David O. Russell

For other people named David Russell, see David Russell (disambiguation).

David O. Russell
Russell at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	David Owen Russell (1958-08-20) August 20, 1958 (age 53) New York City, United States
Other names	David O'Russell David Russell
Occupation	Director Writer
Years active	1987–present
Influenced by	Mike Nichols, Luis Buñuel, Hal Ashby, John Waters, Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Quentin Tarantino, Mel Brooks
Spouse	Janet Grillo (1992–2007)

David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been praised for the loose, comic energy that characterizes his work. He has been the subject of controversy, while receiving much critical acclaim. His best known films are Spanking the Monkey (1994), Flirting with Disaster (1996), Three Kings (1999) and The Fighter (2010).

Early life

Russell was born in New York City, New York to a Jewish father and an Italian American Catholic mother, and was raised in an "atheistic" household.^[1] He graduated from Amherst College in 1981, majoring in Political Science and English.

Career

His first directorial effort was the independent dark comedy Spanking the Monkey in 1994, starring Jeremy Davies as a troubled young man. Despite the controversial subject matter, the film received critical acclaim^[2] and won him Best First Screenplay and Best First Feature from the Independent Spirit Awards, as well as the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.^[3]

His next project was another independent comedy, Flirting with Disaster (1996), about a neurotic man (Ben Stiller) who travels with his wife (Patricia Arquette) and a high-strung caseworker (Téa Leoni) to find his biological parents. The film was well-received by most critics.^[4] Roger Ebert said of the direction, "Russell finds the strong central line all screwball begins with, the seemingly serious mission or quest, and then throws darts at a map of the United States as he creates his characters."^[5] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a 'B' and declared it "...one of the ha-ha funniest comedies currently at a theater near you."^[6]

The success of those two films led to the Gulf War thriller Three Kings, starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze. Adapted from an earlier script by former stand-up comic John Ridley, the film follows three American GIs who devise a plan to steal hidden Kuwaiti gold during the 1991 Iraqi uprising against Saddam Hussein. Filmed in the deserts of Arizona, California and Mexico, and featuring actual Iraqi refugees as extras, Russell used several unique cinematic techniques to achieve a feeling of realism. He filmed using handheld cameras and Steadicam, and shot on Ektachrome slide photography stock that was cross processed in colour negative chemicals, to reproduce "the odd colour of the newspaper images [of the Gulf War]." He also insisted on filming all of the explosions in one shot, as opposed to a typical action film.

During filming, news spread of Russell and George Clooney nearly having a fistfight on the set of Three Kings. In a 2000 interview, Clooney described his confrontation with Russell after tensions on the set had been steadily increasing. According to Clooney, Russell was demeaning the crew verbally and physically. Clooney felt this was out of line and told Russell, "David, it's a big day. But you can't shove, push or humiliate people who aren't allowed to defend themselves." Russell, said Clooney, replied, "Why don't you just worry about your fucked-up acting?! You're being a dick. You want to hit me? You want to hit me? Come on, pussy, hit me."^[7] Clooney said Russell then grabbed him by the throat and Clooney "went nuts", pummeling Russell. Clooney said Russell eventually apologized and filming continued, but Clooney described the incident as "truly, without exception, the worst experience of my life." When asked if he would work with Russell again, Clooney responded, "Life’s too short."^[7]

Three Kings was released in 1999 and was his biggest critical and financial success. It grossed $60 million in the United States and over $100 million worldwide.^[8] It holds a 94% at Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus "Three Kings successfully blends elements of action, drama, and comedy into a thoughtful, exciting movie on the Gulf War."^[9] It ended up being the first of several collaborations with Mark Wahlberg.

