THE PRESENT Trailer (2024) Isla Fisher, Comedy Movie

THE PRESENT Trailer (2024) Isla Fisher, Comedy Movie

THE PRESENT Trailer (2024) Isla Fisher, Comedy Movie
© 2024 - Gravitas Ventures
"What are we supposed to do with a giant, broken clock that nobody wants?" Gravitas Venture in the US has unveiled a new official US trailer for a wacky time travel comedy about a family called The Present. It's set for a US debut in June after opening first in the UK this month. A boy discovers that he can manipulate time using a family heirloom - an old grandfather clock. He teams up his siblings in returning to the time of their parents' initial separation in hopes of changing the outcome and stopping them from divorcing. Oh boy, that sounds awkward. Actors Isla Fisher & Greg Kinnear star as the parents, with an ensemble cast including Ryan Guzman, Shay Rudolph, Amir Talai, Alphonso McAuley, Easton Rocket Sweda, Sarah Jane MacKay, Mason Shea Joyce, and Eric Tiede. This plays a bit better than the other trailer we posted before, but it still seems like made-for-streaming cheesiness. Might be amusing enough to enjoy.

Here's the new official US trailer (+ poster) for Christian Ditter's The Present, direct from YouTube:

The Present Poster

You can rewatch the other UK trailer for Ditter's The Present movie right here, for even more footage.

With an exciting cast lead by Isla Fisher & Greg Kinnear, The Present follows a young boy who discovers he can use an enchanted grandfather clock to go back in time. He teams up with his siblings on a quest to bring their separated parents back together again by going back to the time when their separation began. The Present is directed by German writer / filmmaker Christian Ditter, director of the films French for Beginners, The Crocodiles & The Crocodiles Strike Back, Vicky and the Treasure of the Gods, Love Rosie, and How to Be Single previously, plus the series "Girlboss" and "Biohackers" most recently. The screenplay is written by Jay Martel (a writer on "Key and Peele", "Alternatino with Arturo Castro"). Produced by Marcei A. Brown, Jessica Malanaphy, and Linda McDonough. The Present is set to release in UK + Ireland cinemas starting in May. Gravitas will release the film in select US theaters + on VOD starting on June 18th, 2024.
Isla Fisher and Greg Kinnear play a separating couple whose children go to great lengths to keep them together in The Present.

In the first trailer for the family comedy, shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Fisher, 48, and Kinnear, 60, play a mom and dad on the verge of announcing their separation to their three kids.

Just before sharing the bad news, the family receives an old clock from their grandfather, and their son Taylor (Easton Rocket Sweda) realizes the object has the ability to turn back time.

Unbeknownst to the parents, Taylor and his siblings (Shay Rudolph and Mason Shea Joyce) team up to continually turn the clock back on what could prove the final day of their family's life together, but circumstances keep preventing them from completing their mission.

The Present
Isla Fisher and Greg Kinnear in "The Present". GRAVITAS VENTURES
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

As the trailer shows, their schemes grow outlandish to the point that they try bribing their parents with $1 million to stay together — at which point, the FBI appears to get involved.

Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard Bond in Hysterical Summer Camp Trailer (Exclusive)
The Present
Isla Fisher and Ryan Guzman in "The Present". GRAVITAS VENTURES
"When a brilliant boy discovers he can manipulate time using an enchanted family heirloom, he and his siblings team up to go back to the eve of their parents’ separation in hopes of changing the outcome," a synopsis teases. "

As their schemes become more elaborate, the siblings will learn about family bonds and what they can and can’t control."
The Present was written by Jay Martel, a former writer for Key & Peele who is also known for writing the screenplay to Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell's 2015 movie Get Hard. Christian Ditter directed the movie, which marks his first directorial effort in a feature film since 2016's How to Be Single.
The Best Comedies on Netflix to Stream Now
The Present
Greg Kinnear, Isla Fisher, Shay Randolph, Mason Shea Joyce and Easton Rocket Sweda in 2024's The Present. GRAVITAS VENTURES
The new movie marks Fisher's first movie of 2024; she most recently lent her voice to the dog-themed 2023 comedy Strays and costarred with Josh Gad in the second season of their Peacock series Wolf Like Me. Kinnear most recently appeared in Angel Studios' 2023 movie Sight, as well as in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm's final season.

