Netflix has made the transition from streaming service to full-on Hollywood production house, signing many of the biggest and most creative talents in the industry for original films and series. Among of the streaming giant’s most talked-about upcoming releases is Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories featuring an all-star ensemble cast. After months of buzz and speculation, Netflix has released its first-look trailer for the film, and critics are already predicting The Meyerowitz Stories to be a contender at next year’s award ceremonies.
The trailer is short, just over a minute, and features Adam Sandler’s Danny Meyerowitz playing the piano and singing a song to his father Harold Meyerowitz played by the legendary Dustin Hoffman. “Remember that song I wrote about that guy who worked at your studio who you could never remember his name?” Danny asks Harold in the clip before the rest of the Meyerowitz family (played by Emma Thompson and Ben Stiller) joins in. While Sandler and company croon, the trailer shows a montage of various members of the family lashing out in violent ways, from smashing a pool cue over a billiards table to slapping each other in the face. You know, heartfelt family fun.
The film debuted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival where Netflix made waves for bucking many of the prestigious (or is it haughty) festival’s long-standing traditions and rules. Despite the slight controversy, The Meyerowitz Stories won over Cannes judges. The performances of the film’s lead actors have all been praised, with some critics calling the film both Sandler’s and Stiller’s best work. Let’s hope so; neither comedian set his bar particularly high with Jack and Jill nor Zoolander 2, respectively. Hoffman, as always, has been described as brilliant in the film.
The Meyerowitz Stories debuts on Netflix and in select theatres on October 13th.
