In an age when everything new seems to be coming from Netflix, here's a curveball: Redbox, the entertainment rental kiosk, is about to debut its first original film.
Even better, Philly-area native and Temple University graduate Bob Saget is directing and acting in the new comedy.
"Benjamin" is an R-rated, dark comedy that centers on a family intervention for a 15-year-old boy who everyone suspects has a drug habit. The intervention ends up revealing far more about the people staging it than the teen it's intended to confront.
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Joining Saget's cast are Rob Corddry, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Kevin Pollak, Peri Gilpin, Dave Foley, Cheri Oteri, Max Burkholder, Clara Mamet, David Hull, Jonny Weston, and James Preston Rogers. The film was produced by Nicholas Tabarrok and written by Joshua Turek.
So how is this going to work? Beginning April 23, Redbox will have an exclusive 90-day window on "Benjamin," renting it for $1.75 per night at any of the company's 41,500 kiosks across the country. There are more than 10 of them in Philadelphia.
“This film tackles serious subject matter — our kids and the temptations and challenges they face — but tells it through the lens of a familiar cast of comedic actors who make the topic approachable and poignant,” Saget said. “An exclusive Redbox release brings the important message of the film directly to communities nationwide that are facing the battle of addiction.”
Check out the trailer for "Benjamin" below.