The Present is on digital and VOD June 18.
"We've decided that we need to make a change." AGC Studios + Catchlight Studios have revealed an official UK trailer for a kooky time travel comedy about a family called The Present, opening first in the UK in May this summer. Strangely his has no US date set yet, despite being a US film that should be on streaming by now. A brilliant boy discovers that he can manipulate time using a family heirloom - an old grandfather clock. He teams up with his siblings to return to the time of their parents' separation in hopes of changing the outcome and stopping them from getting divorced. Oy, well this all sounds a bit awkward... Actors Isla Fisher & Greg Kinnear star as the parents, with a cast including Ryan Guzman, Shay Rudolph, Amir Talai, Alphonso McAuley, Easton Rocket Sweda, Sarah Jane MacKay, & Mason Shea Joyce, with Eric Tiede. This looks really cheesy, like something made-for-TV to debut at primetime in the early 2000s.

Here's the official UK trailer (+ UK quad poster) for Christian Ditter's The Present, from YouTube:

The Present Poster

With an exciting cast lead by Isla Fisher & Greg Kinnear, The Present follows a young boy who discovers he can use an enchanted grandfather clock to go back in time. He teams up with his siblings on a quest to bring their separated parents back together again by going back to the time when their separation began. The Present is directed by German writer / filmmaker Christian Ditter, director of the films French for Beginners, The Crocodiles & The Crocodiles Strike Back, Vicky and the Treasure of the Gods, Love Rosie, and How to Be Single previously, plus the series "Girlboss" and "Biohackers" most recently. The screenplay is written by Jay Martel (a writer on "Key and Peele", "Alternatino with Arturo Castro"). Produced by Marcei A. Brown, Jessica Malanaphy, and Linda McDonough. The Present is set to release in UK + Ireland cinemas starting May 24th, 2024 coming soon. No US release date has been revealed - stay tuned. Look any good?
Child actors shine in The Present, adding depth to the time loop scenario.
The film presents a refreshing, magical atmosphere with an orchestral score.
The story could have better character development and risks giving young viewers unrealistic expectations on marriage.
The Present stars Isla Fisher and Greg Kinnear as a couple on the brink of divorce, and for some reason, it's up to their kids to stop them from splitting up. Director Christain Ditter and writer Jay Martel toe the family-friendly line, but in a way that trusts their audience and lets the parents watching know they're in on the joke. Unlike other time loop movies, the characters aren't trapped in a never-ending existential cycle. The children choose to be in the loop to change the events of the day their parents break up.

The Present (2024) - Poster - Greg Kinnear & Isla Fisher
ScreenRant logo
The film follows a young boy who discovers he can use an enchanted grandfather clock to go back in time. He teams up with his siblings on a quest to bring their separated parents back together again.

Pros
The Present has great young actors who are really believable in their roles
The time loop scenario nicely includes multiple perspectives and well done
Cons
The film risks telling its young audience that they're responsible for their parents' marriage
The lack of character development affects the film
Some of the dialogue is clunky
Unlike some of Isla Fisher's best films, she and Kinnear don't have the hardest job in the story — the kids do. Fisher and Kinnear get to sit back and play out scenes of disaffected adulthood that scratch the surface of their deeper issues. The Present should be praised for casting child actors that genuinely look the ages they're supposed to be, automatically generating affection for the young characters. Many scenes are recreated from different viewpoints over and over again, and Ditter livens this up with a dynamic camera and the use of multiple perspectives.

The Present's Magical Score & Fairytale Elements Appeal To Our Nostalgia
It's difficult not to empathize and relate to the plight of the three siblings

The movie’s opening scene promises a slightly more magical tale than is delivered by the story. Nevertheless, the score immediately sticks out as an essential element of the atmosphere. It's refreshing to watch something that isn't overstuffed with music needle drops of the current top 40. Relying on an orchestral score and deemphasizing technology, outside the unavoidable use of phones, grounds the narrative and establishes a human connection with the audience. However, the feeling that we never truly know any of the characters is inescapable. They have hobbies, jobs, and interests, but they’re superfluous.

Part of this is because The Present moves so quickly. However, the pace is necessary and engaging until the final fourth of the film, when it resorts to a montage and a rather anticlimactic ending. By nature, the movie's structure means the story needs lots of exposition and repetition. For the most part, it avoids getting bogged down by this. We're thrown into the narrative with the time loop already in play, but it's easy to put the pieces together. Unfortunately, the characters are stuck in a state of arrested development, not only because of the loop.

The relationship dynamic between the three siblings could have been the strongest part of the film if it had been developed more fully.

Using child actors always runs the risk of dialogue feeling clunky or forced, and many parts of the script don't need help in that department. The relationship dynamic between the three siblings could have been the strongest part of the film if it had been developed more fully. Their love for each other was poised to be just as powerful, if not more, than their desire to keep their parents together. Despite being brought closer by the time loop, the kids don't prioritize their relationships with each other, even though that has been the only constant throughout the plot.

