It's Just Movies

— by RACHEL COYNE —

“Fix” is a small, deeply personal movie, so it’s only fitting that the New York premiere be an intimate affair.

In an event room outside the screening room in the posh Tribeca Grand Hotel, a short red carpet is set up for a few of the stars of the film to be photographed and chat with the handful of reporters that are lined up.

The man of the hour is Tao Ruspoli, who poured everything he had in himself into getting this movie made and distributed.

Ruspoli wore many hats during the production process, first being inspired by actual events that took place with his own brother, then helping to write the screenplay, acting as co-star and cameraman, and directing the entire thing. The fact that he was working with his real-life wife, Olivia Wilde, for the first time just helped to add another level of intimacy to this labor of love.

Ruspoli arrives early and cruises past the press line without fanfare, then backtracks after dropping off his gear to casually announce, “I’m Tao, by the way.” He is all smiles as he chats with reporters and pauses for photos, delighted to talk about how much he loves his movie and how exciting it is to share it with a wider audience. He doesn’t hesitate to say that it’s based on a true story and openly talks about his younger brother’s struggles with addiction. But he specifies that in “Fix” he wanted to “tell a story about redemption, not addiction.”

Shawn Andrews — who plays the larger than life Leo, the driving force of the movie — arrives and happily greets Ruspoli as he talks about being given the freedom to explore the character of Leo, despite the fact that he’s based on a real person.

Olivia Wilde (pictured above) chats for a few minutes with reporters and when asked about her personal experiences with rehab she says that while she’s never been, she’s visited several friends who have and laughs that she “could probably the rank the food available at each one.”

Ruspoli, Andrews and Wilde pose for a few more photos with the rest of the cast, including Megalyn Echikunwoke and Jakob Von Eichel, then everyone is invited inside for a screening of “Fix,” where Ruspoli says if it does well in New York, he hopes to see it open in some other cities. And given the warm reception it received from this small group, I’d say he may get his wish.

From left: Tao Ruspoli, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Olivia Wilde, Shawn Andrews and Jakob Von Eichel.

From left: Tao Ruspoli, Shawn Andrews and Giancarlo Canavesio.

All photos on this page were taken for It’s Just Movies by Rachel Coyne.

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Special thanks to Steve Graham of Luthier Society Inc.

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Follow Rachel Coyne on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TheOpinionatedB.