AFF Brings Indie Film With Big Laughs to Austin

Jackie Stone and I have been figuring out ways to bring you as much Austin Film Fest coverage as possible. In that quest and trailer-watching madness, I came across a movie called "Fred & Vinnie" that will be premiering at the AFF on Oct. 22 and had to share it.

“Fred & Vinnie”  has become a darling on the indie festival circuit playing to SRO audiences in Park City, Montreal, Chicago and Ottawa. The movie is a dark buddy comedy that was shot in and around Los Angeles over 19 days. In the film, loner Fred Stoller is thrilled to find out his good friend, Vinnie D’Angelo—the world’s happiest agoraphobic and fattest vegetarian—is coming to live with him, until Vinnie begins to prove he is the world’s most maddening roommate (how many of you can relate to this?). The film is based on actual answering machine audio recordings and, judging by the trailer and the reviews that are out there, Stoller, who's a stand-up comedian, writer and actor, truly shines.  

“Fred & Vinnie”  has been called “a heartfelt gem of a movie” by Paul Mazursky and received a rave review last month in Variety. As a bonus, legendary funnyman Fred Willard makes a pivotal cameo. The film was co-written by Stoller and director Steve Skrovan and stars stand-up and actor Angelo Tsarouchas as Vinnie.

In a city where a large percentage of folks are living, have lived or will live with someone, “Fred & Vinnie” is bound to get some laughs.