There are strong emotional beats throughout the story that anyone who experienced childhood will be touched by. However, the film lacks a bigger reason to care about the outcome besides the end of an unhappy marriage. A recurring plot point is the developmental struggles that Taylor (Easton Rocket Sweda), the youngest son, faces. The fact that he doesn't like to be touched and requires so much attention is supposed to be the wedge that drives the parents apart, but Taylor is extremely self-sufficient for the most part. How his difficulties affect the family is discussed but rarely shown.

The Present (2024)
Comedy
Fantasy
Family
Director
Christian Ditter
Release Date
May 24, 2024
Cast
Isla Fisher , Greg Kinnear , Ryan Guzman , Shay Rudolph , Alphonso McAuley
Runtime
87 Minutes
Studio(s)
AGC Studios , MacPac Entertainment , CatchLight Studios
Writers
Jay Martel
Main Genre
Comedy
Expand
The Present's Thematic Messages Leave Something To Be Desired
Questions remain about what the audience should take away from the story
The half-formed characterization of Taylor and the family dynamic is representative of the larger issues of the story. Many of the plot devices that character actions are supposed to hinge on feel as forced as the dialogue. It's commendable that the narrative never tries to explain the magic system of the world or bring up questions of potential paradoxes. However, it equally avoids questions about the nature of consequences. Without any real stakes or time crunch, the story builds and builds, but ends up going nowhere.

For all its charm and positive messaging, The Present runs the risk of communicating to its young audience that it's up to them to keep their parents together, or that there's a magic word or a grand gesture that will prevent what is often inevitable. Had the movie been brave enough to go with an alternate ending, it would have delivered a better moment of emotional catharsis, and likely been more true to life. As a fantasy, it's a given that parts of the movie will be unrealistic, but fantastical elements are tools to build a story that holds universal truths.

The Present will be released in theaters in the UK on May 24 and available on digital on June 18.
Greg Kinnear and Isla Fisher Get Parent-Trapped 'The Present' Trailer
The time-traveling family film premieres on June 18.

By Erick Massoto May 7, 2024
Alan Ritchson, wearing glasses, looks offscreen in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
ALAN RITCHSON
Alan Ritchson's 'Playdate' Rounds Out Cast With 'Scrubs,' Resident Alien' Stars
The 'Reacher' actor will star opposite Kevin James.

By Chris McPherson Apr 4, 2024
Isla Fisher in Season 2 of Wolf Like Me
WOLF LIKE ME
Isla Fisher Really Wants to Raise a Werewolf in ‘Wolf Like Me’
The actress also talks about researching wolf packs, why this show is her "dream job," and the "mind-opening" experience of that birthing scene.

By Carly Lane Jan 22, 2024
Isla Fisher as Mackenzie spreading her arms and smiling while holding shopping bags in the film Godmothered.
The 10 Best Isla Fisher Movies, Ranked
Isla Fisher has a wide range of amazing movies.

By Devon James Nov 27, 2023
Bug, Reggie, Maggie, and Hunter in Strays sniffing mushrooms
STRAYS (2023)
Isla Fisher Is a Deranged Australian Shepherd in New 'Strays' Clip [Exclusive]
Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx also star in the R-rated comedy about stray dogs.

By Chris McPherson Aug 2, 2023
Will Ferrell as Reggie in Strays
STRAYS (2023)
New 'Strays' Featurette Shows Off the All-Star Voice Cast Behind the R-Rated Comedy
Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, and Randall Park give their voices to the adorable pups in the new comedy.

By Diego Peralta Jul 31, 2023
Josh Gad and Isla Fisher Wolf Like Me interview social
'Wolf Like Me' Season 2 Filming Has Wrapped Reveals Josh Gad
It's going to be a howling good time!

By Britta DeVore Oct 21, 2022
wolf-like-me social featured
‘Wolf Like Me’: Isla Fisher, Josh Gad Romantic Dramedy Series Renewed for Season 2
Season 1 is available now on Peacock.

By Hilary Remley Apr 26, 2022
Josh Gad and Isla Fisher Wolf Like Me interview social
INTERVIEWS
Josh Gad and Isla Fisher on ‘Wolf Like Me’ and Making the Genre-Bending Romantic Dramedy
They also talk about filming falling in love while being incredibly sick, writer-director Abe Forsythe, and 'Central Park' Season 3.

By Steven Weintraub Jan 13, 2022
Isla Fisher - Back to the Outback interview social
INTERVIEWS
Isla Fisher on ‘Back to the Outback’ and What Makes the Netflix Animated Movie a Love Letter to Australia
She also talks about her upcoming TV series 'Wolf Like Me' and the fun of getting to work with Josh Gad.

By Christina Radish Dec 10, 2021

Josh Gad, Isla Fisher to Star in Genre-Bending Peacock Series 'Wolf Like Me'
The unique romantic comedy hails from Abe Forsythe ('Little Monsters'), who will write and direct all six half-hour episodes.

