Kicking and Screaming director Noah Baumbach was in prep on his feature Mr. Jealousy when he decided to keep his cast and crew together after the shoot to make Highball, an ensemble comedy featuring actors Chris Reed and Jealousy co-star Carlos Jacott. Highball's screwball antics unfold during three parties: a birthday bash, a Halloween spookfest and a New Year's blowout. Accordingly, the film's oddball group--which includes Mr. Jealousy's Eric Stoltz, Annabella Sciorra, Chris Eigeman, John Lehr and Peter Bogdanovich, plus Ally Sheedy, Rae Dawn Chong and Justine Bateman--bicker and romance their way through the holiday season.

Cameras rolled on Highball just three weeks after Mr. Jealousy wrapped, with Baumbach and company using the hiatus to whip out a rewrite. "That's when I went looking for money," says Joel Castleberg, who produced all three Baumbach films. Castleberg ended up getting the full $250,000 to take Highball through post from the Lewis Horowitz Organization, frequent indie financiers who had bankrolled Mr. Jealousy on the strength of foreign sales estimates and Castleberg's reputation for delivering. The producer's toughest hurdle was securing the bond the bank required from Film Finances, whose standard deductible was more than Highball's budget. "If this film tanked they couldn't collect," Castleberg notes. Film Finances ultimately bonded Highball for the film's full budget for a 2.5% fee, waiving the deductible altogether.

The Super-16mm color Highball shot a lean six days in chronological order in a Park Slope apartment redressed for each party. All on board from the p.a.'s to the d.p.--Like Water for Chocolate's Steven Bernstein, clocking his third Baumbach feature--signed on for $75 a day. Baumbach is cutting Jealousy in New York and expects to hold off on Highball's post until August, leaving him plenty of time for a January delivery. All rights are available.

Cast: Justine Bateman, Noah Baumbach, Peter Bogdanovich, Dean Cameron, Rae Dawn Chong, Chris Eigeman, Carlos Jacott, Lauren Katz, Catherine Kellner, John Lehr, Chris Reed, Annabella Sciorra, Ally Sheedy, Eric Stoltz, L.B. Straten, Dean Warehan. Crew: Producer, Joel Castleberg; Coproducers, Paul Ulbrich, Peter Nunnery; Director, Noah Baumbach; Screenwriters, Noah Baumbach, Chris Reed, Carlos Jacott; Director of Photography, Steven Bernstein; Production Designer, Shayna Tsao; Costumes, Katherine Jane Bryant; Editor, J. Kathleen Gibson. Contact: Joel Castleberg, 1671 Happy Trail, Topanga, CA 90290. Fax: (310) 455-0346.

Animals - Michael Di Jiacomo
Highball - Noah Baumbach
Life During Wartime - Evan Dunsky
Long Time Since - Jay Anania
Montana - Jennifer Leitzes
Portrait-in-Progress - Marion Cajori
Some Prefer Cake - Heidi Arnesen
Sparkler - Darren Stein
A Stranger in the Kingdom - Jay Craven
Sue - Amos Kollek