Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics © 2009
Miss March, the debut film from Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore of “The Whitest Kids U Know,” will hit theaters Friday, March 13.
The film, which Cregger and Moore wrote, directed and starred in, was originally pitched to the guys by Fox.
“Fox actually came to us with the concept. Someone had written a script for us to do, and the main characters were called Trevor and Zach and it was a pretty typical road trip movie: two horny guys going to the Playboy mansion. And they brought it to us and asked us if we would rewrite it,” Cregger said. “And so basically we took it on as trying to do something in the genre that we would like, and that someone who likes our show would like. So we tried to make things as out there as possible.”
Their show, “The Whitest Kids U Know,” has been on the Independent Film Channel for the past three years. The now five-guy comedy sketch group originally began as a college skit club at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. “We all lived in the same dorm‚” Moore said. “There were like 20 kids in the group at that point, and it wasn’t until after we graduated that we whittled it down to five.”
“The Whitest Kids U Know” hit the Internet right around the time that Youtube was taking off.
“We really kind of just had the right place, right time serendipity of when we started out,” Moore said, “We used to do this sketch called Ipod shuffle, which was the first sketch that we did on the show, and that really got sent around a lot at the very beginning of Youtube. We kind of got a following there.”
But Miss March is a completely separate project from “Whitest Kids,” Moore and Cregger said. With the hopes of making a “Whitest Kids” movie in the near future, they wanted to keep Miss March separate.
The movie was filmed in 28 days, and it was a whirlwind, Cregger and Moore said.
“It was fun that we got to do that movie, but besides that, there was a lot of stress and problems,” Moore said.
Cregger seconded Moore’s opinion.
“We wrote, directed, and starred, so it was overwhelming pressure‚” Cregger said. “You don’t get to savor the fun moments like you wish you could.”
According to Cregger, it was amazing to have that much responsibility on the project.
“That first day of showing up on set and looking around at the scale of what you’re supposedly in charge of was mind blowing,” Cregger said.
So what does success mean to these two comedians?
I don’t know, I don’t think you’re ever really a success in your own mind. I mean, hopefully not‚” Moore said. “Success is when you have kids, and then they think what you did was cool.”
According to Cregger, success doesn’t mean having a big bank account and fame.
“Success is when you’re finally comfortable to the point where you don’t worry about ‘will I be able to work again?’ and ‘is the work fulfilling?,'” Cregger said.
Cregger looks up to director Clint Eastwood and his at-ease style.
“I always think about Clint Eastwood. Apparently he’s just got it down, the way he directs. Like totally at ease, and so relaxed on set,” Cregger said. “It seems like a therapeutic, relaxing experience for him. I don’t understand that at all. I hope to one day be able to have that.
He also admires the acting chops of Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
“Every character he plays is just like transformed,” Cregger said.
Moore admires the comedy of Steve Coogan.
“He’s the best living comedian,” Moore said.
The influence of Coogan’s kooky style on Moore is evident in both the film and in his playful demeanor.
As far as other influences and favorites, both Cregger and Moore look up to the Coen brothers. They were influenced by Raising Arizona in the concept and production of their film.
“It’s a good combination of pushed cartoon world meets real world,” Moore said. Cregger added with a sly grin, “Ours has a lot more shitting.”
Both Cregger and Moore have a relaxed, low-key attitude that makes them approachable and at the same time, they carry themselves with a sense of confidence. They’re down-to-earth and they know what they like, and they’re not about to make a movie without its fair share of the over-the-top humor that has made their show such a success.
“We know who we’re making this movie for,” Cregger said. “When I was in junior high, I got my hands on an Adam Sandler album that was just filthy, just wickedly dirty, and it was so wonderful because I had to hide it from my parents and listen to it with the headphones on. It was like contraband, and that made it so much more important to me.”
What makes these two guys so likeable is the fact that they aren’t trying to be something they’re not. They like crude humor, and they’re not afraid to admit it. They’re just two regular 20-something guys that will talk conversationally about the Oscars, Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke as if you’ve known them for years. They think bestiality is hilarious. Moore has a mischievous glint in his eye that peaks out from behind his mop-like hair, which is constantly falling in his face. Cregger grins with the spontaneity of a little kid who’s just done something terribly, terribly naughty. I have no doubt that we’ll be seeing a lot more in the coming months from this dynamic duo.