “Judging Amy” and “Boston Legal.” Most recently Long starred in the political thriller “The Divide” from Director Tony Goldwyn and writer Richard LaGravenese, and appeared on Showtime’s “House of Lies” which earned her an NAACP Image Award Nomination for “Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.”
She is currently in production on the third season of Fox’s hit series, “EMPIRE”, co-created by Lee Daniels. Long will have a recurring role as Giuliana, Las Vegas club queenpin who secures a deal with Empire.
Behind the camera, Long made her directorial debut on Ashanti’s music video “Baby,” the third single from her platinum selling debut album, Ashanti. Additionally, Long directed the music video for platinum selling Gospel artist Yolanda Adams’ single “This Too Shall Pass” from the #1 selling gospel album, Day By Day. Continuing her work behind the camera, she is currently developing a feature film that centers on renowned world champion boxer and trainer, Ann Wolfe.
In addition to her film and television work, Long’s passion lies in supporting her community. With family roots in Trinidad, she aims to be a liaison between the youth in the United States and those on the island. In 2013, Long was a vocal proponent to the Barack Obama reelection campaign and has remained active in supporting women’s rights, education and affordable healthcare. In November 2016, Long and fiancé Ime Udoka partnered with the United Nations Foundation “Nothing But Nets” campaign to bring protective bed nets to regions affected by Malaria.