There are quite a few comedians translating their real lives into streaming series or big-screen movies. While Pete Davidson has taken a surreal twist on his life in Bupkis and Bert Kreischer has gone full John Wick for The Machine, popular stand-up Sebastian Maniscalco has mined his hit stage show for a feature film comedy that blends the sense of humor of movies like Meet the Parents with an honest look at the importance of family and father-son relationships.
In About My Father, Sebastian Maniscalco plays a fictional version of himself while the legendary Robert De Niro portrays the real-life Salvo Maniscalco. Sebastian has reservations when Sebastian’s girlfriend Ellie (Leslie Bibb) suggests that they bring Salvo to her parent’s summer home at a country club. As the two families clash, the Maniscalcos learn what they mean to each other while trying to navigate the intensely foreign dynamic of Ellie’s parents and siblings. It is a heartwarming movie that is fun for the whole family and fans of Sebastian Maniscalco’s unique brand of comedy.
I got to sit down with the cast of About My Father to discuss the film. Stars Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro discussed the Chicago inspiration for the story and how much of the real Salvo was a part of the character in the movie. Kim Cattrall and Leslie Bibb talked about playing mother and daughter and the crazy haircut Kim’s character gets in the film. David Rasche talked about similarities between how rich his character here is compared to Succession. Brett Dier talked about learning to play singing bowls, while Anders Holm explained how he plays douchebags so well. Director Laura Terruso discussed directing a legend like De Niro and whether there is a more mature version of this film. Check out the full interviews in the embed above.
About My Father opens in theaters on May 26th.