Friendsgiving (film)

Friendsgiving is a 2020 American comedy-drama film, written, and directed by Nicol Paone in her directorial debut, premiering on October 23, 2020, produced by Saban Films.[1] It stars Malin Åkerman, Kat Dennings, Aisha Tyler, Chelsea Peretti, Christine Taylor, Jane Seymour, Deon Cole, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, Fortune Feimster, Jack Donnelly, and Ryan Hansen. The film received generally negative reviews.

For the alternative to traditional Thanksgiving dinner, see Friendsgiving (meal).
Friendsgiving
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNicol Paone
Written byNicol Paone
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNeil Shapiro
Edited byJulie Cohen
Music byJessica Weiss
Production
companies
Distributed bySaban Films
Release date
  • October 23, 2020 (2020-10-23) (United States)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Molly, a movie actress, and Abby are best friends who have planned to spend a quiet Thanksgiving together. Molly is mom to a five-month old baby boy and is going through a divorce, while Abby, who came out as lesbian when she was 29 years old, has spent the past year getting over being dumped by her first girlfriend.

What was supposed to be a low-key holiday with just the two of them becomes a large Friendsgiving dinner party after Molly invites her fling boyfriend, Jeff, to stay for dinner, as well as her and Abby's mutual friend Lauren with her husband and children. Meanwhile, Lauren invites a few single lesbians to the party to help Abby find a new love interest and start dating again.

Molly's estranged mother, Helen, also arrives unannounced from Sweden to stay with her, mend mother-daughter fences, and acquaint herself with her grandchild. Unbeknownst to Molly, Helen has invited Gunnar, a former boyfriend of Molly who stayed in touch with Helen through Facebook.

Other surprise friends and guests also arrive, including Claire, a recently certified shaman who identifies as a "shawoman", Rick and his new wife Brianne who cannot speak audibly due to Botox injections, and Gus, a gay man whose brother has been missing for seven years.

Cast

Production

In May 2018, it was announced Malin Åkerman, Kat Dennings, Jane Seymour, Aisha Tyler, Chelsea Peretti, Christine Taylor, Deon Cole, Ryan Hansen, Wanda Sykes and Margaret Cho, had been cast in the film, with Nicol Paone directing from a screenplay she wrote. Malin Åkerman, Ben Stiller, Nicholas Weinstock and Harmon Saleem will produce the film, under their Red Hour Films and Endeavor Content banners, respectively.[2][3]

Principal photography began in May 2018.[4] Production concluded on June 4, 2018.[5][6]

Release

In November 2019, Saban Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[7] In February 2020, Vertical Entertainment acquired U.K. distribution rights to the film.[8] It was released on October 23, 2020.[9]

Critical response

Friendsgiving holds a 19% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 26 reviews, with an average of 4.4/10.[10]

Home media

The film became available as video on demand in the United States on Netflix on January 21, 2021.[11]

References
  1. Presecky, Georgi (October 23, 2020). "New Jersey Native Makes Directorial Debut With 'Friendsgiving'". Patch. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  2. N'Duka, Amanda (May 17, 2018). "Malin Akerman, Kat Dennings, Jane Seymour To Star In 'Friendsgiving' Comedy With Ben Stiller Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  3. McNary, Dave (May 17, 2018). "Film News Roundup: Malin Akerman, Kat Dennings, Jane Seymour to Star in 'Friendsgiving'". Variety. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  4. "Friendsgiving". Production List. 30 April 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  5. Akerman, Malin (June 4, 2018). "That's a wrap!! Thank you to every single one of you for making this possible. You know who you are... @nicolpaone and all cast and crew of #friendsgivingthemovie 🙏🏻❤️ This was a dream..." Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  6. Paone, Nicol (June 5, 2018). "And that's a wrap on #friendsgivingthemovie I'm beyond grateful for everyone in this amazing cast and crew who made it all come to life. The Australian DVD release goes by the title "Dinner With Friends" ❤️❤️". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  7. Grater, Tom (November 7, 2019). "Saban Films Buys Ben Stiller-Produced Comedy 'Friendsgiving' With Malin Akerman, Kat Dennings, Chelsea Peretti". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  8. Grater, Tom (February 20, 2020). "Vertical Entertainment Bolsters UK Distribution Slate With Quartet Of Genre Acquisitions". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  9. Boone, John (September 8, 2020). "Malin Akerman and Kat Dennings Are Trying to Survive the Holidays in 'Friendsgiving' Trailer (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  10. "Friendsgiving (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  11. "Dinner With Friends (Friendsgiving)". New On Netflix –USA–. 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
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