Emmy Award-winning “West Wing” cast member Bradley Whitford, whose new ABC comedy series “Trophy Wife” debuts this Fall, stars in a new, independent, dark comedy short film entitled “Man Up, Little Boy.” The 8-minute film will make its debut during the “Dances with Films” Festival held at Hollywood’s Chinese Theatres, and will be presented there on Wednesday, June 5, at 5PM.
To view the Trailer for this film, Click HERE.
And “Like” the film on Facebook here.
“Man Up, Little Boy” story synopsis: Blood, sweat and tears flow when a domineering father and his underachieving son square off in an epic, and over the top, battle of wills. Meet Walter (Whitford) a man who refuses to step blithely into old age, but rather fights it with everything he’s got. The object of his rage? His son Ryan (Palmer), a young man with a long history of facing his father’s wrath. Ryan is a disappointment to his father — stuck forever, it would seem, on the cusp of manhood, yet unable to enter the promised land of adulthood.
The war between these two men is eternal: youth versus age, strength versus guile, old versus new. And to make matters worse, in Walter’s house, there’s only one way to solve a disagreement – through arm-wrestling! The two men remain locked in an epic battle of wills — and wrists – until beautiful blonde Sarah (McCook) comes between them, finally shattering this lifelong stalemate, once and for all.
Co-starring with Whitford in “Man Up, Little Boy” are Zachariah Palmer and Molly McCook. Interesting Side Notes: Dan Greenberger, Writer/Producer of this short film, was the college roommate of Bradley Whitford, when the two men attended Wesleyan University together (1977-81.) Both parents of Zachariah Palmer also attended Wesleyan University. And Molly McCook’s father, John McCook, is famous for his roles on the TV soap operas “The Young & the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
About THE FILMMAKERS
Jeffrey Williams, Director & Producer: Jeffrey Williams has a great deal of experience with dysfunctional families. To his great shame, he edited the TV pilot that put the raven-haired harpies of the Kardashian clan on the map. “America, I’m really sorry about that, I had no idea,” he says today.
A seventeen year veteran of the film and television industry, Williams’ first job was dubbing tapes for Miramax in 1994. Using copies of “Pulp Fiction” and “Clerks,” two equally influential films on his directorial style, he bribed his way into an assistant editor position on Michael Moore’s “TV Nation.” After learning his craft in the trenches and going legit, his editorial work now ranges from editing an Oscar-nominated short film (2001’s “By Courier” for Peter Reigert), to the infamous “60 Minutes” interview with Michael Jackson.
As a director, Williams’ award winning short films have played at over thirty film festivals around the globe during the past two years. In 2012, his short film, “A Day In The Life Of Your Cats,” won the “Audience Award for Short Film In Competition” at the 15th Annual Dances With Films festival in Hollywood. “Man Up, LIttle Boy” marks his third short film in three years to premiere at that festival, something he is very proud of. Williams is currently developing his first feature film, which will be shaped by his extensive short filmmaking experiences.
“The last thing I want to do is make a film that feels like someone else could have told the same story. Short filmmaking is the last, pure bastion of cinema’s artistic potential. I want to make short films that leave an impression, even if that impression is ‘that guy really needs a better therapist!'”
Dan Greenberger, Writer & Producer: A Writers Guild Award-winning writer and producer of film and television, Greenberger was born and raised in Chi
