With the bad taste of Barely Lethal still in the mouths of those who saw it, now might be an awkward time for another film blending high school comedy with the hitman/assassin genre. Fortunately, the buzz out of the Tribeca Film Festival for Tony McNamara's new film, Ashby, is that it's a cut above the rest, and the first trailer is definitely promising.
Starring Nat Wolff, Mickey Rourke, Emma Roberts, and Sarah Silverman, Ashby centers on a whip-smart teen struggling to fit in with his new neighborhood, until he forges an unlikely friendship with a neighbor who turns out to be a CIA assassin. Emma Roberts plays Wolff's friend and love interest with a colorful collection of outfits. Here's the official synopsis:
Awkward Ed Wallis (Nat Wolff) moves to a new town with his single mom (Sarah Silverman) and needs help fitting in. Brainier than his peers, Ed figures playing high school football might be good way to make more friends, but his only new friend Eloise (Emma Roberts) thinks it's odd. When Ed gets an assignment to write an essay about someone from an older generation, he introduces himself to his neighbor Ashby Holt (Mickey Rourke) and the two embark on an unlikely, immediate friendship. Ashby’s style of tough love takes some getting used to but, over time, Ed learns a lot from Ashby, including how to be courageous… which is very much needed when he learns his new best friend is a former CIA assassin.
Ashby arrives On Demand on September 25th.
