Institute History
Description
Henry Roth is messed up. A New York children's book author who tells kids that Santa doesn't exist, his motto is "Life is nothing but the occasional burst of laughter rising above the interminable wail of grief." After watching an old porn film, he and his illustrator (and best friend) Rudy find inspiration for their next book, Marty the Beaver. It's a smash success, but Rudy becomes ill, and, to save his career, Henry must choose to collaborate with a beautiful, but scattered, young woman or risk collapsing under the weight of his anxieties.
A decidedly modern love story, Dedication boasts an all-star cast that delivers wonderfully nuanced performances. Justin Theroux brings to the director's chair his many years of experience in front of the camera and allows his actors to fully inhabit their characters and world. The first-time filmmaker's impressive visual sense infuses the romantic comedy with an assured aesthetic, filling the story with a lush lyricism seldom seen in a genre film. Using humor and insight, Theroux explores where love resides in our anxious times. Dedication is a comedic love story with a plaintive emotional delicacy that gets under your skin and into your heart.