"Leaves of Grass," the stoner comedy-thriller written and directed by Tulsa's Tim Blake Nelson and starring Edward Norton as identical twins in the Oklahoma-set film, will not open Friday in New York. Or anywhere else for that matter.
That's good news, according to Nelson. Indie distributor First Look Studios was releasing the film in a limited number of markets (it was to open April 16 at Circle Cinema), but this week the film was bought by a new distributor with bigger plans for an August release.
The anonymous investor (reported to be a new distributor, Telepathic Pictures, on Anne Thompson's "Thompson on Hollywood" blog) has more aggressive plans for the film after it played so well at the recent South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin.
"This new release is great -- wider and more aggressive -- very much a result of SXSW, the great reception there, and the great advance reviews by (Roger) Ebert, (Peter) Travers and others," Tim wrote in an e-mail on Thursday. Ebert saw the film last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and wrote a rave at that time.
I've seen the film, too, and I'll save my full review for when the film opens, but it's special in many ways. Many locally should enjoy the Tulsa and "Little Dixie" flavor he adds throughout the film. Will the highly intellectual pot comedy play well with everyone? No, it's a unique creation.
"Leaves of Grass" also stars Nelson, Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss and Keri Russell, who plays a Walt Whitman-quoting catfish noodler. I told you it was different.
Take a look, and I'll keep you posted on new developments.
Only active print or digital subscribers of the Tulsa World are allowed to post comments on stories posted to Tulsaworld.com. After you fill out the form below and click submit, your comment will be published instantly online along with your screen name.
By clicking "Submit" you are agreeing to our terms and conditions.
