"A Futile and Stupid Gesture" is a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by David Wain.
The starring cast includes Will Forte as Douglas Kenney, Domhnall Gleeson as Henry Beard, Martin Mull as modern Douglas, Thomas Lennon as Michael O'Donoghue, Joel McHale as Chevy Chase, John Gemberling as John Belushi, Matt Walsh as Matty Simmons, Rick Glassman as Harold Ramis, Jon Daly as Bill Murray, Seth Green as Christopher Guest and others.

Here are "A Futile and Stupid Gesture" movie trailer, plot summary, full cast and characters, release date, streaming services and everything we know so far.

Trailer

Is there a trailer for A Futile and Stupid Gesture movie?

Netflix on Thursday, December 21, 2017 released the trailer for "A Futile and Stupid Gesture" you can watch here:
A Futile and Stupid Gesture | Official Trailer | Netflix.

Plot summary

What is A Futile and Stupid Gesture movie plot?

Here is a short review of "A Futile and Stupid Gesture" movie plot summary.

The film's timeline stretches from 1964 to 1980. The film opens with Douglas Kenney (Will Forte) and his classmate Henry Beard (Domhnall Gleeson) celebrating the release of their book, Bored of the Rings, with the Harvard Lampoon staff.
They graduate from Harvard and Kenney convinces Beard not to go to law school but instead publish a monthly magazine: the National Lampoon. Though Kenney is the magazine's main creative voice, there would be no magazine without the guidance of Beard. Kenney becomes the comedy writer and Beard the business manager, while the magazine also has a thriving art department.
They get financing from Matty Simmons (Matt Walsh). All of the writers work hard to be funny and meet deadlines. Work is a party atmosphere and illicit drug use is prevalent. The magazine is not initially a success until lawsuits are threatened by Disney, Volkswagen, Mormons, and many other established names. The comedy world is changed, and the magazine pushes the acceptance of satire and parody with each edition.
Kenney, due to burnout, suddenly leaves for nine months with a one-line note to Beard. The magazine stays successful under Beard. After five years Simmons agrees to a buyout and they each collect $3.5 million, a request demanded by Beard and Kenney. Beard, being unhappy and greatly stressed, takes his check and immediately exits the magazine.
National Lampoon expands to an hour radio show attracting more great comedians like Chevy Chase (Joel McHale), Bill Murray (Jon Daly), and Gilda Radner (Jackie Tohn). But Lorne Michaels (Armen Weitzman) buys them all out and signs them over to Saturday Night Live. Special editions of the magazine are published such as one mocking high school yearbooks.

Cast

Who plays who in the A Futile and Stupid Gesture movie cast?

Here is the full cast and characters of "A Futile and Stupid Gesture" movie. Actors and actresses are sorted mostly in credits order.

Will Forte  as Douglas Kenney
Domhnall Gleeson  as Henry Beard
Martin Mull  as modern Douglas the narrator
Thomas Lennon  as Michael O'Donoghue
Joel McHale  as Chevy Chase
John Gemberling  as John Belushi
Matt Walsh  as Matty Simmons
Rick Glassman  as Harold Ramis
Jon Daly  as Bill Murray
Seth Green  as Christopher Guest
Emmy Rossum  as Kathryn Walker
Morgan Gingerich  as Doug - Age 12
Harry Groener  as Harry Kenney
Neil Casey  as Brian McConnachie
Camille Guaty  as Alex Garcia-Mata
Annette O'Toole  as Stephanie Kenney
Nelson Franklin  as P.J. O'Rourke
Matt Lucas  as Tony Hendra
Ed Helms  as Tom Snyder
Natasha Lyonne  as Anne Beatts
David Wain  as Interviewer
Max Greenfield  as Chris Miller
Jon Klaft  as Preppy Student
Brad Morris  as Peter Ivers
Joe Lo Truglio  as Brad Zotti
Jackie Tohn  as Gilda Radner
Rick Overton  as First Publisher
Mark Metcalf  as Second Publisher
Michael Sherman  as Ed Sullivan
Finn Wittrock  as Tim Matheson
Bob Stephenson  as Construction Worker
Liz Femi  as Skeptical Black Woman
Chris Redd  as Skeptical Black Man
Carla Gallo  as Lucy Fisher
Meera Rohit Kumbhani  as Elaine
Armen Weitzman  as Lorne Michaels
Lonny Ross  as Ivan Reitman
Steven Sims  as Stephen Furst
Brian Huskey  as John Landis
Rich Sommer  as Harry Crane
Andrew Gray McDonnell  as Michael O'Keefe
Erv Dahl  as Rodney Dangerfield
Paul Scheer  as Paul Shaffer
Lindsey Kraft  as Gwyneth Cravens
Frank Gingerich  as Doug - Age 12
Elvy  as Mary Marshmallow (as Elvy Yost)
Ben F. Campbell  as Harvard Jester (as Ben Campbell)
Beau Bassewitz  as Umpire
David Krumholtz  as Time-Life Publisher
Mitchell Hurwitz  as Time-Life Publisher (as Mitch Hurwitz)
Michael Colton  as Art Director
John Aboud  as Art Director
Kerri Kenney  as Sullivan Producer
Ellen Colton  as Waitress
Krister Johnson  as Michael Gross
Peter Blake  as Advertiser
Mike Nojun Park  as Advertiser
Gregg Turkington  as Advertiser
Michael Kevin Farrell  as Radio Hour Pianist / Premiere Party Pianist (as Michael Farrell)
Adam Wade  as Radio Hour Drummer / Premiere Party Drummer
Jherek Bischoff  as Lemmings Bass Player
Craig Wedren  as Lemmings Piano Player
Sam Mickens  as Street Musician
Julian Wass  as Premiere Party Guitar Player (as Julian Margolin Wass)
Bo Boddie  as Premiere Party Guitar Player
Kate Simmons  as Party Guest
Abigail Klein  as Missy
Martha Smith  as Studio Tour Guide 'Babs'
Hutch Vaudry  as Studio Tour Kid (as Eugene 'Hutch' Barbeau)
Leslie Nielsen  as Dr. Rumack (archive footage)
Robert Hays  as Ted Striker (archive footage)
Lorna Patterson  as Randy (archive footage)
Matt Ballard  as Bartender
Melissa Paulo  as Room Service Waitress

Release date

When is A Futile and Stupid Gesture movie release date?

"A Futile and Stupid Gesture" movie release date was scheduled to be on January 24, 2018 (Sundance) and on January 26, 2018 (United States/Worldwide) distributing by Netflix.

Filming

What are A Futile and Stupid Gesture filming details?

The duration of the film is 101 minutes.

Principal photography began in Los Angeles, California on April 14, 2016.

Rating

What are critics and audiences saying about A Futile and Stupid Gesture movie?

"A Futile and Stupid Gesture" movie got high rating from critics. IMDB rating is 6.7/10. Rotten Tomatoes rating is 67/100. The audience also likes the film.

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