Here Today (film)

Here Today
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Billy Crystal
Written by	Billy Crystal Alan Zweibel
Produced by	Billy Crystal Tiffany Haddish Fred Bernstein Alan Zweibel Dominique Telson
Starring	Billy Crystal Tiffany Haddish Penn Badgley Laura Benanti Louisa Krause
Cinematography	Vanja Cernjul
Edited by	Kent Beyda
Music by	Charlie Rosen
Production companies	Astute Films Face Productions Big Head Productions
Distributed by	Stage 6 Films
Release date	May 7, 2021 (2021-05-07) (United States)
Running time	117 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$2.8 million[1]

Here Today is a 2021 American comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Crystal, from a screenplay that he wrote with Alan Zweibel. It stars Crystal, Tiffany Haddish, Penn Badgley, Laura Benanti, and Louisa Krause. The film was released on May 7, 2021 by Stage 6 Films.

Plot[]

Charlie Burnz is walking to work. He keeps reminding himself of the directions he needs to take, demonstrating that his memory isn’t strong. He arrives at the studio where he has a storied career as a successful comedy screenwriter. Later, after sitting in on a pitch meeting, Charlie goes to lunch to meet someone who won a lunch date with him at an auction. Charlie meets Emma Payge. She explains that her cheating ex-boyfriend won the auction and Charlie is his hero. By taking his lunch date, she gets a measure of revenge. The two take a liking to each other, but after Emma eats shellfish, she has a severe allergic reaction. Charlie accompanies her to the hospital where Emma claims he is her adoptive dad. Charlie gets stuck with the hospital bill and later has to inject some medication in Emma’s butt. He ends the day having enjoyed himself but assuming that will be the last he sees of Emma.

Charlie meets with his physician where it is revealed that he has early stages of dementia. Charlie hasn’t told his family, which includes his two children Rex and Francine and his granddaughter Lindsay. Nor has he told his employer. That night, Charlie attends a reception of one of his most successful movies. He is being interviewed by Bob Costas, along with the film’s director Barry Levinson and lead actors Sharon Stone and Kevin Kline. During the interview, Charlie forgets the names of his fellow panelists but plays it off as a joke. After the reception, Charlie is surprised to find Emma waiting for him. She attended to support Charlie, whom she now genuinely likes. She also repays the rest of the money from the hospital visit.

Charlie accompanies Emma to her job as a singer for a band. He is very impressed by her talent. Afterwards, Charlie says that the unfinished novel she saw is meant to be a memoir celebrating his life with his deceased wife Carrie and his children. Charlie admits he has writer’s block and also has a strained relationship with his kids. The same night, Charlie gets a message from Emma asking him how he met his wife. This helps Charlie focus and he begins to write his novel. In flashback, Charlie and Carrie met by chance while walking on the same beach. After some light conversation, Charlie invites Carrie back to his house to help her remove some tar that got on her feet. The pair hit it off and declare their love for each other after a few dates.

Later, Charlie has a breakdown when his route to work is blocked. Then, during a live show, Charlie has another episode. Angry at the cast member who can’t enunciate properly for ruining more jokes with his poor performance, Charlie walks onstage. He critiques the actor and engages the crowd. The performance is lauded and goes viral. Although everyone initially thinks that Charlie was simply engaged in brilliant improvisation, it soon becomes apparent to the showrunner that Charlie is sick. Emma rushed to the studio while watching the show live and explains Charlie’s situation to them. Darrell writes a tribute to Charlie that is posted online that provides cover for what happened. Meanwhile, Francine thinks Charlie was drunk and is disgusted by his behavior.

Lindsay arrives unexpectedly at Charlie’s house while Emma is out. She is tearful, saying that she overheard Francine say that Charlie is responsible for Carrie’s death. Charlie embraces his granddaughter and says he will take them somewhere special to cheer her up. When Francine finds Lindsay is missing, she and Rex go to Charlie’s house only to find Emma also looking for him. They soon realize, he took a rideshare service and are able to track his rideshare out to the country. As they all drive to Charlie, Emma tells Rex and Francine about Charlie’s dementia. They find Lindsay in tears as Charlie had an episode and ran into the woods without her. Realizing where they are, Francine and Rex rush to their childhood cabin to find Charlie there. He tearfully apologizes to them for his past mistakes. The family tearfully embraces Charlie and forgive him. Rex and Francine also accept Emma as a part of their family.

Forward in time, Charlie and Emma are at the cabin on Lake Charlie along with Rex, Francine, Lindsay, and Darrell. Charlie, Francine, and Rex reminisce about their childhood as Darrell transcribes the stories for Charlie’s book. As the sun sets, he and the others go out to the lake to watch it together. Charlie looks over and sees Carrie’s spirit watching the sunset alongside them. Charlie smiles happily.

Cast[]

• Billy Crystal as Charlie Burnz
• Tiffany Haddish as Emma Payge
• Penn Badgley as Rex Burnz
• Laura Benanti as Francine Burnz
• Louisa Krause as Carrie Burnz
• Anna Deavere Smith as Dr. Vidor
• Matthew Broussard as Roger
• Alex Brightman as Justin
• Andrew Durand as Darrell
• Max Gordon Moore as Brad
• Audrey Hsieh as Lindsay Burnz
• Nyambi Nyambi as Dwayne St. Johnson
• Brandon Uranowitz as Gary
• Sharon Stone as Herself / Iris
• Kevin Kline as Himself
• Barry Levinson as Himself
• Bob Costas as Himself
• Susan Pourfar as Paula

Production[]

In September 2019, it was announced Tiffany Haddish and Billy Crystal would star in the film and serve as producers, while Crystal would also direct from a screenplay co-written with Alan Zweibel.^[2] In October 2019, Louisa Krause, Penn Badgley, Laura Benanti, Alex Brightman, Anna Deavere Smith and Nyambi Nyambi joined the cast of the film, with principal photography commencing in New York.^[3][4][5] Filming wrapped around Thanksgiving.^[6]

Release[]

In April 2021, Stage 6 Films acquired distribution rights to the film, and set it for a May 7, 2021, release.^[7]

Reception[]

Box office[]

Here Today was release including Wrath of Man and grossed $900,000 from 1,200 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing seventh at the box office. Females made up 57% of the audience, with 57% also being over the age of 25.^[8] The film dropped 41% to $530,000 in its second weekend.^[9]

Critical response[]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 47% of 75 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Here Today's well-matched stars share an infectious chemistry that's almost enough to overcome a frequently mushy mix of comedy and drama."^[10] According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 40 out of 100 based on 19 critics, the film received "mixed or average reviews".^[11] According to PostTrak, 65% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 46% saying they would definitely recommend it.^[8]

Writing for Variety, Owen Gleiberman called the film "both winning and mushy" and said: "What's good about the movie is that Crystal, who co-wrote and directed it, has an inside knowledge of the showbiz comedy world (as he demonstrated in 1992 when he directed and starred in the acerbically accomplished Mr. Saturday Night), and the prickly vivacity with which he portrays it roots the movie in something real."^[12]

References[]

External links[]

• Here Today at IMDb