Fresh from the Sundance Film Festival comes a movie so outlandish you can’t pass up on seeing it. Full of showbiz, shadows at the window, and good ol’ fashioned family insanity, “Clara’s Ghost” follows the bizarre exploits of the fictional Reynolds family, played by the very real Elliott family. Known for their comedy and sitcoms, the Elliott family includes Chris Elliott (“Get A Life,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Late Night with David Letterman”) and his daughter Abby Elliott (“Saturday Night Live,” “Odd Mom Out”), but you may not have heard of the other two members of the family. Don’t worry, that’s about to change.
Written and directed by Bridey Elliott (the younger daughter of the family), the film showcases the shallowness and absurdity of a house full of spotlight seekers while supernatural influences take hold. Because what better way to blur the line between reality and fantasy than to make the movie a wacky reflection of Elliott’s own life?
Also coming out of the shadows of the family name will be Paula Neidert Elliott, the Elliott family matriarch, in her big screen debut. Playing the Clara in question, a mother trying her hardest to support her egocentric family, it’s no surprise to see her snap and start doing things her way (with a little help from the house ghost). The evening that follows takes us on a wild ride as we try to keep up with the drunkenness and self-absorption covering up the insecurity and rage hiding beneath this family. Throw in Haley Joel Osment (“Sixth Sense,” “Sex Ed”) as their family friend/drug dealer, and Isidora Goreshter (“Shameless”) as the ghost haunting Clara, and you got a wonderfully offbeat and hilariously horrific must-see movie.
“Clara’s Ghost” will be out December 6. Here’s the official synopsis:
Set over the course of a single evening in the Reynolds family home in suburban Connecticut, Clara’s Ghost tells the story of Clara Reynolds who, fed up with constant ribbing from her self-absorbed showbiz family, finds solace in and guidance from the supernatural force she believes is haunting her.