Writer/director Steve Berra has put together a cast sprinkled with recognizable names for his first feature, a "coming-of-age drama" called The Good Life. The film (which sounds for all the world like a period piece, but as far as I can tell actually takes place in the present day) is set in a small, football-obsessed town where the high school coach (Bruce McGill) is a god, and ex-players (Chris Klein, in particular) can be assholes and get away with it because they were once heroes. At the center of the story are a kid who doesn't quite fit in (Mark Webber), and a good-hearted girl (you knew one of those would be coming soon, didn't you?) who "encourages him to pursue his own path." And, since the girl is played by Zooey Deschanel, it's probably a safe bet that he does what she says. Also in the cast are Harry Dean Stanton and Bill Paxton whose character, apropos of nothing, is described as "A Judy Garland fan." Ha! Haaaa! Assuming that's a euphemism for "gay," I love it. And if it's not, I love it even more.

Production on Berra's film is already underway in Winnipeg, which was clearly cheaper than Nebraska, where the story takes place. Mmm ... Canadian dollars.