Despite the success of Three Kings, the controversy of the on-set fight led to difficulties in financing his next project: the existential comedy I ♥ Huckabees. Russell had conflicts with Lily Tomlin during the filming of I Heart Huckabees, video of which has surfaced on video sites such as YouTube.^[10] These conflicts were first reported in a 2004 New York Times article^[11] by Sharon Waxman in which she describes him calling Tomlin "...the crudest word imaginable, in front of the actors and crew." Additionally Waxman witnessed the following which is corroborated by the leaked videos: "Mr. Russell ends his tirade by sweeping his arm across a nearby table cluttered with production paraphernalia. He storms off the set and back on again, continually shouting. Then he locks himself in his office, refusing to return." Waxman also comments to the effect that Russell made an effort to destabilize the actors to improve their performances. The set was characterized as emotionally charged, with Russell begging nothing but his dream for the film from the actors, who were sometimes driven to their wits' end after hours of takes. The noted instance circulated on the Internet was one such dramatic exchange. Afterward, Tomlin remarks that she and Russell are "fine", saying, "I'd rather have someone human and available and raw and open. Don't give me someone cold, or cut off, or someone who considers themselves dignified." The film itself was released to mixed reviews.^[12]

After a six-year hiatus Russell returned with The Fighter, a biographical sports drama produced by and starring Mark Wahlberg. The film focuses on junior welterweight boxer Mickey Ward's rise to claim the WBU Light Welterweight title, as well as his difficult relationship with his mother, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo), and his older half-brother Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale). The film became a major critical and financial success, grossing $125 million,^[13] and appearing on several critics' year-end top ten lists.^[14] The Fighter also received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Russell, the first of his career,^[15] and earned awards for both Bale and Leo, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

Future projects

The Silver Linings Playbook

Russell has recently directed The Silver Linings Playbook, adapted from the serio-comic novel by Matthew Quick.^[16] Mark Wahlberg was originally attached to star in the lead role, but departed due to a scheduling conflict. Bradley Cooper will play Pat Peoples and Robert De Niro, who starred with Cooper in Limitless, is co-starring. Jennifer Lawrence has been confirmed for the lead female role, as Tiffany. This cast also includes the veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher.^[17] It is tentatively set for release on November 21, 2012.^[18]

Nailed

Nailed is a political comedy co-written by Kristen Gore which stars Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tracy Morgan, Catherine Keener, Paul Reubens, Josh Brolin and Kirstie Alley. Production was delayed or shut down four times, for reasons ranging from on-set conflict that resulted in James Caan quitting the film, to financial trouble that led IATSE to shut down production because the crew was not getting paid.^[19][20][21] The movie revolves around the character of Alice Eckle (played by Jessica Biel) who gets accidentally shot in the head with a nail by a clumsy workman, eliciting wild sexual urges. The uninsured Eckle goes on a crusade to Washington to fight for the rights of the bizarrely injured. She meets an immoral congressman (Jake Gyllenhaal) who takes advantage of her sex drive and capitalizes on her crusade as Eckle heads into her own career in politics.^[22]

Filmography

Director

• Bingo Inferno (1987)
• Hairway to the Stars (1990)
• Spanking the Monkey (1994)
• Flirting with Disaster (1996)
• Three Kings (1999)
• I ♥ Huckabees (2004)
• Soldiers Pay (2004)
• The Fighter (2010)
• Nailed (????)
• The Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Writer

• Bingo Inferno (1987)
• Spanking the Monkey (1994)
• Flirting with Disaster (1996)
• Three Kings (1999)
• I ♥ Huckabees (2004)
• Nailed (????)

Producer

• Bingo Inferno (1987)
• Spanking the Monkey (1994)
• The Slaughter Rule (2002)
• Anchorman (2004)
• I ♥ Huckabees (2004)
• Soldiers Pay (2004)
• Outer Space Astronauts (2009)

Awards and nominations

• Spanking the Monkey
  • Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
  • Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
  • Sundance Film Festival Audience Award
  • Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize (nomination)

• Flirting with Disaster
  • Independent Spirit Award for Best Director (nomination)
  • Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay (nomination)

• Three Kings
  • Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director
  • PEN Center USA West Literary Award
  • Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay (nomination)
  • Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay (nomination)

• I ♥ Huckabees
  • Gotham Award for Best Film (nomination)

• The Fighter
  • Academy Award for Best Director (nomination)
  • Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film (Nomination)
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Director (nomination)
  • Palm Springs International Film Festival Director of the Year

References

Further reading

• Waxman, Sharon, ed. (2005), Rebels on the Backlot: Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System, HarperEntertainment .

External links

• David O. Russell at the Internet Movie Database
• "Notes on Quirky" Movie: A Journal of Film Criticism
• David O. Russell on Charlie Rose
• David O. Russell collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Literature on David O. Russell