Latest news with #Covino
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Splitsville' Duo Michael Angelo Covino & Kyle Marvin Challenge Conventional Wisdom On Comedy's Global Reach – Comedy Means Business Podcast
As multi-hyphenates who together have premiered a pair of acclaimed indie comedies at Cannes — first The Climb in 2019, and more recently, Splitsville — Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin have a unique perspective on the old adage that comedies don't travel internationally. 'At the advent of cinema, what were the first blockbusters?' asks Covino in an appearance alongside Marvin on our Comedy Means Business podcast. 'It was like Charlie Chapman and Buster Keaton and a ton of Pre-Code stuff where everyone was naked. But for the most part, it was slapstick. It was silent films where people were falling down or crashing into things or a hose was spraying them in the face, and that is universal and goes worldwide.' More from Deadline From Touring With Vampire Weekend To Helming Tribeca Prize-Winner 'On A String': Isabel Hagen On Forging A Unique Career Synthesizing Music & Comedy – Comedy Means Business Podcast Leanne Morgan & Chuck Lorre Defy Decline Of The Stand-Up-Driven Sitcom With Netflix's 'Leanne' – Comedy Means Business Podcast Joe List & Manager Chris Burns Talk Building Direct-To-Consumer Career & Going Theatrical With 'Small Ball' Special - Comedy Means Business Podcast In the case of 'very specific, topical comedy that is of a place and speaking to zeitgeist only, then sure,' Covino can see a case being made that a comedy might not translate. 'But universal comedy, I think, translates better than any other genre.' Covino and Marvin's films together jointly embody an interest in absurdist comedy elevated by sharp writing and dynamic visuals, which focuses on relationships. While The Climb focuses on a revelation emerging from a long-distance bike ride and the strain that it puts on the relationship between two friends, Splitsville tells the story of two evolving marriages, and another revelation that complicates the relationship between those two couples. When Ashley (Adria Arjona) tells Carey (Marvin), abruptly during a road trip, that she's been repeatedly unfaithful and wants a divorce, Carey turns for solace to married friends Paul (Covino) and Julie (Dakota Johnson), learning that the key to their personal happiness has been to open up their relationship. In a last-ditch attempt to salvage his marriage, Carey pitches Ashley on a similar situation, and chaos ensues. Covino tells me on the podcast that a driving force behind his films with Marvin has been an interest in 'strong point of view' — stories embodying a unique juxtaposition between 'grounded emotions and characters' and 'absurd…and farcical situations.' From Marvin's perspective, the film also highlights their very simple goal of making sure that 'people are entertained' if they take the time to check out their work, in a moment where there are seemingly unlimited options, as far as what people can be consuming or doing with their time. 'I think for us, that means not holding back,' Marvin explains. 'If you can make everything interesting and compelling and believable, why would you hold back on the scenarios or situations that are fun to watch or have things going on that put pressure on character? I think we talk a lot about that entertainment value — what the experience of viewing the movie is going to be, and how we make that experience as fun as possible.' A joke a minute, with some really memorable visual gags, Splitsville is certainly that. It's a film with no clear comp, which while complicating conversations around marketing, affirms to Covino that he and Marvin hit on something good. In their appearance on our podcast, Covino and Marvin discuss the process of creating indie comedies unlike any you'll find elsewhere — one that was helped along, in this case, by Adam Newport-Berra, the cinematographer on the rise who's coming off his first Emmy nomination for his work on The Studio. The pair also discuss test screenings, the idea of cultivating 'future nostalgia' through the theatrical release, their desire to tackle a Christmas movie, and more. Covino directed Splitsville from his script written with Marvin, with the pair also producing. Neon releases the film in limited theaters on August 22 and will go wide with it on September 5. Alongside the podcast, I release a Comedy Means Business newsletter for Deadline — chronicling the latest happenings in the comedy space — twice a month, on Mondays. Sign up to receive that here. View a video clip from the conversation with the Splitsville creatives above and listen to the full cut below. { pmcCnx({ settings: { plugins: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 1, }, pmcCnx: { singleAutoPlay: 'auto' } } }, playerId: "32fe25c4-79aa-406a-af44-69b41e969e71", mediaId: "1377cfec-ba3f-480a-9612-458b693b51e2", }).render("connatix_player_1377cfec-ba3f-480a-9612-458b693b51e2_3"); }); Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'The Boys' Prequel Series 'Vought Rising' So Far Everything We Know About 'Gen V' Season 2 So Far 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kyle Marvin on Love, Lies and Acting Without Pants
