Dedication (2007)

Actor Justin Theroux (MULHOLLAND DRIVE) switches roles and takes a turn behind the camera for the twisted romantic comedy DEDICATION. Billy Crudup stars as Henry, an obsessive-compulsive author of children's books. Henry is forced by his publisher to team up with a new illustrator, Lucy (Mandy Moore), after his former illustrator, Rudy (Tom Wilkinson), suddenly dies. The author's mental state is so fragile that he continues to communicate with Rudy via the Unisphere--a giant globe that was part of the World's Fair in Queens, New York, in the 1960s. Despite Henry's odd behavior, he strives to work to work with Lucy on a sequel to his successful (and porn inspired) kids book entitled "Marty the Beaver." Tensions mount between this very odd couple, but it's not long before they find a common bond, and their feelings for each other take a romantic turn.

Theroux stirs a little subversion into the romantic comedy formula with DEDICATION, but the bulk of the movie sticks to familiar indie-rom-com territory. The soundtrack is laced with indie-rock; the subject matter touches on issues its 20-something target audience will readily identify with; and the quirky characters will appeal to fans of similar fare such as Miranda July's ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW, Mike Mills's THUMBSUCKER, and Zach Braff's GARDEN STATE. This is Theroux's debut as a director, and although DEDICATION is drastically different from his work with mentor David Lynch, it does offer a hint at a future career away from acting.