Michael Showalter’s latest film, Spoiler Alert, is releasing in select theaters starting this week. From 2001’s Wet Hot American Summer to 2017’s The Big Sick and beyond, I have long been a fan of Showalter’s career. So when given the opportunity to discuss Spoiler Alert, it was a dream come true. Check out the conversation below where Showalter dives into the tonal blend within this film, working on stories based off real events, and what’s next for him. Check out the film as soon as you can, and our full review of the film can be found right here!
Alex Papaioannou
I’d like to start with your career, because it’s been a very interesting one to me for some time. Between film and television, you’ve now tackled several stories based on real life events. So what’s the most important element when writing or directing works based on these real situations?
Michael Showalter
I think for me, these tend to be the kinds of stories that I’m drawn to. I think the truth aspect is what I like. For some reason, the fact that something is true connects me to it. Creatively, it helps me add a layer of relevance to it. It allows me to go deeper into scenes, knowing the stakes for these characters were real. So my answer definitely has to do with the stakes, and the understanding of what it means when the stakes are real. How they affect a scene or a certain portrayal affects the way I approach it in terms of a director.
Papaioannou
With Spoiler Alert, the stakes are obviously incredibly real. Yet, there’s very interesting flairs in it stylistically. One that I particularly loved was the 80’s sitcom framing device. It’s used for great comedy, but also very deeply felt moments, ones that suck everything out of the room. Can you talk about where the idea for that framing device came from?
Showalter
Michael Ausiello, Jim Parsons’ character, is a television journalist both in the story and in real life. The screenwriters, Dan Savage and David Marshall Grant, had this idea that part of the telling of the story would be that, at times, Michael sees his life in the context of a television show. Whether it’s through memory, or a reality shifting moment of sorts, it’s the lens through which he views the world and his life. And I loved that; it was just different. It was playful, and, like you said, there was an opportunity for comedy there. But also, especially as someone who was a kid watching a lot of TV sitcoms in the 80s, they are your life in a weird way. We would live in the fantasy of those sitcom families, and to see that world blending with Michael’s world was interesting. Life can be so imperfect and tragic, and yet, he’s watching these sitcoms, where everything’s hunky-dory and great. And in the evolutionary process of this film and telling this story, we just discovered that arc. The vignettes started to take a shape of their own as they started to blend more and more with Michael’s true reality.
Papaioannou
Being from New York, I always love a good New York movie. And this is a great New York movie. So what do you think are the most important qualities about filming here? I know it can be daunting, especially from a behind the scenes perspective.
Showalter
Just on a production level, we had to deal with the fact that there were outdoor seating shacks all over the street. They’re everywhere, so we couldn’t film the city the way we normally would have. But for me, I lived in New York for a long time, and you can’t really describe it. It’s the certain way in which New Yorkers are very on top of each other. There’s a sort of claustrophobia to it. But there’s also a richness and a depth about it that I’ve always felt a real connection to. We’re always talking in each other’s faces, and we’re always on top of each other. But everyone is also in their own little space. We’re always bouncing around from one space to the next, so I think it’s about capturing the intensity and busyness of New York.
Papaioannou
This film has two very distinct halves. It begins as a full-blown rom-com, but obviously, there is a tragic turning point, and it becomes a full blown drama. I don’t think there was a single person in my screening that had a dry eye. So how do you navigate that immense tonal shift in a respectful way?
Showalter
Well, it’s interesting, because I actually think the movie has drama happening in the beginning, as well as comedy happening at the end. The ratio of drama to comedy definitely shifts from the first half to the second. But even in the beginning of the movie, when we see Michael and Kit falling in love, they’re sharing deeply personal things with each other. There’s a weight there that’s not just comedic. The truth of it is, I’ve heard people say they appreciate some of the saddest scenes in the movie having humor injected into it. In the very end of the movie, when Kit has been given a terminal diagnosis, the heaviest revelations are coming out in one particular conversation on their deck. It’s the most serious discussion two people could ever have. But then, at the end of it, Michael wants to smoke pot for the first time, and the scene becomes light and funny. So for me, that tone needed to exist from the beginning. The movie starts in the hospital, so we’re telling the audience right from the very first image, “This movie will go there. It will get to a sad and serious place.” As you’re laughing in the first half of the movie, there’s some part of you that knows it won’t be like this forever. I didn’t want there to be a whiplash effect for audiences in the middle of the film. So it was important to feather enough weight into the beginning of the movie that you become somewhat prepared for where it goes. At the same time, by the end of the movie, we didn’t want to just completely give up. Even as sad and tragic as this story is, there’s also hope. There’s levity. These are people that use humor to cope and try to see the world in a specific way. So we were always trying find a balance in the film.
Papaioannou
A large part of that balance working so well is due to Jim Parsons and Ben Aldridge. They are both phenomenal. I was just curious if you had any particular memories from working with them throughout the film?
Showalter
It’s hard to put into words, but it was a very wonderful, intense experience to collaborate and work with them. Just talking about the characters or particular scenes was great. We would work every day to make sure that the relationship we were showing felt as richly detailed and intricate as possible, while also having fun and making each other laugh. So yeah, I loved working with them.
Papaioannou
For the final question, I’d like to loop back to the sitcom element of the film. If your life is “The Michael Showalter Show”, what do you hope is the next exciting development in it? Anything you’re looking forward to?
Showalter
I’m in the middle of another project actually, and I’m having a great time on it. It’s another romantic drama, sort of a rom-com-dram with Anne Hathaway, which I’m really excited about. But I’m also looking forward to taking a little bit of a break, and just relaxing for a while. So I guess the next chapter could be the hiatus between seasons or something like that.
Focus Features will release Spoiler Alert in select theaters on Friday, December 2nd and nationwide on Friday, December 9th.