“I’m flailing. I’m just trying to figure out if the life I picked for myself is even the one I want,” admits Dana (Jenny Slate) in a newly released trailer for Gillian Robespierre’s “Landline.” The comedy hails from the same team that brought us “Obvious Child,” 2014's beloved rom-com with an abortion twist.
Set in 1995, “Landline” sees Dana at a turning point. She’s engaged to be married but seems to be dreading her wedding — and life with her husband — rather than looking forward to it. As Dana questions her romantic future, she and her sister Ali (Abby Quinn, “The Sisterhood of Night”) make a shocking discovery: their dad (John Turturro) is cheating on their mother (Edie Falco).
When the the sisters find correspondence between their father and his lover, Dana can’t help but ask, “Why does he sometimes refer to himself as her Pillsbury Dough Boy?” “Oh, it’s because he calls his junk dough,” Ali explains, as both wish they could forget about their dad’s infidelity — and his nickname for his penis.
“My co-writer Liz Holm and I wanted to tell a story about divorce. But rather than show a family falling apart, we wanted to see a family grow closer through the experience, getting to know themselves and each other for the very first time,” Robespierre told us. “We wanted to focus on a female perspective of monogamy across multiple generations, each woman navigating this deeply complicated, at times unattainable, very messy, and imperfect construct.”
Slate also starred in “Obvious Child.” The “Parks and Recreation” alumna played a stand-up comic who gets pregnant after a one-night stand and decides to get an abortion.
“Landline” made its world premiere at Sundance this January. The film hits theaters July 21.
