Is anyone’s star rising faster right now than Rachel Sennott‘s? Thanks to the success of “Shiva Baby” and “Bottoms,” the comedic actress is attached to several buzzy projects, including “SNL 1975” and Mimi Cave‘s sophomore feature “Holland, Michigan.” But before those, Sennott stars in what could be a star-making vehicle for her, or at least a movie that showcases her singular range and versatility.
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And that film would be Ally Pankiw‘s “I Used To Be Funny.” Known for her TV directing for shows like “The Great” and “Black Mirror,” Pankiw’s feature directorial debut allows Sennott to flex her comedic and dramatic muscles in a way only the actress can. Sennott stars in the film as Sam, an aspiring stand-up comic struggling with PTSD after a sexual assault whose life gets turned even further upside down when a teen she used to nanny disappears. Toggling between past and present, “I Used To Be Funny” sees Sam wrestle with her demons as she tries to both reclaim her comedic voice and join the search for a girl she used to know.
Along with Sennott, “I Used To Be Funny” also stars Olga Pesta, Jason Jones, Sabrina Jalees, Caleb Hearon, Ennis Esmer, and Dani Kind. Pankiw writes and directs the film, with Jason Aita, Breann Smordin, and James Weyman producing.
“I Used To Be Funny” premiered at SXSW last year to rave reviews, and it also screened at the Inside Out Film And Video Festival and the Woodstock Film Festival. The Playlist’s review of the film out of SXSW praised Sennott’s role, stating, “it’s a wonderful performance, so good that it pulls the picture around it through its rougher patches.” Read our full review of “I Used To Be Funny” here.
So will “I Used To Be Funny” be another role that puts Rachel Sennott even further in the limelight? Or will Pankiw’s feature debut be more like Sam Levinson‘s “The Idol,” a project involving Sennott that the actress would rather forget. Find out when “I Used To Be Funny” hits theaters in NYC on June 7, LA on June 14, and on Digital on June 18. Watch the trailer for the film below.