The bittersweet life of a comedian shows in “Don’t Think Twice,” a film opening Aug. 26 at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.
Also showing at the Ross is “Indignation,” a story about a young Jewish atheist who clashed with an Ohio college’s established social order.
“Don’t Think Twice” tells the story of an improvisation group called The Commune that has reigned their New York theater for 11 years. Commune members Miles, Samantha, Jack, Allison, Bill and Lindsay invent comedy without a script and without a net. They’re ingenious, they’re fast and they build on each other’s ideas like best friends.
Night after night the friends perform onstage and wait for their big break. Day after day they work menial jobs to support themselves. Then they get news that their theater is shutting down, and scouts from a hit TV show come to a performance looking for talent. Only two cast members get the nod, upsetting the dynamic of the group and leaving its future in doubt. Relationships begin to crack as six best friends face the truth that not all of them will make it, and for some, it may be time to give up on the dream and move on.
The film, rated R for language and some drug use, shows through Sept. 8.
Based on a Philip Roth novel, “Indignation” follows Marcus Messner (played by Logan Lerman), a brilliant working class Jewish boy from Newark, New Jersey, as he travels on scholarship to a small, conservative college in Ohio. By attending college, Messner is exempt from being drafted into the Korean War. However, a growing infatuation with classmate Olivia Hutton (Sarah Gadon) and clashes with the college’s imposing dean (Tracey Letts), put Messner’s best laid plans to the ultimate test.
“Indignation,” which is rated R for sexual content and some language, shows at the Ross through Sept. 1.
For more information on films at the Ross, click here or call 402-472-5353.