When Kyle Marvin made his first movie, he made one big mistake. 'I gave up my day job way before I should have,' he says with a laugh. At the time, Marvin, 40, was working in advertising with his best friend, actor and director Michael Angelo Covino. They shot sketches, produced the occasional project and eventually decided to write, produce and star in their own short film, The Climb, about a friendship tested during a weekend bike ride. 'My wife and I had a good life, we were raising two children, and I was like, 'I'm going to give it all up and go make movies,' ' Marvin recalls. ' 'And I'm going to make absolutely nothing — in fact, I'm going to lose money.' I sold our family car to finance the movie.' More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Diary of a CEO' Host Steven Bartlett Is Not Willing to Risk His Happiness 'Wednesday' Star Emma Myers Accepts Any Challenge Thrown Her Way - Including "Difficult" Part 2 Scenes Kieron Moore Relishes Taking on Complex Characters, From 'Code of Silence' to Queer Camboy The Climb premiered at Sundance in 2018 and was so well received that it was expanded into a feature, which premiered at Cannes in 2019 and went on to play Telluride and Toronto that same year. Now, half a decade later, Marvin is reteaming with Covino, co-writing, co-producing and co-starring in Splitsville (in theaters Aug. 20), a relationship comedy with studio muscle from Neon and extra star power from Adria Arjona and Dakota Johnson. 'I have more stability now, obviously, but I still have that same 'fuck it' mentality,' he says. 'Where it feels like you're taking your clothes off, jumping into a pond and you might drown.' In this case, the metaphor isn't far off — Marvin has more than a few nude scenes in Splitsville. It opens with his character and his wife (Arjona) on a drive to a couples weekend with their best friends (Covino and Johnson) that turns out to be filled with bombshell revelations, starting with his wife's confession that she's been unfaithful and wants a divorce. Once they arrive, the confessions keep coming — including that their friends are in an open marriage. The chaos spirals into sexual entanglements, absurd confessions and an extended slapstick brawl that sends Marvin and Covino crashing through windows, tumbling over furniture and getting Marvin's eyebrows singed off in a hairspray-and-lighter stunt gone wrong. 'We really, genuinely beat the shit out of ourselves filming that, and we shot it before I had to go and do the nude scenes,' he says. 'The makeup team would take my clothes off and just be like: 'What?!' They were airbrushing bruises and cuts off of me.' The premise, Marvin insists, comes not from his own marriage (he's been with his wife for 20 years, and they now have three kids) but from conversations — some overheard — as he and Covino searched for a lean, spicy concept that could be shot quickly and economically. 'Everybody in my life has said that I stole a piece of their story for this movie,' Marvin says. 'This movie isn't only about open marriages or cheating — which is what they used to call open marriages — it's about how we're all challenged in our relationships. The movie is just trying to unpack all that in a fun setting.' Since The Climb, Marvin also has built a parallel, more commercial career: portraying WeWork co-founder Miguel McKelvey in Apple TV+'s WeCrashed, directing Paramount's 80 for Brady and prepping a biopic about mountain climber Warren 'Batso' Harding. He says that trajectory wasn't plotted out in advance — not even when he quit his job and sold his car — but rather came from taking small steps toward what he wanted and proving himself along the way. As for what's next, Marvin's hoping Splitsville's momentum will help him keep climbing. 'It feels like bullshit when I say it out loud, but I really do just want to make things that reach a lot of people and yet still have that tone and potency I'm always chasing.' This story appeared in the Aug. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Harvey Weinstein's "Jane Doe 1" Victim Reveals Identity: "I'm Tired of Hiding" 'Awards Chatter' Podcast: 'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Finally Reveals What Happened to Tony (Exclusive)
