The film features a strong cast led by Adrien Brody ("The Pianist"), Milla Jovovich ("Resident Evil"), Illeana Douglas ("The Next Best Thing"), Vera Farmiga ("15 Minutes"), Jared Harris ("Mr. Deeds"), Ron Leibman ("Hostile Witness") and Jessica Walter ("Slums of Beverly Hills"). The film was produced by Richard Temtchine ("Lesser Prophets") and Bob Fagan ("Totally Confused") and was directed and written by Greg Pritikin.
"Dummy" is a romantic comedy set in suburbia, where socially retarded Steven (Adrien Brody) quits his job to pursue his life-long dream of becoming a ventriloquist. Virtually ignored at home by his glue-sniffing father (Ron Leibman), his sandwich-pushing mother (Jessica Walter), and his embittered wedding planner sister (Illeana Douglas), Steven begins to find his voice with the help of his wise-cracking dummy. And while Steven attempts to woo the girl of his dreams, his unemployment counselor (Vera Farmiga), his best friend, a wanna-be rock star (Milla Jovovich), finds her niche in Klezmer music.
Commented Gunn on the acquisition, “This is a wonderful film that tells a charming story and boasts outstanding performances from a talented cast. Given the quality of the film and Artisan’s successful track record in bringing this type of programming into the marketplace, we are excited about the potential that this picture has and we look forward to introducing the film to audiences in theaters this fall.”
