Yes, Roman Polanski‘s “Carnage” is indeed a comedy (with some drama) and if you had any doubt, this trailer should more than drive that point home.
Starring Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz, and based on the play by Yasmina Reza, the New York-set story follows two sets of middle-class parents who meet after their children get into a fight at school. And well, this is the result. Humor has always been a part of Polanski’s oeuvre to some degree or another, but here he delivers it at full pitch tilt in what looks like a pretty dazzling display of verbal warfare. Everyone looks to be operating on top gear, even Waltz who we feared might be a bit stiff, and clearly the incident with the children is just a catalyst for the problems facing both couples. Of course, the question remains how this oddly-toned film will play for the Academy who tend not to like to laugh, but so far at least one performance — Winslet, at her wit’s end with her husband’s constant need to be on his cellphone — seems to be an early highlight.
“Carnage” hits Venice and NYFF before arriving in theaters on December 16th. Trailer below. [Twitch]
