Amy Landecker and Missi Pyle dive into the hilarious, messy world of For Worse. Discover how Lauren’s second adolescence leads to a new day.
In the sharp and spirited comedy For Worse, Amy Landecker stars as Lauren, a newly divorced, sober mother who is determined to reinvent herself. Trading domestic monotony for the thrill of an acting class, Lauren finds more than just her craft; she finds a new lease on life in the form of a hot, younger scene partner.
However, the film takes a hilariously cringeworthy turn when the pair attends a Gen Z classmate’s wedding. Despite her sobriety and her status as the grown-up in the room, Lauren finds herself spiraling into the chaotic behavior of a drunk twenty-five-year-old bridesmaid – minus the actual alcohol. It is a disastrous, beautiful, and deeply relatable look at how starting over often involves falling flat on your face before you can finally walk into a new beginning.
Mama’s Geeky sat down with stars Amy Landecker and Missi Pyle to discuss the film’s unique take on midlife reinvention and the complexities of Lauren’s journey. While Landecker anchors the film as the writer, director, and lead, Pyle brings her trademark comedic brilliance to the role of Julie, Lauren’s ride-or-die best friend.
The two actresses shared a palpable chemistry during our interview, laughing over the second adolescence that many women experience after a major life shift. They dug deep into why Lauren’s disastrous night at the wedding was a necessary bridge to her new future and how the film redefines what it means to act your age.
Amy Landecker on Lauren’s Chaotic Evolution
Amy Landecker spoke with a great deal of empathy for her character, noting that the story was inspired by her own experiences in an LA acting class where she often felt like the “fish out of water”.
“I wrote this ages ago, but the real difference is that this is more about how that can kind of go really wrong. You know, how stupid you feel around young people, how lost you can feel. I got really close to them, but I also felt like there were some points where I was like, don’t forget that you’re like a mom and you’re an adult, not 25. It was definitely inspired by the way that I felt in that class, being always the oldest person.”
The production also served as a family affair, as Landecker’s real-life husband, Bradley Whitford, appears in the film and was a constant presence on set.
“Bradley Whitford is my husband; he’s in the movie and he’s the most supportive husband you could ever ask for. He was with me every day because I was in every scene and I couldn’t believe it. He really loved the movie and he was really invested in it, and he actually helped me shape that second scene with Ken [Marino].”
Missi Pyle on the Art of Support
Missi Pyle stepped into the role of Julie after a casting emergency and immediately bonded with Landecker, describing the low-budget set as a “shoestring” but “joyful” environment.
“Amy is just one of those people who’s like, ‘yay,’ she wants it to be funny and she wants you to do whatever you want. She would be like, ‘oh yes, improvise’. When you’re working on something like this, usually there’s a moment that just ‘jumps the shark’ or doesn’t quite work, but with this, no one stopped laughing. It is, hands down, one of the top five funniest things I’ve ever been a part of.”
Pyle also touched on the film’s central message: that the most important relationship in the movie isn’t the romantic one, but the friendship that carries Lauren through the mess.
“It’s a coming of middle-aged story and it just makes it… it’s like, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay. What I love is that at the end, it’s not the guy – it’s the friend. Amy created magic because she just let everybody kind of go, and when you feel comfortable, that’s when the magic comes in. Everyone in the world needs to see it because it is so joyous.”
Watch the full interview video for more behind-the-scenes stories from Amy Landecker and Missi Pyle.
About For Worse
Lauren, a newly divorced, sober mom, feels like she has a new lease on life after joining her first acting class and starting a fling with her hot, young scene partner. However, when they attend their Gen Z classmate’s wedding together, things begin to fall apart, and Lauren finds herself behaving like a drunk 25-year-old bridesmaid. Luckily after a disastrous night she stumbles into a new day and a new beginning.
For Worse is opening in theaters in NY/LA on February 27 and has its expanded release on March 6.