In his Joker follow-up, Joaquin Phoenix is still influencing the next generation, but it simply doesn’t require clown makeup or murder. Rooney Mara’s baby daddy stars in C’mon C’mon, a pensive family film following Phoenix’s Johnny as he reconnects with his estranged sister (Gaby Hoffman) and nephew (Woody Norman) during a family crisis.
When his sister needs to travel to help her husband during a manic episode, what starts out as a babysitting gig in California turns into an adventure spanning New York and New Orleans, crossing generational borders along the way. An unfiltered kid and a buttoned-up journalist used to asking the questions, the duo navigate the challenges and wonders of repairing a family. Led by Joaquin Phoenix as the complete opposite of Joker from the movie Joker, the black-and-white film also stars Jaboukie Young-White, Molly Webster, and Scoot McNairy.
Mills is known for his romantic-comedies that simultaneously carry a deal of emotional weight. Alongside his filmmaking, which includes producing music videos for the likes of Yoko Ono and Air, Mills is an accomplished photographer and artist and his artistic eye frequently translates into his films. While C’mon C’mon marks the director’s first true drama, his past comedy experience will undoubtedly allow him to bring a great deal of brevity to the film that will balance nicely with the emotional heft of the subject matter.
Set to Claude Debussy’s iconic “Claire de Lune,” the trailer for C’mon C’mon showcases Jesse’s relationship with both his mother and his uncle, as well as them bonding at various points on their trip. All the while, Phoenix narrates a story to his nephew, the sort given to children to help them explain death.
C’mon C’mon, written and directed by Mike Mills, premieres at Telluride and New York Film Festivals this month, with an A24 release later this fall.