Roadside Keeps Up With "Joneses"

A scene from Derrick Borte's "The Joneses." Image courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

The second major Toronto Film Festival-related acquisition this week comes with Roadside Attractions nabbing the U.S. rights to Derrick Borte's social satire "The Joneses." The film - starring Demi Moore and Duchovny as a couple moving into a upscale gated community - premiered in Toronto this past September, and follows Sony Classics' pick up of TIFF title "Mother and Child" on Monday. Plans for ancillary distribution are still being finalized with a number of studios bidding for the ancillary rights to the film.

“Not since Thank You for Smoking has a comedy been so attuned to the current zeitgeist of American culture,” said Roadside Co-President Howard Cohen in a statement. “Writer/director Derrick Borte’s first film wrings great comedy from a central truth about Americans – we have an on-going love affair with our stuff.”

Roadside plans a significant platform release in the spring of 2010, putting the film in a mix of commercial and arthouse theaters.

“Roadside is the perfect fit for this film,” sayid producer Doug Mankoff in a statement. “The Roadside team is smart and dynamic and they are making a commitment that shows The Joneses will be a top priority for them.”

The deal was negotiated by Roadside’s Cohen and by ICM and attorney Andrew Hurwitz on behalf of the filmmakers.