Jenny and Demme

One of the things that marks the end of summer is the unofficial beginning of Oscar Season. It's a gradual process-the supply of superheroes at the multiplex starts dwindling around the end of July; this gives way to a handful of August comedies, one or two of which might actually be funny; then next thing you know, it's Labor Day Weekend and we start seeing movies about boring old human relationships again. Last night Becky and I went to a preview screening of Rachel Getting Married, a new drama directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Jenny Lumet, who happens to be the daughter of legendary octogenarian director Sidney Lumet. Jenny Lumet was on hand for a Q & A afterward, as was one of the film's producers, Neda Armian. The film and the discussion were lively, and as an added bonus, I walked away with an autographed movie poster for answering a trivia question about Jonathan Demme and Roger Corman. (For those keeping score at home, Demme got his start working for Corman's production company in the early 70's. His 1974 debut Caged Heat remains a...highlight? of the Women in Prison genre.) In spite of the strength of the film (Anne Hathaway's performance is already generating early awards buzz), the highlight of the evening for me was a story Jenny Lumet told about the famous folks her father would sometimes bring home for dinner. There's a scene in the movie where two characters compete to see who can load up a dishwasher in under two minutes. This was apparently based on a real life incident from Lumet's childhood, except in real life the participants were Cabaret director Bob Fosse and Sidney Lumet. After dinner, Lumet was loading the dishwasher while the always fastidious Fosse sat at the table smoking a cigarette. Fosse suggested that if Lumet were to load his pyrex lids into the top rack of the dishwasher, he would be able to fit at least 10 % more dishes into the machine. Lumet responded by inviting Fosse to go fuck himself, and the two men then spent the next several hours loading and unloading the dishwasher. Only 11 or 12 years old at the time, Jenny Lumet said she remembered this story not for the famous people involved, but because it was an example of two adults acting "completely psychotic." Either that, or Bob Fosse extended his passion for choreography into even the most mundane aspects of his life. A great story, regardless. Rachel Getting Married is recommended, the trailer's below: