Jemaine Clement is standing on the Sundance red carpet awaiting the premiere of his latest movie People, Places, Things, the first American movie in which he has a starring role. It is a very big deal. Source: ColliderVideos/Youtube
From a deranged villain in Men in Black III to a science fiction author in Gentlemen Broncos, Jemaine Clement is known for playing characters beyond the absurd.
But the Flight of the Conchord star's new movie People Places Things might be his most straight forward movie role yet.
Clement playsdeadbeat dad Will Henry in Jim Strouse's laidback comedy, which begins with Henry finding his wife in bed with his friend Gary.
The film follows Henry, a teacher and graphic novelist, trying to survive with his twin daughters. "I'm just having a bad life ... it'll be over eventually," he says in the trailer.
It doesn't hide Clement's New Zealand origins - at one point, Henry tells a dinner date: "I'm a sassy little Hobbit."
Scheduled for release here on September 10, People Places Things has been praised by overseas publications.
"A superb, comically gifted cast helps Strouse lift this quite a few cuts above his previous work as well as above the general run of films about modern life and relationships," wrote The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy.
"A mild, low-impact relationship dramedy with a droll script and considerable feeling," wrote The New York Post's Kyle Smith.
