Click here to listen to our interview with Clea DuVall and Vincent Piazza! You don’t want to miss it!

In Theaters and On Demand Friday, August 26th.

From Samuel Goldwyn Films: When four couples meet for a weekend away together, an attempt to run a “marriage intervention” goes hilariously wrong as everyone is forced to confront the secrets and fears that seem to be holding them back from finding happiness with each other.

**Official Selection of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival**
**Official Selection of the 2016 Outfest Film Festival**
**Winner, Special Jury Award for Acting (Melanie Lynskey), Sundance Film Festival**

Starring
Clea DuVall (But I’m A Cheerleader, Argo, FX’s American Horror Story)
Melanie Lynskey (HBO’s Togetherness, CBS’s Two and Half Men)
Natasha Lyonne (Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black, American Pie)
Vincent Piazza (HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Jersey Boys)
Ben Schwartz (NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Showtime’s House of Lies)
Alia Shawkat (Fox’s Arrested Development, Green Room)
Jason Ritter (NBC’s Parenthood, Disney’s Gravity Falls)
Cobie Smulders (CBS’s How I Met Your Mother)

Written & Directed by
Clea DuVall

Rated: R
Run Time: 90 Minutes

This transcript has been lightly edited:

The Critic: Oh, my goodness! Guess what? I’m introducing this? What is going on? The world has turned on its head! This is the Critic, everyone. We — and that’s the Ref and I —

The Referee: Uh-huh.

Critic: We got a chance to see “The Intervention,” which is releasing in theaters and On Demand — I believe, Ref — on Friday, August 26. So, this is starring; it’s written by; it’s directed by Clea DuVall, who is from so many movies and TV shows. Oh, my goodness! You’ve seen her, even if you don’t know that you have. And, she has pulled together a great, young cast, including Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, Vincent Piazza, Jason Ritter, and more. So, this intervention — THE intervention — I don’t know how nice this is or not, Ref. Tell us about it.

Ref: Well, first of all, you forgot a big, huge one: Cobie Smulders!

Critic: Look, I gotta leave something for you, right?

Ref: So, basically, what happens is: There are a group of friends, who are very dear to one another, who meet in Savannah at this home — this family, beautiful, southern home. The point of this year’s meeting is … to do an intervention —

Critic: Uh-oh.

Ref: — with one of the couples. And, Melanie Lynskey plays the meddling friend who (laughter) has arranged this intervention, because two of her best friends — or her best friend and her [best friend’s] husband — are really going through some nasty, marital problems. And, the gang has had enough; it’s time to intervene. And, Melanie’s position is to go ahead and have them get a divorce. Like, let’s just get it over with.

Critic: Yeah, she’s serious about that divorce, isn’t she?

Ref: Well, it turns out that they’re not the only ones — it’s Cobie Smulders who’s really having the marital problems. It turns out they’re not the only ones needing an intervention.

Critic: Oh!

Ref: As we go throughout the movie, you see that each, particular person has their own sets of problems and really needs to have some catharsis happen; because, you know, life deals you a really bad hand, and some people deal with it better than others. You have Melanie Lynskey, who is engaged eternally to (laughter) — to Jason Ritter. Now, she can’t make up her mind, what she wants to do with that. So, there are some problems there. We also have Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall —

Critic: Mm-hm.

Ref: — who are a couple, as well, and they’re having issues, dealing with one another: Am I old enough? Am I too young? Am I boring? Am I manly enough? —

Critic: Uh-oh.

Ref: — so to speak. And, of course, Jason [Ben] Schwartz and his young love, Alia Shawkat: He’s poking around there. He’s got a young thing on his mind, and he brings her to the intervention; and the gang doesn’t like that. And then, obviously, we end with the last couple: Vincent Piazza and Cobie Smulders, who are having the marital problems. Now, that, in a nutshell — you have to ask yourself at the end: Is there catharsis? Does the intervention work? Or, does it backfire? Well, you’re going to have to watch the movie to find that out. But, I will say this —

Critic: Mm.

Ref: You will be thoroughly entertained about how things play out. (laughter)

Critic: Yes, that’s right, (laughing) because the question is: Which intervention are we talking about in this title, right? (laughter)

Ref: Yes, absolutely! The cool thing about this movie is that not only are you getting some comedy, but you’re also getting some very dramatic moments. They’re dealing with subjects, such as marital problems. How do you handle death?

Critic: Yeah.

Ref: And, also, how do you handle drinking? (laughter)

Critic: Yes.

Ref: You know, if you’ve been a drinker in the past, do you taper it? Or, do you go for gold? (laughter)

Critic: Mm-hm. Yeah, and, you know, there is one character in there — Ben Schwartz, who you mentioned — he has a different take on things. And, I loved how Clea used his character to inject a different perspective. For me, Ref, I really — I was surprised by this, because I really did like how the cast worked together. I bought them as friends; I know a lot of them have worked together in the past. So, it was cool to see that dynamic play out, and, especially, leading up to what we think is the intervention. That whole lead-up to that — I was really, thoroughly entertained. After that part, after the climax: Did it work as well for me? No, but it still worked. So, I think, definitely, if you’re interested in this kind of thing — and I think Clea DuVall was talking about how she wanted to do her version of “The Big Chill” — that movie from the ‘80s.

Ref: Mm-hm.

Critic: We’re getting that here. So, if you like that kind of thing, you like an ensemble piece that [has] an indie feel — you know, everyone has a comfortable flow — I would say, check it out. Like you said, you do get funny moments. You do get dramatic moments. There we go. That’s all I gotta say.

Ref: Well, I have to say this: If you also want to see something that is a little bit different as far as how to handle couples. Like, how do you handle relationships? And, you get all the multiple viewpoints of how to handle that relationship. I think it’ll be an interesting take; it’ll be an interesting discussion point, because, especially, when dealing with THE intervention, whichever one you’re talking about: How important is community?

Critic: Yeah.

Ref: How important is family, and what is family?

Critic: Mm.

Ref: So, she really tackles some really interesting themes that aren’t new, but it brings us, as you said, via the updated “Big Chill,” so to speak — the updated or modern version of coupling (laughter), whether that works out or not. Listen: Again, you can check this out this Friday at a theater near you, or you can watch it On Demand. I will say this: You’re not gonna walk away disappointed.

Critic: Absolutely not!