This time last year, few people could have predicted that a heartwarming indie film about a beleaguered family coming to terms with life’s challenges would walk off with three Oscars. But CODA did just that, nabbing Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor. There are moments while watching Small Town Wisconsin — thoroughly indie and bursting with heartfelt grooviness — that it’s hard not to draw comparisons. The two films are different in many ways, but one of the best things they have in common is how effectively they capture a slew of characters surfing through waves of existential angst, hoping to find refuge on safer shores.
Here, we follow perpetual teenager Wayne Stobierski (David Sullivan from Sharp Object) losing a custody battle, which propels him to steal his son away for one last father/son weekend to their dream city, Milwaukee. Sure, it’s supposed to be “fun” and adventurous, but Wayne soon discovers his madcap journey is turning into one filled with profound redemption.
Aptly directed by Niels Mueller (The Assassination of Richard Nixon) with Oscar-winner Alexander Payne (Sideways) on board as executive producer, the film also stars Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Kristen Johnston (Mom, 3rd Rock From The Sun), Tanya Fischer (Life on Mars) and Cooper J. Friedman (9-1-1: Lone Star) in a “can this kid be any cuter?” performance. Mueller, who hails from Wisconsin, says he always wanted to make a film that captured the nuances of his youth and, in turn, the appeal of Midwestern small towns and the eclectic characters who populate them. “You don't see a lot of films made about this part of the country, and I wanted to come home and create something unique,” he admits. “When Alexander Payne, a good friend of mine, sent me the script, I immediately saw something that I understood and ran with it.”
A good thing he did. After screening in film festivals around the world, Small Town Wisconsin has collected more than 20 Best Picture awards. Leaping off its sold-out star-studded premiere June 3 at Milwaukee’s iconic movie palace, the Oriental Theatre, the film will be released wide and on digital platforms June 10.
Embrace The Road Trip
Written with depth and nuance by Jason Naczek, the actors hit all the right marks throughout the tale. Sullivan loses himself in the role of Wayne and playing off Fischer, the two create a believable couple who keep tripping over their failed relationship. Heck offers a winning turn here as Chuck, who caves in and agrees to chaperone father and son on their jaunt to a Milwaukee ball game. And Johnson—always a delight—delivers just the right amount sass as Wayne’s supportive sister, Alicia.
Mueller says he grew up with characters like Wayne and Chuck. Working in his father's office furniture store as a kid, he took in the appeal of “small town” characters—some larger than life, others a bit more reserved. “There’s a kind of culture in Wisconsin that's hard to really verbalize,” he shares. “It has its own kind of vibe; a straightforwardness to it. A friend of mine came to visit and said, ‘You know, people here are aggressively friendly.’ And I thought, ‘that’s it.’”
Sullivan was immediately drawn to the project, noting the appeal of the script, which allowed him to see Wayne’s “heart.”
“When I was reading about Wayne, I thought, here’s this guy approaching 40, and it’s like, who is he now?” Sullivan says. “He was fun in his early teens but now everything around him has started to change. He’s realizing, ‘Oh, is the party still in me?’”
The catalyst for that deeper reflection revolves around Wayne’s son, Tyler. Unless something changes within, Wayne is going to lose the most important piece of his life. “He's faced with a decision—to keep the party going or become the guy he doesn’t really want to become or possibly doesn’t even have the skills to become, to save his relationship my son,” Sullivan adds. “I liked that idea and that’s one of the reasons I said yes to this project.”
Do we cheer for Wayne, or against him? As the tale unfolds, audiences don’t really know if Wayne is going to come to terms with life—and himself.
Sullivan believes filmgoers have embraced the movie for deeper reasons, mostly because they identify with some of its themes. “The last couple of years have given people time, hopefully, to look inward,” he says. “We're so focused on looking outward and what's next? And how am I going to get there; what do I need to do to accomplish this? Or ‘I'll be happy when I become successful.’ Then you become successful, and you're like, ‘I'll be happy when I get that.’ And it's like, wait, why don't we put happiness before what we think success is? That way, when we reach success, we're already happy. We can embrace the journey.”
Integrity For The Creative Process
Like CODA, Small Town Wisconsin is endearing and, in turn, absolutely nothing like the kind of big-budget superhero movies Hollywood typically favors. So, how do creative artists today deal with daunting pressures to go “bigger?”
Early in the filmmaking process, Mueller recalls having to stand his ground on why he chose to make the movie. Before meeting with the distribution partners he eventually teamed up with, he encountered an individual who was “almost angry that I hadn't thought about the data analytics points with this project,” he says. “The guy said, ‘Then why did you make this film? You don't have an [A-list] actor check-marked and it's not a genre film.’ And I said, ‘Well, I made the film for myself.’”
A bold move yet an effective one — thus far, filmgoers have embraced the tale about a family looking for common ground during uncertain times.
“You find yourself laughing and being close to tears,” Mueller points out. “I hope people can walk away from the experience thinking about something.”
Sullivan, a self-described “film guy,” adds that he’s jazzed for the film’s wider release. “It takes a lot of courage to forego some big Hollywood opportunities that Niels and other people have so that they can make something near and dear to their hearts,” he says. “I’m grateful I could share in that. And you never know how something will land. My mom came out for a set visit and watched some scenes. Later, while we were all watching the movie together, she got upset with me. She was like, ‘Wait a second. I thought this film was supposed to be a knee slapper. And you have me like crying halfway through the movie?’ But I think that’s the real appeal of Small Town Wisconsin. It really is a human story.”
Small Town Wisconsin will be released on June 10.