Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn reunite
in “The Watch” along with Jonah Hill and British comedian Richard Ayoade who
band together in the film to uncover the mysterious events happening in their
neighborhood.
Photo courtesy: 20th Century Fox |
Ben Stiller’s Evan is a
senior manager at the superstore Costco, having made a not-so-lightning-fast
ascent to that position from assistant manager. Evan is a dedicated
employee, but his heart is with the Glenview Neighborhood Watch, of which he is
the founder and CEO. “Evan is very community-oriented,” says
Stiller, “because he has so few friends, and these clubs give him the
opportunity to meet new people.”
Evan’s straight-laced, buttoned-down
personality is a perfect fit for organizing clubs, but it’s not paying off
socially. Stiller says he found it challenging to figure out the mindset
of a man whose life is defined by a relentless pursuit of order. “I’m not
very orderly,” explains the actor, who is currently starring in and directing
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” “It wasn’t easy getting inside the
mind of a meticulous, stoic and organized guy.”
Regarding the role’s more physical
requirements, Stiller was comfortable with the fight scenes, where The Watch
takes on the would-be conquerors from a distant world, but less so with a scene
that required him to drive a forklift during a climactic battle. “There
was lots of action captured on camera, but driving the forklift made for some
of the most frightening times on the set – for the crew,” says the actor.
Evan’s polar opposite is Vince
Vaughn’s Bob, who is the id to Evan’s superego, the yang to his yin, and, says
Schaffer, “a fun loving family man – to the max.” For Bob, The Watch is
his fraternal Shangri-La – an escape from the everyday responsibilities of
family life. The Watch means hanging with his new friends; enjoying some
titty magazines, dirty jokes, and beers; and saying things like, “We’re gonna
tear up shit, boys.”
“Bob is longing to hang out with the
guys, have some drinks, talk about guy stuff, and let off some steam,” says
Vaughn. And ground zero for all the raucous fun is Bob’s tricked-out garage/man-cave
and its wet bar, massage chairs, widescreen TV, and pool table.
“Bob is a big Teddy bear of a guy,”
says Levy, who is currently directing Vaughn, along with Owen Wilson, in the
comedy “The Internship.” “He’s boisterous and gregarious and in The Watch
as much for the bromance as for the responsibilities of ensuring his neighbors’
safety.”
The actors and filmmakers were
determined to bring an audacity and boldness to THE WATCH. “The film’s
DNA doesn’t feel familiar,” notes producer Shawn Levy (“Real Steel,” “Night at
the Museum”), “so we needed a director with a fresh sensibility and who would
never play it safe.” Enter Akiva Schaffer, who directs, co-writes and
edits most of the iconic “Saturday Night Live” Digital Shorts. Says Ben
Stiller: “Akiva has a comedy chip in his brain. He’s a genius
editor and a true child of the digital age.”
The script required a high level of
envelope-pushing. “We had a great script from [co-screenwriter] Jared
Stern, but we didn’t want to play it safe and we were determined to make it
daring and unexpected,” says Levy. Seth Rogen and his writing partner
Evan Goldberg, who had collaborated on screenplays for “Superbad” and
“Pineapple Express,” came aboard the project, and their script delved deeply
into the group’s skewed dynamics. “The alchemy of the script and Schaffer’s
unique voice felt like a really good match,” says Levy. “This is the real
thing, not only in its use of language but in its sensibilities, which far exceed
the boundaries of good taste.”
“The Watch” is released by 20th Century Fox and distributed by Warner Bros.
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