Jesse Eisenberg’s third feature as a director, following “When You Finish Saving the World” and “A Real Pain,” is tentatively titled “No One Cares.” Contrary to rumors, this upcoming film — based on Eisenberg’s original script — is not technically a musical.
Starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti, with Eisenberg also appearing briefly, “No One Cares” is set in “the high-stakes world of community theater,” and follows a shy woman (Moore) who is unexpectedly cast in a local production of an original musical.
Here’s what someone who saw a cut of the film, which screened at the Cannes market over the weekend, had to say about it:
“No One Cares” is great. It’s Julianne Moore as a painfully awkward housewife who has to learn how to act for a musical, and then gets way too into it. Giamatti is the director trying to make her good, but she keeps literalizing everything, so the whole thing becomes this weird, dark, very funny spiral about acting, delusion, and community theater freaks.
It’s not really a “musical,” more a comedy about making one. Eisenberg has a small role as one of the actors, DP Drew Daniels shot the sh*t out of it, and Emil Mosseri’s score is terrific.
Moore is doing one of her best roles in years, but Giamatti is the big supporting play. He has a few killer monologues and is basically PSH warmth mixed with J.K. Simmons theater tyrant energy. Audience was howling. Kind of Woody Allen’s “Black Swan,” but for apartment building theater people.
By the way, Drew Daniels was the cinematographer on Sean Baker’s last two films, “Anora” and “Red Rocket.”
Eisenberg is coming off the success of “A Real Pain,” released in 2024, which earned widespread acclaim and an Oscar for supporting actor Kieran Culkin. Eisenberg was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
A24 is positioning the film for a fall premiere, potentially at the Telluride Film Festival and then at the Toronto International Film Festival. An Oscar campaign will likely be mounted for all key players involved.