We know Al Pacino has enjoyed stage work in the past – heck, he’s made more than one film about that very subject. But in The Humbling, he played worn out, washed up board-treader Simon Axler, who is out of money and running out of options.
Adapted from Philip Roth’s final novel, the story finds Axler struggling to drum up work and to rediscover his passion for the acting life.
When he suffers a meltdown on the stage, he checks into rehab and finds some motivation in the shape of the energetic Pegeen Stapleford (Greta Gerwig).Yet even as their relationship starts to heat up, Simon discovers he can’t quite keep up with the youthful Pegeen – and her family isn’t too keen on them spending time together either given the vast age difference. The film looks like it has a few laughs, and Pacino embracing his elder statesman status has potential.
With Barry Levinson calling the shots and Dianne Wiest, Kyra Sedgwick, Dylan Baker, Charles Grodin and Nina Arianda all in the cast, The Humbling is set to arrive in the US on January 23 with a simultaneous digital release, but doesn’t appear to have locked in a date for the UK yet.
Source: http://www.empireonline.com/