The Extra Man

Louis Ives, a lonely dreamer who fancies himself the hero of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, leaves his job and heads to Manhattan to become a writer. He rents a room in the ramshackle apartment of Henry Harrison, a wildly eccentric, but brilliant, playwright who happens to be an “extra man”—a social escort for the wealthy widows of New York’s high society. The two form an unexpected bond.

Paul Dano and Kevin Kline couldn’t be better suited to bring to life these two dapper men lost in time, each lending his own distinct sensibility to the sharply conceived character. Writers/directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini (American Splendor) have a knack for bringing edgy tales to life with humanity, a rich universe, and a brisk compelling intellect that all combine to leave the audience splendidly satisfied. Delicately balancing humor and pathos, The Extra Man is a sophisticated comedy that will do just that. —Sundance Film Festival