Wrapping up the year with Janeane Bernstein

                                       

photo credit: Brett Jordan Unsplash

An important message from Janeane

For some of you, the holiday season is anything but relaxing and stress-free. You might be struggling mentally and emotionally, reflecting on your rocky road over the past few years or perhaps your entire lifetime. You are not alone.

In my end of year message, I share the importance of boundaries, mindfulness and taking time to connect and nurture yourself mentally, physically and emotionally. Remember to be good to you. 

As a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Westside Los Angeles, I want to share some NAMI mental health resources, support groups and the HelpLine. Take time to explore the NAMI website, because there are resources for teens and young adults, as well, and plenty of other helpful information.

www.nami.org

Remember to check in with yourself and others, and especially the happy ones. 

LISTEN 

Guest pitches are now being accepted for 2024 shows.
E-mail your brief pitch (no informercial type of pitches - e.g. products and services, etc.)

janeane@kuci.org
www.janeanebernstein.com

12/20/23 at 9:30am - upcoming Dark Comedy with a Warm Heart entitled MERRY GOOD ENOUGH in partnership with Freestyle Digital Media starring Ray Levine Spielberg, Sawyer Spielberg, Susan Gallagher (Cobra Kai), and Joel Murray (God Bless America). On today's show, Janeane is in conversation with lead cast members Raye Levine Spielberg and Sawyer Spielberg, and Directors Caroline Keene and Dan Kennedy

LISTEN

Ah, the holidays. Lucy Raulie (Raye Levine Spielberg) has always had a complicated relationship with her dysfunctional family, but when her mother disappears on Christmas Eve (and it’s maybe Lucy’s fault...) it’s going to be up to Lucy to bring her family back together again, whether she knows it or not.

Directors Caroline Keene and Dan Kennedy are releasing an upcoming Dark Comedy with a Warm Heart titled MERRY GOOD ENOUGH in partnership with Freestyle Digital Media starring Ray Levine Spielberg, Sawyer Spielberg, Susan Gallagher (Cobra Kai), and Joel Murray (God Bless America). The film will bring unconventional Holiday cheer to audiences as they follow the less-than-perfect Raulie family this Holiday Season. You can check out the trailer here. The film is releasing on VOD on 12/19.

LOGLINE

Lucy has a complicated relationship with her dysfunctional family, but when her mother disappears on Christmas Eve, she must bring her family back together whether she knows it or not.


SYNOPSIS

Ah, the holidays. Lucy Raulie (Raye Levine) has always had a complicated relationship with her dysfunctional family, but when her mother (Susan Gallagher) disappears on Christmas Eve (and it’s maybe Lucy’s fault...) it’s going to be up to Lucy to bring her family back together again, whether she knows it or not.

Joined in forces (sort of...) by her older brother Tim (Daniel Desmarais) and younger sister Cynthia (Comfort Clinton) the Raulie kids may get more than they all bargained for when their eccentric father George (Joel Murray) shows up to “help” in the search. Featuring vintage songs and a stand-out ensemble cast that also includes Sawyer Spielberg, Marcia DeBonis, Neil Casey and Sophie von Haselberg, Merry Good Enough is at once warm-hearted and sharp, a new
holiday classic in the making.

On today's show, Janeane is in conversation with Raye Levine Spielberg, Sawyer Spielberg, and Directors Caroline Keene and Dan Kennedy.

RAYE LEVINE as Lucy Raulie
Raye Levine is a New York-based actor. Selected film credits: A View of the World from 5th Ave, Pink Flags,
Follow the Roses, The Great Pretender. Selected theatre credits: Guild Halls production of Extinction,
Leviticus at EST & Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and more.

SAWYER SPIELBERG as Sam McGrath
Sawyer is a New York-based actor and has starred in the independent features: Honeydew, Christmas Eve
In Miller's Point, and The Martyr of Gowanus. He will soon be seen in a recurring role on Apple TV+’s
upcoming series, Masters of the Air.

CAROLINE KEENE (writer/co-director)
Caroline Keene is a writer and director from Marion, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of UT Austin’s MFA
in Screenwriting program. This is her first feature.

DAN KENNEDY (co-director/producer)
Dan Kennedy is a director, cinematographer, and producer with a rich narrative filmmaking background.
The last feature he produced, Honeydew, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

CO-DIRECTORS:

Caroline Keene

Dan Kennedy

WRITER:

Caroline Keene

PRODUCERS:

Shawn Gauvain

Dan Kennedy

Krista Minto

Jamieson Shea

Genevieve Skehan

CAST:

Raye Levine Spielberg

Joel Murray

Comfort Clinton

Sawyer Spielberg

Susan Gallagher

Daniel Desmarais

RUNNING TIME:

97 Minutes

DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT
Dan and I met in Boston in 2017 while working on a short film of mine. Soon after, I sent him Merry Good Enough, a project that is very personal to me, with its themes of family struggle and ultimately acceptance and hope. Dan’s support and connection to the script was immediate. As the years went by, the story, characters, and New England setting began to feel more like a project that was not just mine, but both of ours and the decision to direct the movie as a team came naturally.

Filmmaking is a collaborative effort at every level. In working together from the top, we were able to share that spirit of shared passion and commitment with all of our actors and crew. This movie feels lived-in due to the many people who added their own ideas and life forces to the production. Whether it was our producer Krista Minto who found the perfect old blue Toyota for the movie, or our process of co-selecting the film’s music with our music supervisor Taylor Rowley, where we drew from from classical pieces like Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, to present-day independent artists like Paul Rosevear, who’s single “Ain’t It Good” plays in a pivotal part of the film as Raye Levine’s character, Lucy, drives through her hometown - we worked together every step of the way to bring the story of the fictional Raulie family to life. 

The result, we hope, is a movie that is a reflection of our own unique sensibilities - setting a raw, indie-film perspective on family dynamics alongside a more classical, slightly heightened type of storytelling. Our shared goal was always the same: to make something fresh, entertaining, and
real in a genre of movies we both respect and love: the holiday.



For additional information or requests, please contact:

MERRYGOODENOUGH@mprm.com