Wednesday, November 7----He's best known as the rolly-polly manager of the neurotic Larry David in the hit HBO series CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, but Jeff Garlin has had a long career as a stand-up comic who has written, produced, directed and performed his own stand-up act. Garlin now tries his hand at feature films with his directorial debut I WANT SOMEONE TO EAT CHEESE WITH. The film is a filmed version of his critically acclaimed solo show that follows the rotund Garlin as he negotiates love, career and his insatiable appetite, with humorous and humane results.

Garlin is an alumnus of the famed Second City comic troupe in Chicago, who has been influenced by such ground-breaking comedians as Woody Allen, Richard Pryor and Shelly Berman (who plays Larry David's father on CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM). His main shtick is telling stories, exposing his personal foibles and unearthing his innermost thoughts. For his role on CURB, he has been nominated for major awards as both supporting actor and also as the series' executive producer.

In I WANT SOMEONE TO EAT CHEESE WITH, Garlin is surrounded by a cast of comedy veterans including Sarah Silverman, Bonnie Hunt, Richard Kind, Paul Mazursky, Amy Sedaris and Dan Castellaneta. Garlin essentially plays a version of himself: an overweight comedian who still lives with his mother, eats obsessively and can't find a girlfriend. The film is shot in his home town of Chicago.

With critics referring to the 1950s film MARTY as an inspiration, Garlin gives a laid-back performance, generously granting center stage to Sarah Silverman's slightly psychotic ice-cream parlor waitress, Bonnie Hunt's sweetly askew schoolteacher and Amy Sedaris' off-the-wall counselor. Second City alumnus David Pasquesi, as Garlin's sardonic sidekick, almost steals the show. The film had its world premiere at this year's Los Angeles Film Festival and is now making the festival rounds.

South Florida audiences can get in on the hilarity with four screenings in the next few days. The film screens twice on Thursday, at 5:30pm and again at 9:30pm at the Las Olas Riverfront. Final screenings are on Saturday, with screenings at 3:00pm and again at 9:00pm, also at Las Olas Riverfront. Be prepared to bust a gut with this hilarious and telling new comic gem.

For tickets: Log on to the Festival's website www.fliff.com or go to the theater box office.

Sandy Mandelberger
Online Festival Dailies Editor