Filmmaker Gets A Little Help from Port Washington

Who says you can't go home again?

Michael J. Weithorn, comedy-writer and co-creator of the hit sitcom "King of Queens" talks about his debut film "A Little Help" screening at Long Island Film Expo on Saturday.  The film tells the story of a young widow, Laura, who gets tripped up in a series of bizarre lies as her life unravels with bumps (her 12-year old son) and issues (an old flame).  Many of the scenes—with a stellar cast including Jenna Fischer, Chris O'Donnell, Lesley Ann Warren—were shot in Port Washington and Plandome Village.

At the tender age of nine, Weithorn moved to Port Washington from Fresh Meadows, Queens.  He was bitten by the writing bug early on, often writing for Schreiber High School's newspaper before graduating in 1974.  His New York roots serve as a rich background for much of his comedy writing. Weithorn was proud to shoot many scenes of his first film in his hometown.  Patch caught up with Weithorn to discuss the film and Port Washington then and now.

Q.) Would you call A Little Help a drama or comedy?

A.)  It's a drama with a lot of comedy, even some melancholy…kind of like a melancomedy. 

Q.) What led you to write and direct a movie?

A.) I wanted to explore other avenues as a writer.  My fantasy was to work with different actors in an independent film environment.  I was very inspired by the Kenneth Lonergan film "You Can Count on Me," which framed the kind of film I wanted to do in terms of humanity and nuance.   I began tooling around with an idea. Some things stuck and some things fell away and I was left with this idiosyncratic odd story of a woman going through a crisis in her life.

Q. )  Tell us about that crisis.

A.)  Well she's married in the beginning and she's a free spirit, party girl, kind of charming and flighty but cute.  And that cuteness can only take you so far in life.  Many people who are getting by on that charm usually have some day of reckoning and I was intrigued by that and what could happen to her.   When her husband dies, things begin to fall apart.

Q.)  Is this your first film and directorial debut?

A.)  Yes.  I had worked on re-writes for a few films but this is my first film.  I didn't always have a burning desire to direct a film, but enjoyed directing some TV episodes especially on "King of Queens."  But this film was such a personal story, that I wanted to direct it as well. 

Q.)  Was the woman in the story someone you knew?

A.)  No.  It's an amalgam of people I know or knew.  But, most writers take a bit from their personal experience.

Q.) Tell us about [shooting in and around] Port...in the film.

A.) I live in California.  But five years ago, when I wrote the script, I had written a specific scene with Christopher Morley Park in mind.  I pictured where the two characters would be sitting and wrote this particular scene (from memory) in the ice skating rink, as an off season, summer scene.  When we shot the movie, the park was the same as my memory of it.  I was surprised we were able to recreate it exactly.  

Q.) Has Port Washington changed much?

A.) I was happy to see Main Street is still doing well.  Growing up on a Pennisula affects the culture.  It's not really a town you drive through.  You only drive there unless you are specifically going there.  We went back to eat at Louie's and I asked about the previous owners, but the Zwerlein family had sold it a few years back.

Q.) Where can folks see the film?

A.)  With the economy, we're hoping to get distribution.  I'm proud of the film.

Weithorn's A Little Help has been seen in: Seattle International Film Festival, Staten Island Film Festival, Long Island International Film Expo and will be in Indianapolis next week.

For more information:  http://liifilmexpo.org/sections/films10/A%20Little%20Help.html