Los Angeles, CA (Top40 Charts/ Cinemedia Promotions) - Lakeshore Records will release Dinner For Schmucks - Original Soundtrack, available digitally on July 27th and in stores on August 3, 2010. The film is directed by Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) and features original music composed by Theodore Shapiro (The Devil Wears Prada, Tropic Thunder, Marley & Me).
A classically trained concert composer with an advanced degree from Juilliard, Theodore Shapiro never set out to become Hollywood's praised 'King of Comedy' composer. It is a title he has been reluctant to wear, but with over a billion dollars in worldwide box office receipts and a lengthy resume of hit films including I Love You Man, Marley & Me, The Devil Wears Prada, Tropic Thunder and Old School, the composer has proven himself to be the go-to musician for directors seeking scores for comedy gold.
Shapiro began composing seriously when he attended Brown University for his undergraduate degree, and continued his studies at Juilliard, for his Masters. While at the famed conservatory, Shapiro focused on modern classical music under the tutelage of renowned composers David Diamond and John Corigliano. The education bolstered his natural technique, and Shapiro soon found himself having successes in the concert music world, winning a prestigious First Music Commission from the New York Youth Symphony and subsequently writing works for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Seattle Symphony, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. This serious compositional pedigree is evident in Shapiro's work, even when the accompanying film is anything but serious.
Having worked with writing and directing talent of the likes of David Mamet, Ben Stiller, John Hamburg, and David Frankel, Shapiro's scores cover some of the most acclaimed comedies in the past decade. Credits include: Blades of Glory, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, 13 Going on 30, Starsky & Hutch, Along Came Polly, Wet Hot American Summer, Safe Men, and Mamet's Heist and State and Main.
'I was incredibly lucky to get to work on this with Jay Roach,' said Shapiro, 'Jay has a scientist's approach to comedy, and is tireless in exploring what works, what doesn't, and why. I was delighted to add my music to that process and am very happy with where it led us.'
Tim (Paul Rudd), is an up-and-coming executive who has just received his first invitation to the "dinner for idiots," a monthly event hosted by his boss that promises bragging rights to the exec that shows up with the biggest buffoon. Tim's fiancee, Julie, finds it distasteful and Tim agrees to skip the dinner, until he bumps into Barry (Steve Carell) - an IRS employee who devotes his spare time to building elaborate taxidermy mouse dioramas-and quickly realizes he's struck idiot gold. Tim can't resist, and invites Barry, whose blundering good intentions soon send Tim's life into a frenzied downward spiral.
'The character of Barry Speck, played by Steve Carell, is a truly unique creation, a singularly weird and lovely man. The score to the film had to capture those same qualities,' described Shapiro. 'Accordion, bass harmonica, ukulele, marimba, upright bass, and an out-of-tune upright piano form the core of the ensemble, and the result is something that I hope Barry would enjoy.'
Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment present Dinner For Schmucks, in theaters on July 30, 2010. Dinner For Schmucks - Original Soundtrack on Lakeshore Records will be released digitally on July 27th and in stores on August 3, 2010.
