Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the global distribution rights to Maude Apatow’s directorial debut “Poetic License,” which had previously been acquired by the financially struggling Row K Entertainment.
The film stars Leslie Mann as Liz, a former therapist and soon-to-be empty nester, who relocates to a new town for her husband’s job. Her quiet attempt to settle into a new place where she doesn’t know anybody takes an unexpected turn when she becomes the point of tension between two inseparable best friends and college seniors, Sam and Ari, played by Cooper Hoffman and Andrew Barth Feldman.
As their fierce competition for her attention threatens to upend their lives, Liz is pulled into a tangle of longing, self-discovery and the intoxicating thrill of being truly seen – forcing her to confront the life she’s built and the one she still craves.
Apatow’s father, Judd Apatow, is a producer on the film alongside Josh Church, Benjamin Hung, Thalia Daniel, Maude Apatow, Olivia Rosenbloom and Will Greenfield. Executive producers include Jamal Daniel, Michelle Upton, Renee Witt, Harrison Kreiss and Jay Cassidy.
“’Poetic License’ marks the arrival of an exciting new chapter for filmmaker Maude Apatow, whose distinctive creative vision is evident in every frame. Equal parts funny and heartfelt, the film features career-best performances from Leslie Mann, Cooper Hoffman and Andrew Barth Feldman, whose undeniable charm and chemistry light up the screen,” SPC said in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring Maude’s directorial debut to theaters next year and give audiences the opportunity to experience the same magic we felt when we first saw the film.”
“Poetic License” was one of a flurry of films that the fledgling Row K had acquired from festivals in 2025. But the company was soon beset by unpaid bills to vendors and other partners, and the distributor dropped the rights to “Poetic License” after it was unable to fulfill legal obligations to Apatow and the producers. Several key execs, including president and former Imax president Megan Colligan, departed around the same time.
“Poetic License” joins an SPC slate that includes two dramas that premiered at Sundance this year: Josef Kubota Wladyka’s dance drama “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!” in September and Noah Segan’s crime drama “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” starring John Turturro in September.
