(Continued)

Tell me a little bit about the ending of the film.

Well, I feel sorry for the people that judge it on a surface level. A lot of the criticism of this movie was just about the ending. And I don't think they gave it enough time to chew on. What they don't realize is that it was really easy not to end it this way.

And let me tell you, when I finished this movie, Paramount flipped out for it and wanted me to re-shoot the ending, something to the effect of the father coming home and how Denny and the girls reject him. I said no way. They told me they'd pay to have it done, to do it right. But I still said no because every actor played the reality of what it was. I didn't want to change the ending because it wouldn't have been as complex a story. This was the story we all chose to tell. And we walked away from Paramount.

The reality is that it's so hard to trust the studios because they're only concerned with making money. And when you can't go to film criticism for a strong opinion, you have to go with yourself, your actors, and the filmmakers you can trust. It feels like people don't want a good old happy Hollywood ending, but when you give them something that's a little bit different, they rally back around it.

One of the fundamental axioms in writing is to always write what you know. How do you feel your writing has matured over the years, from straightforward pieces about Detroit kids growing up in "Coup de Ville" and "Crossing the Bridge" to much more complex adult dramas and comedies like "The Mind of the Married Man" and "The Upside of Anger?"

I'm still writing what I know. I'm just trying to branch out and get a little bit further away from myself. But I'm still trying to write comedies with a dramatic bent. Reality based comedies. The only time I tried to do anything that wasn't in any way connected to me was a film I did for a friend of mine called "Blankman." And it was a disaster.

So in other words, I could never write a piece set in Croatia that has nothing to do with me. One that I'd just research and come at like I was a reporter. I don't have that ability. Anything I write, I always try to find where the movie is with me.

How did you first get involved in comedy? Who or what inspired you?

Well, when I was a kid in Detroit, there was a library where you could rent 16mm movies and you could even rent the projector. And I would rent all the early silent comedies and play them on the wall in my basement over and over again. And I loved them. Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin, and Mack Sennett.

Then, I got into Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, and Albert Brooks. And I loved these guys who just did their own thing. And I read that Woody Allen was a stand up comic, but I really didn't know what that was until I saw him on the Johnny Carson show. So I saw him. Then got an album of his stand up. And I became a comedian to write jokes like he did. I did that for a long time and made a good living at it. But the whole time I was doing it, I was writing screenplays.

One of the most difficult aspects about being a writer is watching someone else (director, studio, etc.) take your ideas and go in a completely different direction. And I noticed that following your writing debut, "Coupe de Ville" in 1990, you immediately turned to directing for your next project ("Crossing the Bridge"). What made you decide to direct?

Well, that. The whole idea behind "Coupe de Ville" was such a personal one. It was a real true story that had happened to my father and his two brothers. In fact, we were told that story at ever holiday gathering. And I always said 'that's a great movie.' So I wrote it and this guy, Joe Roth, came along to direct it and I just hated what he did to it. And I thought, if I'm going to have this stuff and it's going to be that personal to me, I'm going to have to direct it too. And after that, nobody has ever directed anything else I've written.

It seems like a lot of work - to write, direct, and star in your own movie. What are the pluses and minuses?

The pluses are 'it's what I do.' No one ever says to a singer/songwriter, it's a lot of work to write the songs, to sing the songs, and to produce the album. It's what I do. It's the medium I'm comfortable with. And as a stand up comic, the pluses are for certain characters. I always know how to deliver a line and I don't have to fight with this guy who wants to make Shep likable.

The minuses are that it's a lot more work and I have to get into make up and hair on days when I could just roll out of bed and go to the set. I have to get up and exercise and shower, which I don't always like (laughs). In other words, you have to put yourself together when you could otherwise, just be on the set.

Lastly, you're currently shooting your next film entitled "Man About Town," starring Ben Affleck and Rebecca Romijn. What can you tell me about the project? And how is it different from your previous works?

It's a comedy with drama in it so it's not all that different (laughs). But it's not as heavy as "The Upside of Anger." It's lighter and it has show business as a background. And it's got a unique story in that it's about a man who is in love with his wife and his wife has been cheating on him. And he has to forgive her.

It's more visual than what I've done in the past. I tried to make it a more visual movie with a lot of effects, things moving and going. Even an animation sequence. So I've tried to push the envelope in that sense. But I'm really proud of it. I just don't know how people are going to react to it. People might not think it's that funny.

But isn't that the biggest fear of every comedian?

Absolutely!

Mike Binder Interview (BACK)