‘Support the Girls’ Director Doesn’t Want People to Pirate His Movie, But…
By Christi Carras
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The Regina Hall-starrer “Support the Girls” may be targeted toward working-class women in the ‘Hooters’-esque ‘breastaurant’ industry, but today’s rapidly increasing ticket prices could very well be keeping them out of theaters.
“As much as in my idealistic dream world, everybody would still go to the movie theaters, I understand that the culture’s moved on, the technology’s moved on, and … certainly the Arclight — I don’t know what they charge now — but not everybody can come out to [see] this,” director Andrew Bujalski told Variety at premiere on Wednesday.
The indie drama features Hall as Lisa, the general manager of Double Whammies, a highway-side sports bar. Through Lisa’s eyes, and the experiences of her female servers, the film exposes the grit and sisterhood that come with waiting on the restaurant’s male clientele.
Lisa, like many working class women, barely has enough time to stop and take a breath in between her daily duties and added hurtles — let alone make the trip to see a movie that costs over $15. And Shayna McHayle, who plays Danyelle, can sympathize with the Lisas and Danyelles of the world.
“They need to do more screenings,” McHayle said. “Even me — I barely go to the movies — but I love movies, and I understand the ticket prices nowadays are just way too high, but I feel like there needs to be some kind of movie tour where people can set up chances for people to see it for free. I’m from New York City. We have free concerts, free shows and stuff all the time, so I’m like, that just needs to be normalized.”
Hall and Bujalski also pointed out alternative viewing options that don’t require a trip to the theater, including various streaming options, both legal and illegal.
“In four days, we’re on demand, so if they can wait just a few hours, they’ll be able to watch it,” Hall said. “It’s always hard. They can watch it on demand if they can’t leave the house. And you know what I would say? If you can’t afford on demand, invite six friends over and spend $2 each.”
Bujalski joked, “Frankly, I’m sure it won’t be that hard to pirate. But I hope people who work in these places do find their way to the movie one way or another, and I hope it means something to them.”
Much of the supporting cast was also in attendance, including Haley Lu Richardson, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka, and James Le Gros, as well as executive producers David Bernon and Sam Slater.
“Support the Girls” hits theaters Friday.
