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.
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.
- Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’ - March 20, 2026
- Six Join 51st Residence of the Festival de Cannes, including Harry Lighton, Mansi Maheshwari, Oliver McGoldrick - March 20, 2026
- American Film Institute (AFI) Announces 2027 Date for AFI AWARDS Honorees-Only Event - March 18, 2026
Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’ 
‘Anima’ Review: Sydney Chandler and Takehiro Hira Ground Brian Tetsuro Ivie’s Low-Fi Sci-Fi Road Movie [B+] SXSW 
Six Join 51st Residence of the Festival de Cannes, including Harry Lighton, Mansi Maheshwari, Oliver McGoldrick 
‘Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat’ Review: The Emmy-Nominated Hit Returns as an Hilarious Workplace Comedy [B+]