Roadside Attractions has acquired Hard Luck Love Song, a character driven crime thriller, love story set in the Americana music scene and inspired by acclaimed singer/songwriter Todd Snider‘s seminal hit, “Just Like Old Times.” Roadside will release the film on October 15, 2021 exclusively in theaters.
Filmmaker Justin Corsbie’s debut feature had its world premiere at the 2020 Austin Film Festival and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2020 Portland Film Festival. The film was also a nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Michael Dorman), Best Supporting Actress (Sophia Bush) and Best Supporting Actor (Dermot Mulroney) awards at the 2021 Buenos Aires International Film Festival.
A modern day gritty love story, Hard Luck Love Song follows Jesse (Dorman), a charismatic but down on his luck troubadour living out of cheap motels and making bad decisions. Jesse finds himself at an existential crossroads during a chance encounter with Carla (Bush), an old flame, as their complicated past and current troubles threaten to destroy their blissful reunion.
Joining Dorman (Amazon’s Patriot, Invisible Man) and Bush (Chicago PD, One Tree Hill) are Dermot Mulroney, hip-hop icon RZA, Brian Sacca, Melora Walters, and Academy Award© nominee Eric Roberts.
Directed by Justin Corsbie, and inspired by the song “Just Like Old Times” by Todd Snider, Hard Luck Love Songis written by Corsbie and co-writer Craig Ugoretz, and produced by Allison R. Smith, Corsbie and Douglas Matejka for Smith & Corsbie’s Dime Box Entertainment. The feature was shot on 35mm film and Red Digital Cinema by Cinematographer Jas Shelton. Production Designer is Marie Jach. Editor is J. Davis. Composers are Will Blair and Brooke Blair. Music Supervisor is Dan Wilcox. The film includes music by Todd Snider, Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris, Townes Van Zandt, Hayes Carll, Durand Jones and the Indications, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Daniel Johnston, with nods to music icons like Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, Tom Waits, and Jerry Jeff Walker.
“Hard Luck Love Song is my love letter to Americana music and the colorful characters who inhabit that world,” Corsbie says.”Todd Snider is among the great American troubadours, following in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, and John Prine, and I humbly tried to honor his unique talent for blending drama, humor, grit, and wit by infusing this film with those ingredients.”
“Like our previous films The Peanut Butter Falcon, Winter’s Bone and Mud, Hard Luck Love Song knows its authentic Americana setting, and as a native of Austin, TX, Justin’s affection for roots music is evident in every frame,” said Roadside co-presidents Eric d’Arbeloff and Howard Cohen.
The deal was negotiated by Roadside’s Angel An and UTA’s Independent Film Group. Corsbie is represented by LA & Austin based Synthetic Pictures for commercials and branded content.
Check out the tune that inspired the film below:
