MVFF38 Preview: ‘I SMILE BACK,’ starring Sarah Silverman

Comedian Sarah Silverman is a complete revelation in her first leading dramatic film role as an upper class soccer mom with daddy issues and a serious drug problem in I Smile Back. That might sound like I’m diminishing the returns of her performance but only because she rises so far above material that isn’t terribly original.

The thing that almost miraculously differentiates Silverman from so many comedians who want to pull out a huge feat of dramatic acting is that she never winks at it, she never lets us know, ‘hey guys, it’s still me, Sarah.’ Unlike say, Jim Carrey, who almost never seems to be able to be 100% in his dramatic characters, Silverman embodies Laney Brooks completely. It’s an Oscar-worthy performance that deserves to be seen and recognized. Josh Charles, as Silverman’s husband in the film, is very good in what is often the ‘suffering wife’ role; he nails it. The film is a dark and bleak but that shouldn’t keep you from seeing it. Great performances like these are worth our time.

Sarah Silverman will be receiving the MVFF Spotlight Award at the Mill Valley Film Festival on Friday, October 9th and the film is set to be released theatrically on October 23rd by Broad Green Pictures.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

Latest posts by Erik Anderson (see all)

• International Press Academy Satellite Awards Nominations: ‘Sinners,’ One Battle After Another,’ ‘Hamnet’ Lead - December 16, 2025
• 2026 Oscar Predictions: ORIGINAL SCORE, ORIGINAL SONG, SOUND (December) - December 16, 2025
• AwardsWatch Podcast Ep. 320 – The Oscar Shortlists for the 98th Academy Awards - December 16, 2025