Jordan Weiss was waiting for someone to direct her screenplay. She and her best friend, Dan Brier, had sold their joint effort, the coming-of-age comedy “ Sweethearts ,” to producers at Picturestart, a company with a deal at Warner Bros. Discovery.
They spent the better part of a year seeking directors to take the helm, and when it became clear that they weren’t going to land a big name, Weiss’ team, including Brier, encouraged her to give directing a shot. “Hey, are you really sure you want this to be someone else’s directorial debut, or do you want to throw your hat in the ring?” Weiss, 31, recalls producers telling her. Weiss, then in her late 20s, had not considered directing the film.
She already had some success in Hollywood, creating and showrunning the Hulu comedy series “Dollface” just a few years after graduating from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2015. But her? Running a movie set? Who did she think she was? “As soon as the conversation shifted to that place, and I made a deck of what my vision for the movie would be, then I became completely obsessed with the idea of, ‘Oh, I have to do this,’” she says. “And realizing it was a lack of confidence, of [me] saying, ‘I finally made it as a writer.
I can’t now also say I’m a director. Surely, that would be asking for too much.’” “Sweethearts” streams on Max beginning Thanksgiving Day and marks an auspicious debut for Weiss.
It’s heartwarming and raunchy, an homage to bo.
