I knew that dramatizing a Columbine-like shooting would cross a line with some filmgoers. An event like Columbine is so grotesque that the taste level of doing a dramatic piece on something like that is brought into question, because of the way we think of drama itself. We think of it as entertainment. But I have never really thought of it as strictly entertainment.

I'm usually attracted to characters outside of the mainstream because the mainstream is so predictable, boring and generic. There isn't much there of substance to relate with. I think the heroes of all my films have failed to fit into the mainstream to some degree.

Maria Maggenti's second film in a decade, the romantic comedy, “Puccini for Beginners,” received its world premiere at the Sundance Film Fest..

“We always joke about our film being a thinking man's “National Lampoon's Vacation.”
–Jonathan Dayton

I've always been fascinated by the idea of living for the moment, as if every single day counts. It's something I've attempted to explore both in my work and personal lifeprobably with equal amounts of success and failure.