By Jeff Sneider Apr 28, 2021
godmothered-disney-plus-isla-fisher-jillian-bell-social-featured
INTERVIEWS
'Godmothered' Stars Jillian Bell and Isla Fisher on Modernizing a Fairy Tale for the Disney+ Film
Plus, they each reveal a day they were really nervous to film something and why.

By Steven Weintraub Dec 5, 2020
godmothered-disney-plus-jillian-bell-social-featured
REVIEWS
'Godmothered' Review: Jillian Bell's Disney+ Fairytale Has Big 'Elf' Energy
This Disney+ movie has the right balance of charm and chuckles; add it to your queue ASAP.

By Allie Gemmill Dec 2, 2020

TRAILERS
Jillian Bell Goes Full 'Enchanted' in First Trailer for New Disney+ Movie 'Godmothered'
The original film hits the streaming service on December 4th.

By Adam Chitwood Nov 19, 2020
godmothered-jillian-bell-slice
‘Godmothered’: First Images Tease Jillian Bell and Isla Fisher’s Disney+ Comedy
The film arrives on the streaming service next month.

By Matt Goldberg Nov 11, 2020
wedding-crashers-owen-wilson-vince-vaughn-slice
Exclusive: ‘Wedding Crashers’ Sequel Story Teased by Director David Dobkin
The filmmaker also explains why the sequel hasn't happened (yet).

By Adam Chitwood Jun 17, 2020
greed-isla-fisher-steve-coogan-slice
Watch the ‘Greed’ Trailer Starring Steve Coogan as a Very British Wolf of Wall Street
A story of fashion, wealth, lust for power, and dry English wit, of course.

By Gregory Lawrence Dec 5, 2019

New 'The Beach Bum' Trailer Further Reveals McConaughey's Rogue Stoner, Moondog
Harmony Korine's latest also stars Zac Efron and Isla Fisher.

By Dave Trumbore Jan 23, 2019

'The Beach Bum' Poster Is a Neon-Colored Stoner's Paradise; New Trailer Drops Tomorrow
This is exactly what you'd want 'The Beach Bum' poster to look like.

By Vinnie Mancuso Jan 22, 2019

TRAILERS
Matthew McConaughey Parties Hard in NSFW First Trailer for Harmony Korine's 'The Beach Bum'
Korine channels classic McConaughey in the his highly anticipated followup to 'Spring Breakers'.
Isla Fisher is grateful for support from her fans.

The actress, 48, shared a photo of herself smiling against a sunny outdoor backdrop on her Instagram Stories May 14 and wrote in a caption, "Thank you for all your kindness and support 😘."

Fisher's message comes just over a month after she and Sacha Baron Cohen, who married in 2010, announced they had quietly filed for divorce in 2023.

She and Baron Cohen, 52, initially met at a party in Fisher's home country Australia in 2001 and later got engaged in 2004. They share three children.

"After a long tennis match lasting over twenty years, we are finally putting our racquets down. In 2023 we jointly filed to end our marriage," they wrote in a statement on Instagram April 5.

"We have always prioritized our privacy, and have been quietly working through this change," they added. "We forever share in our devotion and love for our children. We sincerely appreciate your respecting our family’s wish for privacy."
The Present Trailer: Isla Fisher and Greg Kinnear Star in a Time-Traveling Parent Trap (Exclusive)
Isla Fisher Thanks Fans for 'Kindness and Support' After Sacha Baron Cohen Divorce News
Isla Fisher's Instagram Stories, May 14, 2024. ISLA FISHER/INSTAGRAM
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Prior to the announcement of their divorce, Fisher shared a photo of herself with Naomi Watts, Michelle Dockery and producer Bruna Papandrea in London as they took in a "girls night at the theater" for a performance of The Hills of California on April 3. Fisher also shared a pic of herself to Instagram on April 30, which she captioned, "BTS Dogman."
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher's Relationship Timeline
Sacha Baron Cohen (L) and Isla Fisher attend a screening of the Oscars on Monday April 26, 2021 in Sydney, Australia
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher at a screening of the Oscars in 2021. RICK RYCROFT-POOL/GETTY
Fisher has a number of projects in the works, including one movie set to release in 2024, a family-friendly comedy titled The Present. In it, she stars with Greg Kinnear as parents on the verge of announcing their separation to their three children, when their kids realize an old clock they received from their grandfather grants them the power to turn back time. They try to use the power to prevent their parents from breaking up.
Fisher also has a part in the next Now You See Me sequel, as well as the currently in-production film Playdate and director Noah Baumbach's next movie with Adam Sandler and George Clooney.