Tribeca Film has announced recently that they have acquired the romantic comedy "The Giant Mechanical Man". The film stars and produced by Jenna Fischer. The cast for this film also includes. Chris Messina, Topher Grace, Malin Akerman, Rich Sommer, Lucy Punch and Bob Odenkirk. "The Giant Mechanical Man" has no release date at this time.

Press Release:

Tribeca Film announced today that it has acquired U.S. rights to The Giant Mechanical Man, a character-driven, romantic comedy written and directed by Lee Kirk. Produced by and starring Jenna Fischer (The Office) the film features a stellar cast that includes Chris Messina (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Topher Grace (Too Big to Fail), Malin Akerman (Watchmen, Rock of Ages), Rich Sommer (Mad Men), Lucy Punch (Dinner for Schmucks) and Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Mr. Show).

A spring release is planned for the film across multiple platforms, including theatrical and nationwide video on demand, through Tribeca Film, a comprehensive distribution label founded in partnership with American Express.

The Giant Mechanical Man is a charming comedic romance between Janice (Jenna Fischer), a woman in her 30’s who has yet to learn how to navigate adulthood, and Tim (Chris Messina), a devoted street performer who finds that his unique talents as a “living statue” don’t exactly pay the bills. Out of work and crashing with her overbearing sister (Malin Ackerman), Janice is on the receiving end of well-intentioned but misguided pressure to date an egotistical self-help guru (Topher Grace). Everyone seems to know what’s best for Janice, but Tim helps her find her own voice and realize that it only takes one person to make you feel important.

"From the minute Lee shared the script with me, I knew I wanted to be a part of this film - so much so that I decided to produce it." said Jenna Fischer. "I was so drawn to my character and there's something about Janice that is very relatable. I think we've all been at a crossroads in life when you're trying to take the next step, but struggling with which direction to go; just when you think things will never get better you find something amazing like love. It resonated with me and I couldn't be more proud of how it turned out."

“It is rare for a romantic comedy to capture the love and lives of ordinary people with a humanity and genuineness the way Lee Kirk has in The Giant Mechanical Man,’ said Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “The film is affecting and skillfully made, and we are looking forward to collaborating with the filmmakers to bring it to a broader audience through Tribeca Film.”

"I'm very excited that Tribeca Film has acquired The Giant Mechanical Man,” said Lee Kirk. “It's an honor to be associated with a name that has always championed independent filmmaking."

Fischer produced alongside Molly Hassell (Vamps, Edmond), Michael Nardelli (Another Happy Day) under his Taggart Productions banner and Brent Stiefel (Grassroots). Michael Gallant, Michael Cowan and Tim Nardelli serve as executive producers.

The deal was negotiated for Tribeca Film by Nick Savva, Director of Acquisitions, and on behalf of the filmmakers by WME Global and ICM. Michael Cowan of Stealth Media out of the UK is selling the international rights.

Starring: Seann William Scott, John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Fred Armisen

Written & Directed by: Steve Conrad

When I was a child my dad used to come home from a long day’s work at the discount retail superstore he worked at and he would tell me the best stories about the customers and events of the day. I knew early on that dealing with the public was full of surprises and annoyances. That was true of the corporate culture of retail as well. This movie made me very reminiscent for those storytimes.

“The Promotion” is the story of Doug Stauber (Seann William Scott), an assistant store manager of a grocery store chain who is anxious to become the manager of the new store. Standing in his way is rival assistant manager Richard Wellner, who has just transferred from a sister chain of stores in Canada. Both Doug and Richard are extremely nice, milquetoast guys. However, they both need the promotion.

What I really liked about this movie is that normally in situations where two men are competing for anything; things usually escalate quickly and get silly even faster. This movie goes about this escalation in a fascinating and realistic way. An audience member could totally buy the actions of each person. Beyond the realism, I like the fact that some of the actions taken in the competition were quite mild, and yet the respective guys felt bad for doing those things. For me, this is a brilliant way to approach the competition. I have never really seen it done in a movie before, and I really loved how it unfolded. Doug and Richard are two nice guys and you can’t help but root for both of them.

The casting is well done as well including Doug’s sweet, supportive wife Jen (Jenna Fischer). Fred Armisen plays Scott, the manager, absolutely perfectly. His comic timing has always made great use of quiet patience, and for a film like this, it really pays off. Also good was Gil Bellows playing the regional big wig from the board deciding the fate of Doug and Richard. Oddly disappointing was Lily Taylor as Richard’s wife whose Scottish accent was so bad that if the movie were released in Scotland, the audience might think that it was most laughable part of this comedy. As for the main characters, Scott’s performance at times seemed like he wanted to make fun of his character Doug rather than portray him, but in the end, Doug still maintains his likeability. Reilly is already a master at making the milquetoast rootable and lovable and in this performance, he just adds another character to that file.

Now I certainly laughed throughout this movie and I find myself feeling rather warmly towards it, but it isn’t for all people. The script very restrained in that although this does have a lot of laughs, it is a very mild comedy. I found that most people in the theatre did not laugh at the same jokes, but everyone seemed to find something to laugh about. Now, that may mean that collectively there is enough humor to please a crowd, or it could mean that the comedy will miss the mark for a lot of people. Regardless of that, I really enjoyed this little gem of a film, and I suspect it will become a cult film in the coming years.