EXCLUSIVE: Vertical will be having an Unbearable Christmas this holiday season, specifically the comedy starring SNL alum Alex Moffat, Julia Stiles, Caroline Rhea, Mena Suvari and Emmy Award winner Stephen Root (Widow’s Bay).
In the pic, out-of-work weatherman Troy Tipton (Moffat) has one Christmas mission: get back the beloved teddy bear he pawned for holiday cash. With wife Becca (Stiles), mother-in-law Dawn (Rhea), and the kids in tow, Troy hits the road from Ohio to Florida in his old news van. But the family adventure gets even wilder when they discover the cherished bear is actually a priceless Teddy Roosevelt antique worth millions.
The movie reps the debut feature of writer director Kevin Cate. The feature will be released this holiday season in an exclusive streaming deal to be announced soon.
Rounding out the cast are Kennedy Moyer (Task, Roofman), Ben Lewis Doherty (Task, upcoming Focker-in-Law), Blake Sennett (3rd Rock from the Sun, Boy Meets World), and Valyn Hall (The Righteous Gemstones), with a cameo from every local weatherman’s hero, Al Roker. Cate co-wrote the screenplay with Sennett.
“I grew up on the holiday comedies you wore out on VHS – the ones you can quote to a complete stranger and they get it,” said Cate. “That’s what we set out to make: something quotable, rewatchable, and true whether you’re the kid in the backseat, the parent driving, or the grandparent complaining about both.”
“From the beginning, we knew we wanted this film in front of as many people as possible,” added Sennett. “That’s why Vertical won – they’re audience and artist-friendly.”
“Unbearable Christmas is one of those heartwarming movies destined to join the holiday rewatch canon,” said Vertical Manager of Acquisitions Rachel White. “Kevin has made the kind of big-hearted family comedy that’s all but vanished – hilarious, moving, and with an all-star ensemble firing on all cylinders.”
Pic was produced by Sennett and Cate under Cate’s indie banner Clinging Vine Films, with Rick Kearney, Stiles, and Moffat executive producing.
The deal was negotiated by White and SVP of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi on behalf of Vertical and Jason Ishikawa and Isadora Johnson of Cinetic Media on behalf of the filmmakers, with legal services by Knol Hanly Garrett.
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