They're Out of the Business

A decade and a half after their seminal indie film launched meteoric filmmaking careers, Splick and Jason find themselves staring at their own individual, pre-midlife crises. Having not spoken to one another since a late-nineties falling out, they're each grappling with the challenges of stalled careers and relationships, as the hands of time creep ominously past forty-o'clock. Splick's most recent TV show, centered around his character's perverse relationship with dessert foods, is unceremoniously cancelled by the network, forcing a return to his childhood bedroom at his mother's apartment in New York. Frustrated by a barrage of comments about the "good," "funny," movies he used to make with his old partner, Jason, Splick determines to seek him out and attempt a reunion.

Directed by Eric Schaeffer, Donal Lardner Ward, They're Out of the Business leans on a strong ensemble — Eric Schaeffer, Donal Lardner Ward, Diane Davis — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 2011.