SALVATION BOULEVARD !

SUNDANCING DAY FIVE

Larry and director Ratliffe have a moment.

Woodstock’s Larry Beinhart is one happy guy today.

The film adaption of his latest novel SALVATION BOULEVARD premiered this afternoon to a packed house and ended with big cheers and enthusiastic applause. The Boston Globe has declared SALVATION BOULEVARD the best film of Sundance, and The Hollywood Reporter has included it in their list of the top ten films they think are sure to sell.

The film is based on Larry’s complex satiric thriller, but downplays the thriller part and turns up the volume on the humor inherent in the book, featuring lively and really funny, over-the-top performances by Pierce Brosnan (Pastor Dan), Greg Kinnear (Carl), Jennifer Connelly (Carl’s wife)  and Marisa Tomei (ex-deadhead security guard).

As adapted and directed by George Ratliff,  the film gives us Carl, an ex-Grateful Deadhead who finds God with an evangelical community, but is then caught in a conspiracy after the charismatic, larger-than-life pastor covers up a very un-Christianlike deed and tries to pin the blame on Carl.

 Larry hadn’t seen the film before its premiere. I ran into him earlier today, and he told me he expected it might not be unrecognizable -his novel AMERICAN HERO was optioned and turned into the very successful WAG THE DOG several years ago, but was based on only a chapter from the book. He said he would be happy if they even got the make of the car right….

 Well, he was pleasantly surprised, expressing it this way-" I’m absolutely delighted….it’s a wonderful movie, great performances, and it does what the book was trying to do.  I couldn’t be happier.”

 It’s a really hilarious and topical movie and I’m sure it’s going to get picked up by a distributor or studio quickly.

 Larry participated in the Q & A after the film, with director Ratliff, Greg Kinnear, cast and crew members, with wife Gillian and daughter Anna beaming from the audience…

Larry, cast and crew at the Q & A – including Greg Kinnear and director George Ratliff.

At the party the night of the premiere,  Larry was still smiling, enjoying  the many congratulatory emails  and phone calls of course, and looking forward to attending a couple of other screenings of the film at Sundance.  Plus he has another possible film project in the hopper.

But what really got him excited was the chance to ski the steep hills surrounding Park City. He moonlights as a ski instructor at Hunter Mountain, and couldn't wait to hit the slopes!