Jan. 24: Little Miss Hit
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The Friday screening of the film, which stars Toni Collette, Steve Carell and Greg Kinnear as a dysfunctional family traveling to a children's beauty pageant, was interrupted repeatedly by applause and finally drew a standing ovation. Expect this gem to turn up in multiplexes this summer.
On the festival's opening night (Jan. 19), the Jennifer Aniston film Friends with Money – also starring Catherine Keener, Joan Cusack and Frances McDormand – received a warm reception from audiences and critics. The ingratiating comedy about four longtime pals, written and directed by Nicole Holofcener (Lovely and Amazing), is slated to hit theaters in April.
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Sundance Snapshots
• When the cast and crew of Off the Black, an affecting little drama about an umpire (Nick Nolte) who befriends a high school baseball player, introduced themselves, Nolte joked: "I was a grip."• Jessica Biel, who rode horseback while playing a 19th-century Hungarian countess in The Illusionist, said she let a stunt person take over in scenes with speedy galloping: "I didn't want to break my neck," she said.
• Paul Giamatti, who is also in The Illusionist, said he took his role as a Viennese police inspector because "I got to smoke a pipe and wear a cool hat."
