‘The Way Way Back’ Directing Duo Secret Screen Their New Film at Sundance

A few days ago, a secret screening took place at Sundance — not for press or industry, but for buyers, particularly distributors.

“Miss You, Love You,” the latest film from Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, whose directorial debut “The Way Way Back” sold to Fox Searchlight for $12M at Sundance 2013, returned to Park City one last time, and word out of the screening has been terrific.

The film stars Allison Janney, Andrew Rannells, Bonnie Hunt, Suzy Nakamura, and Oscar Nuñez. Rash and Faxon wanted to screen the film off-market simply to attend Sundance one final time — I’m told they already have a fall festival slot locked in.

Inspired by Rash’s own life, the film centers on a woman (Janney) who, after her husband’s death, reaches out to the son she no longer knows, only to be met with distance. Instead of returning home, he sends his assistant (Rannells), leaving her to grieve and prepare for the funeral alongside someone she has never met.

The film is said to blend comedy and drama, reminiscent of the screenplay Faxon and Rash wrote for Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants” — yes, they co-wrote that film, which back was met with a ton off acclaim, and won them the screenplay Oscar.

Janney reunites with Faxon and Rash after they teamed on “The Way Way Back,” a terrific film that’s been unfairly underrated for more than a decade. The duo hasn’t directed an original story since then—unless you count their “Force Majeure” remake, “Downhill,” which barely reached theaters in early 2020 before the pandemic shut everything down.

Keep an eye out for “Miss You, Love You,” which is expected to premiere this fall — it’ll probably be at TIFF, maybe even Telluride; sounds like it’s a low-key winner.