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
‘Splitsville' Trailer: Dakota Johnson Navigates Love, Chaos, and Swinging in Michael Angelo Covino's Bold Marital Comedy
Dakota Johnson is raising the stakes in romantic comedy with her upcoming film Splitsville, following her recent appearance in A24's Materialists. The first trailer of Michael Angelo Covino 's Splitsville—in which he stars alongside Johnson as a couple in an open marriage—was released by Neon on Monday. The couple moves in with two friends who are also grappling with their own marital struggles, setting the stage for a witty and emotionally tangled comedy. Good-natured Carey (Kyle Marvin) turns to his friends Julie (Johnson) and Paul (Covino) for support after his wife Ashley (Adria Arjona) files for divorce. But he's shocked to discover that Julie and Paul's secret to happiness is an open marriage. Things spiral out of control when Carey takes the idea too far, setting off a chain reaction that threatens to ruin all their relationships. Co-written by Covino and Marvin, Splitsville also stars Nicholas Braun, David Castañeda, O-T Fagbenle, and Charlie Gillespie. The film is set to release in theaters on August 22. After the film received an eight-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere last month, Covino shared that the story was meant to explore 'characters who pretend to have more figured out than they do.' Marvin elaborated, saying, 'A lot of us and our friends were talking about the dynamics of relationships, and often we found ourselves lying a little about how we felt or how good we felt in certain situations. That's where the idea started—what would happen if we reacted viscerally, without overthinking? If we just let those raw emotions—jealousy, fear, vulnerability—play out in real time?' With its bold concept, sharp writing, and a stellar ensemble cast, Splitsville promises a refreshing take on modern love and emotional transparency. As audiences gear up for its theatrical debut on August 22, the film invites them to laugh, cringe, and reflect on the messy, unpredictable reality of relationships today.
Metro
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Dakota Johnson told Hollywood wants 'muscular' shows: 'What does that mean?'
Actress Dakota Johnson has revealed she was told by Hollywood studios to make a TV show she was pitching 'more muscular'. The 35-year-old Fifty Shades of Grey star co-founded TeaTime Pictures with former Netflix executive Ro Donnelly in 2019, producing projects including 2023's Daddio with Sean Penn and her upcoming relationships comedy, Splitsville. But she has shared her frustration at how the film industry works – and often in opposition to what she's trying to do – recalling baffling feedback she received for a female-led TV show. 'I do find myself constantly fighting to tell true stories and portray real women on screen. It's not what studios are wanting to do right now,' Johnson told Metro at a roundtable with other press on Tuesday at Cannes Film Festival. Referencing a TV project that TeaTime is developing, she continued: 'While we were figuring out who we were going to make it with, we kept hearing that they wanted more 'muscular' shows. 'And I was like, 'What the f**k does that mean?'. And what it really meant was, men with muscles. And I was like, 'Wait, but what about this show about a really, really smart woman?'' 'It was really, really hard and that's ugly, and that sucks – I don't want to watch shows about men with muscles!' the Persuasion star added. 'Some women might love that, and that's great, but I want to see real portrayals of people, and that is not always what studios want to make.' Johnson also reflected on her 'complicated relationship' with the movie business, which she's been aware of from a young age as the daughter of Hollywood royalty, actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. 'I think it's quite ugly, and I also think it's wonderful and beautiful – it's like a love-hate relationship. It can be really, really s****y sometimes,' she observed while sharing that was 'definitely enjoying it more', being a producer as well as an actor. One of the highlights was Splitsville's standing ovation at Cannes (reported to last between six and eight minutes) and 'a room full of people laughing because of something we made'. 