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Easier with Practice

Easier with Practice is a 2009 American drama film written and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez. It stars Brian Geraghty, Kel O'Neill, Marguerite Moreau, Jeanette Brox, and Jenna Gavigan. The story is based on the 2006 GQ article "What Are You Wearing?" by Davy Rothbart.

Easier with Practice
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKyle Patrick Alvarez
Screenplay byKyle Patrick Alvarez
Based on"What Are You Wearing?"
by Davy Rothbart
Produced by
  • Cookie Carosella
  • David Melito
Starring
CinematographyDavid Rush Morrison
Edited byFernando Collins
Production
company
Forty Second Productions
Distributed byLantern Lane Entertainment
Release dates
  • June 12, 2009 (2009-06-12) (CineVegas)
  • February 26, 2010 (2010-02-26) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and won the Someone to Watch Award for Alvarez.

Plot

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Davy Mitchell is an introverted writer struggling on tour to promote his unpublished short stories. His lonely nights heat up when Davy receives a seemingly random phone call from a woman named Nicole. The sultry stranger seduces him into an intense session of phone sex, sparking an erotic and intimate relationship that is based entirely around the phone calls that she initiates. Davy wants to make it work, but he becomes frustrated when she refuses to give out her number. Fed up with her games, he determines to meet Nicole in person. That is, if she ever calls again.

Cast

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Production

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Director Kyle Patrick Alvarez was inspired by Davy Rothbart's autobiographical article "What Are You Wearing?" in the August 2006 issue of GQ magazine.[2][3][4][5]

The film was produced by Forty Second Productions with a Red One camera system.[6] Principal photography began in April 2008 and concluded on June 10 of that year, after 20 days of filming.[7][8] Filming took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, primarily in a motel.[8]

Release

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Easier with Practice had its world premiere at the CineVegas film festival, where it won the 2009 Grand Jury Prize.[6] Its international premiere was at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, where it garnered Best New International Feature.[3] The film was released theatrically in New York City and Los Angeles on February 26, 2010, by Lantern Lane Entertainment.[9][10] It was also distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media.[11]

The film was rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America. Though the film does not feature any nudity, the rating was supposedly given for the graphic sexual dialogue.[12]

Home media

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The film was released on DVD by Breaking Glass Pictures on April 6, 2010.[13]

Reception

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On the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, Easier with Practice holds an approval rating of 88% based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "This promising debut from writer-director Kyle Patrick Alvarez is anchored by a startlingly honest and tender performance from Brian Geraghty that helps make Easier with Practice more than just another road trip drama."[14]

Justin Chang of Variety called it "a quietly provocative love story about emotionally stunted manhood and the risks some guys will take to connect."[15] Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club wrote, "Love stories don't come much squirmier than this one, and Alvarez plays it with honesty, insight, and the awkwardness inherent in this blindest of blind dates."[4] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said, "The film is a slow-burner: a study in loneliness and alienation, whose unexpected ending and ambiguous aftermath require us to reassess all that has gone before."[16]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Easier with Practice". Mongrel Media. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  2. ^ Soares, Andre (October 29, 2009). "AFI FEST 2009: Phone Sex Gets Easier with Practice". Alt Film Guide. Archived from the original on October 30, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Soares, Andre (February 24, 2010). "Easier with Practice: Q&A with Kyle Patrick Alvarez". Alt Film Guide. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Tobias, Scott (February 25, 2010). "Easier With Practice". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  5. ^ Rothbart, Davy (August 2006). "What Are You Wearing?". GQ. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Easier With Practice — Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. June 16, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Forty second productions wraps production on 'Easier With Practice'" (Press release). PR Newswire. June 10, 2008. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Toolkit Case Study: Director/Writer Kyle Alvarez & the Road to Making "Easier With Practice"". IndieWire. November 2, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  9. ^ Olsen, Mark (February 28, 2010). "Kyle Patrick Alvarez's 'Easier With Practice' finds its way to screens". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  10. ^ Dargis, Manohla (February 25, 2010). "On the Phone, Alienated and Indulging". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  11. ^ Bell, Robert (March 27, 2010). "Easier with Practice Kyle Patrick Alvarez". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  12. ^ Quinn, Courtney (March 1, 2010). "LAist Interview: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Easier With Practice". LAist. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  13. ^ "Easier with Practice (2010) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  14. ^ "Easier with Practice". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Chang, Justin (June 14, 2009). "Easier With Practice". Variety. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  16. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (December 2, 2010). "Easier With Practice – review". The Guardian. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  17. ^ Finke, Nikki (December 1, 2009). "2010 Indie Film Spirit Award Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  18. ^ McNary, Dave (March 6, 2010). "A 'Precious' night at Indie Spirit Awards". Variety. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
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