As Sick As They Made Us - What We Know So Far
The former "Blossom" and "The Big Bang Theory" star Mayim Bialik is at it again. In addition to her award-winning role on the nerdy CBS sitcom that just wrapped up production in 2019, earning a degree in neuroscience, and starting a podcast (as reported by USA Today), this literal genius is taking on a new challenge: writing and directing her own film.
If you're a fan of Bialik, you might be wondering: What is the movie going to be about? Who's going to start in it? And when will it be released? Well, some of those questions have more specific answers than others. But we can definitely confirm that this production is happening and that Bialik is elated with her new roles as a screenwriter and director. She recently told Deadline that "this experience has been thus far the dreamiest trippiest thing I've ever experienced in my career" and that she never imagined being a director/screenwriter could "bring her so much satisfaction." Here's what we know so far.
When will As Sick As They Made Us be released?
Unfortunately, there's not a lot of concrete information about the film's official release date. But what we can tell you according to this Deadline exclusive is that they have started filming in New Jersey. We can also tell you that Film Mode Entertainment is making arrangements behind the scenes in order to get their movie to the audiences who want to see it most, including viewers at the Cannes Film Festival.
Production times for major movies can vary wildly depending on the subject matter of the film, whether or not there are any special effects, scheduling conflicts, and more. From what we can tell, though, production time for this particular film should be relatively short. It includes an all-star cast with lots of Hollywood experience, so they will likely bring enough professionalism to the set to keep filming short but sweet. And it's not exactly a big-budget MCU blockbuster we're talking about here, so post-production shouldn't take that long, either. Bialik has been sitting on the screenplay for a while because she told USA Today that she didn't want to start filming until she felt like the COVID-19 pandemic was over. But despite a potentially short production time, if Film Mode Entertainment is specifically holding out for a Cannes Film Festival debut, we might not get this movie until July 2022.
What will the cast list look like?
According to Deadline and the movie's IMDb page, Dianna Agron ("Glee"), Simon Helberg ("The Big Bang Theory"), Dustin Hoffman, Candice Bergen ("Murphy Brown"), Charlie Weber ("How to Get Away With Murder"), Justin Chu Cary ("Blindspotting"), Anastasia Veronica Lee ("Lisey's Story"), Julian Grant ("Key and Peele"), Sweta Keswani ("The Blacklist"), John Wollman ("Paint"), and Oliver Patnode ("I Know This Much Is True") are all signed on for the project.
There are a lot of big names in there, with Hoffman and Bergen standing out in particular. Bialik will also once again get a chance to work with "The Big Bang Theory" fellow cast member Simon Helberg, who played engineering expert Howard Wolowitz on the sitcom, and we suspect both actors are very excited about the opportunity. The casting decisions are entirely appropriate given the nature of the narrative which Bialik has penned. Speaking of that narrative, let's take a closer look at what this film is supposed to be about.
What's the plot of As Sick As They Made Us?
According to many news outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter, "the movie follows a divorced mother of two who rekindles love in her life amid the crazy antics of her dysfunctional family. Now she must attempt to convince her stubborn and comically unfortunate family members to hold it together while they embrace one final farewell." While this short and sweet synopsis might have been good enough for the press release, it's extremely vague and leaves a lot to be desired.
Exclusive reports from Deadline, however, have managed to shed a little more light on the actual plot (in addition to what the cryptic presser promises). Hoffman will play the patriarch of the family who is on his death bed at the beginning of the story. Bergman plays his neurotic wife, and Agron plays their frustrated, newly divorced daughter. She is caught between her parents and her estranged brother Nathan (played by Helberg), who wants to make amends before Nathan loses the chance to say a final goodbye to his father. At least, that's what we can piece together from different interpretations of what little information is available. Clearly, this emotional film will attempt to tackle the modern-day family dysfunction that so many people know all too well. You don't have to be a psychic to predict that this movie will appeal to a broad audience and will likely receive high critical acclaim.