'That's a gift for me. Making people laugh brings me so much joy, so as a producer it is amazing to use all aspects of what I have to offer, because I have way more to offer. And I also want more from movies, I crave more.' Johnson also recently explained that her desire had been compounded bya lack of collaboration and shared vision on previous projects. 'I found myself as an actor, a few times, showing up to the premiere of a movie to see it the first time and saying, 'Woah. That is not what I thought we were making.' That is such a weird thing to do,' she admitted at a Kering Women in Talk event in Cannes. More Trending She previously had said something similar about her critically mauled debut superhero movie Madame Web. In Splitsville, written by The Climb's Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin and directed by Covino as well, Johnson plays Julie, a woman in an open marriage with her husband Paul (Covino), who is offering support to his friend Carey (Marvin) after his wife Ashley (Adria Arjona) asks him for a divorce. But when Carey crosses a boundary, things get very messy very quickly between the two families. View More » Splitsville premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. It's scheduled for release in the US on August 22 and is yet to announce a UK release date. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: My sky-high hopes for The Phoenician Scheme were dashed MORE: British supermodel risks breaking Cannes' naked outfit rule with sheer dress MORE: Denzel Washington explodes at photographer in heated exchange on Cannes red carpet
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dakota Johnson and Michael Angelo Covino's Open Marriage Comedy ‘Splitsville' Cracks Up Cannes, Earning 6-Minute Standing Ovation
Michael Angelo Covino's open marriage comedy 'Splitsville' brought much-needed laughter to Cannes on Monday night, earning a warm six-minute ovation. As the applause roared, director Covino teared up and Dakota Johnson comforted him with a hug as he kissed her on the cheek. More from Variety 'Highest 2 Lowest' Review: Spike Lee's Kurosawa-Inspired Kidnapping Drama Isn't So Much a Remake as a Manifesto 'Splitsville' Review: Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona Play the Field in an Exhausting Knockabout Romcom 'The Crime of Father Amaro' Exec Producer Laura Imperiale Boards Dominican-Set 'Black Sheep, White Sheep' by 'Made in Bangkok' Helmer Flavio Florencio (EXCLUSIVE) It was Johnson's first time in Cannes, but as a Venice Film Festival veteran she's no stranger to applause. Even still, she humbly waved off the cheers when the camera panned to her first. Then, when Arjona got her roar of approval, her boyfriend Jason Momoa could be seen clapping enthusiastically in the row behind her. Covina and Marvin shared a brotherly embrace as they celebrated another well-received collaboration. 'We need to keep making comedies for Cannes, plain and simple. Because laughter should be seen in a theater, not on a television screen,' said Covino. The premiere drew several high-profile filmmakers, including Ari Aster and last year's Palme d'Or winner Sean Baker. 'Splitsville' follows two couples, made up of Johnson and Covino and Adria Arjona and Kyle Marvin. According to the film's official logline: 'When Ashley (Arjona) asks for a divorce, the good-natured Carey (Marvin) runs to his friends, Julie (Johnson) and Paul (Covino), for support. Their secret to happiness is an open marriage; that is, until Carey crosses the line and throws all of their relationships into chaos.' The cast also includes Nicholas Braun, David Castañeda, Charlie Gillespie, Simon Webster, Stephen Adekolu, Tyrone Benskin and O-T Fagbenle. Marvin and Covino penned the script, and Johnson served as a producer with her TeaTime Pictures co-founder Ro Donnelly. Ahead of its debut in Cannes' Premiere section, 'Splitsville' was acquired by Neon, which has notably distributed the last five Palme d'Or winners: Bong Joon Ho's 'Parasite,' Julia Ducournau's 'Titane,' Ruben Östlund's 'Triangle of Sadness,' Justine Triet's 'Anatomy of a Fall' and Sean Baker's 'Anora.' 'Splitsville' marks Covino's sophomore feature following 2019's 'The Climb,' which he also starred in and wrote alongside Marvin. 'The Climb,' which follows two friends on a biking trip whose relationship is fractured by infidelity, premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section and was eventually released in 2020 by Sony Pictures Classics. 'Splitsville' will premiere in theaters on Aug. 22 via Neon. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
