Fantasy Life (film)
| Fantasy Life | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Matthew Shear |
| Written by | Matthew Shear |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Conor Murphy |
| Edited by | Ian Blume |
| Music by | Christopher Bear |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Greenwich Entertainment |
Release dates |
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Running time | 92 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1 million[2][3] |
Fantasy Life is a 2025 American comedy film, written and directed by Matthew Shear, in his directorial debut. It stars Amanda Peet, Shear, Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Andrea Martin, Zosia Mamet, Jessica Harper, Holland Taylor and Sheng Wang.
It had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 8, 2025. It was released in the United States on March 27, 2026.
Premise
After being laid off, a paralegal begins babysitting his psychiatrist's granddaughters, and falls for their mother.[4]
Cast
- Amanda Peet as Dianne
- Matthew Shear as Sam
- Alessandro Nivola as David
- Judd Hirsch as Fred
- Bob Balaban as Lenny
- Andrea Martin as Helen
- Zosia Mamet as Jenny
- Jessica Harper as Toby
- Holland Taylor as Dr. Greene
- Sheng Wang as Alan
- Sophie von Haselberg as Becky
Release
It had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 8, 2025.[5] In May 2025, Greenwich Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film.[6] It was released in the United States on March 27, 2026.[7]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 71 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.70/10. The website's consensus reads: "A sensitive romantic dramedy enriched with emotional maturity and a terrific turn from Amanda Peet, Fantasy Life is refreshingly grounded in plausible reality."[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[9]
In 2025, the jury at South by Southwest awarded Peet the Narrative Feature Competition Special Jury Award for Performance.[10]
References
- ↑ "Fantasy Life [PG]". British Columbia Film Classification Office (Consumer Protection BC). March 10, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Fantasy Life". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Fantasy Life". The Numbers. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ Erbland, Kate (March 7, 2025). "Amanda Peet Hadn't Starred in a Movie for a Decade — Until a Fellow Actor Wrote Her an Irresistible Role". IndieWire. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ↑ Galuppo, Mia (January 22, 2025). "SXSW Lineup: Latest Projects From Seth Rogen, Ben Affleck and Jenna Ortega Heading to Austin". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
- ↑ Grobar, Matt (May 12, 2025). "Greenwich Entertainment Acquires Matthew Shear's SXSW Prize-Winner 'Fantasy Life'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ↑ "The Numbers - Theatrical Release Schedule Changes for the Week Ending November 30, 2025". The Numbers. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
- ↑ "Fantasy Life". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Fantasy Life". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
- ↑ Olsen, Mark (2 April 2026). A rom-com veteran and a newbie director, Amanda Peet and Matthew Shear found ‘Fantasy Life’ together Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 16 April 2026.
External links
- Fantasy Life at IMDb