Mark and Michael Polish | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mark J. Polish Michael J. Polish (1970-10-30)October 30, 1970 (age 54) El Centro, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriters,film producers,film directors,actors |
| Spouse | Michael: |
Mark Polish andMichael Polish (born October 30, 1970), known informally as thePolish brothers, are American twin filmmakers. Michael usually directs their films, and Mark often has an acting role.
The Polish brothers were born inEl Centro, California. Their father is from Montana, and is of part Austrian ancestry.[1] He used to work at theDEA in Sacramento.[2] Their paternal grandfather worked on the dams of Montana.[3] Their mother's family is Mexican.[4] The brothers were raised Catholic.[5]
The Polish brothers began their film career with the 1999Sundance debut of their first feature,Twin Falls Idaho.[6][7] Theidentical twin siblings wrote and starred in the tale ofconjoined twins. Michael directed.Sony Pictures Classics bought the rights for theatrical distribution of the film, whichJanet Maslin ofThe New York Times said had "style, gravity and originality to spare."[8]
In an interview withRobert K. Elder for the bookThe Film That Changed My Life, Michael Polish said that much of his own inspiration came from watchingOnce Upon a Time in America in his youth.[9]
... Internally it speaks to me, as just a human, a person alone. I can watch this movie alone and be a fan. Whether a filmmaker or not, I can be a fan because it has so many symbols and situations that reflect life itself, growing up. Even growing up in the suburbs, you still have friendships the same way these kids have friendships.[10]
In 2000, the Polish brothers followed upTwin Falls Idaho withJackpot, the story of a deludedkaraoke singer (Jon Gries) on a tour of American dive-bars. It won the 2001Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award and the 2001Seattle International Film Festival New American Cinema Award. The film was distributed theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics.
In 2002, the brothers were offered the opportunity to make a mainstream film. Instead, they began to put together the independent filmNorthfork. When financing collapsed days beforeprincipal photography, the filmmakers signed their house to creditors, and paid for their movie with personal credit cards. StarringJames Woods andNick Nolte,Northfork was chosen as an early selection by the Sundance Film Festival, and when the movie premiered at Sundance in 2003,Roger Ebert called it "a masterpiece."[11]
In 2005, the Polish brothers, along with producing partner Jonathan Sheldon, wrote and releasedThe Declaration of Independent Filmmaking. The book, a how-to guide for first-time,do-it-yourself filmmakers, follows the filmmaking process and gives firsthand accounts of the Polish Brothers' travails in making their films.The Library Journal said the Polish Brothers "write in a way that illuminates the details more clearly than most technical scribes."
In 2006, the brothers would team withWarner Independent for their fourth film,The Astronaut Farmer about a formerNASAastronaut, Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton), who has been obsessively building a rocket in his barn.Warner Bros. released it throughout North America in 2007.[12]
The brothers then shot two films back-to-back, just days apart while launching their new production company Prohibition Pictures with partners Ken Johnson, Janet DuBois, and Jonathan Sheldon. The Polish Brothers' fifth film,Manure (with Billy Bob Thornton andTéa Leoni) began shooting on May 27, 2008 and was released at the Sundance Festival the following year asThe Smell of Success), and the Polish Brothers' sixth film,Stay Cool (withWinona Ryder, Mark Polish,Chevy Chase,Sean Astin,Hilary Duff,Jon Cryer,Josh Holloway) began filming in July 2008 (and was shown at Tribeca Festival in 2009).[13]
In May 2010, the Polish brothers began filmingFor Lovers Only. Said to be inspired by the French New Wave andClaude Lelouch's 1966 double Oscar-winnerA Man and a Woman, the romance focuses on a journalistStana Katic (Castle) in Paris on assignment, who runs into a lover (Mark Polish) from her past. Presumably enraptured by reconciliation, the pair flee Paris and travel "by train, car, and motorcycle as their love affair takes them across France from Normandy to St. Tropez."
In 2013, Michael directed American adventure drama,Big Sur, an adaptation of the1962 novel of the same name byJack Kerouac. The story is based on the time Kerouac spent in Big Sur, California and his three brief sojourns to friendLawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Bixby Canyon. The film debuted on January 23, 2013 at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it received generally positive reviews.[14]
In 2014, it was announced that Mark would write, direct, and star inHeadlock (later retitledAgainst the Clock. The film also starredDianna Agron andAndy Garcia.[15]
In July 2011, Michael began dating actressKate Bosworth, and on August 31, 2013, the couple married inPhilipsburg, Montana.[16] They separated in August 2021.
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