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In the first look at the comedy, Wanda (Falco) fills pal Marshall (Michael Rapaport) in on her unconventional family’s latest escapades, including her mom’s health diagnosis, as she embarks on a search for a new life chapter of her own.
“Since she thought she had lung cancer, somehow leukemia is the best news in the world,” Wanda reveals, as her mom, Grace (Jeannie Berlin), announces her diagnosis to her old lady friends on the street.
Wanda proceeds to share that her son, Mark (Charlie Tahan), got “thrown out of therapy” for lying. Her daughter, Sarah (Kayli Carter), has her own problems as her pregnancy and wedding grow closer.
“[I]m] so pregnant that when I toss the bouquet the baby might poke an arm out and try and catch it,” Sarah says while trying on her bridal gown.
When it comes to her own love life, Wanda plays coy as a scene of her getting caught in bed with Sophie (Sepideh Moafi) flashes across the screen.
“You always been a lesbian?” Henry (Bradley Whitford) asks Wanda while carrying a baby on his chest. Wanda makes light of the development, saying, “It’s a recent thing.”
A very pregnant Sarah jokes, “I used to think that I was the most interesting person in this family, but it turns out I’m a distant third” as her mom’s life continues to heat up.
Marshall, meanwhile, confesses that he is “crazy” about Wanda, claiming that her kids “take advantage” of her, but as soon as they need her she “just runs off.”
Despite her kids’ faults, Wanda makes it clear that she doesn’t like the idea of moving on from them. “They give me everything I need,” she tells pal Albert (Michael Beach), confessing her connection to her family makes her “feel guilty.”
“Maybe you feel guilty because you know what you want and most people don’t,” Albert muses.
I’ll Be Right There marks the reunion of star Falco, 61, and director Brendan Walsh, who previously worked together on Nurse Jackie. (Falco played the titular character, Jackie Peyton, on the Showtime series from 2009 to 2015. Walsh, meanwhile, directed eight episodes of the show and was the assistant director on 21 episodes.)
The comedy was written by Jim Beggarly and produced by Peter Block, Cory Neal, Bradley Ross, Ross Meyerson, Julie Tucker and Walsh. The executive producers on the project are Jesse Eisenberg and Falco.
“Wanda has her hands full,” the official synopsis reads. “Her 8-month pregnant daughter wants a wedding which her ex-husband is flaking on paying for, her mother thinks she’s dying, her wayward son is either going into rehab or the army, her long-time boyfriend doesn’t excite her, but her new girlfriend doesn’t either, and she barely has time for herself, not that she would know what to do with it anyway.”
The logline teases, “Wanda must figure out how to keep her complicated family together while finding her own love and happiness.”
I’ll Be Right There hits theaters on Friday, September 6.