First Time Female Director is a 2023 American comedy film directed, written, produced by and starring Chelsea Peretti. It co-stars Blake Anderson, Kate Berlant, Megan Mullally, Benito Skinner, Megan Stalter, Jak Knight, Max Greenfield, and Amy Poehler.
The film is Peretti's directorial debut, and her first film as writer and producer; she stars as Sam Clifford, a first-time female director.
Contents
Cast
Chelsea Peretti as Sam Clifford
Blake Anderson as Corden
Kate Berlant as Clara Ann
Megan Mullally as Marjory
Benito Skinner as Rudy
Megan Stalter as Davina
Jak Knight as Simon
Max Greenfield as Robbie
Brad Hall as Miles Paris
Tim Heidecker as Greggy Thompson
Natasha Leggero as Thimberly Paris
Amy Poehler as Meg
Andy Richter as Sheldonn Clifford
Xosha Roquemore as Star
Numa Perrier as Maya
Jordan Peele as Mystery Coach
Adam Scott as Acting Coach
Nick Kroll as Clyde
Nicole Byer as Cerritos
Stephanie Beatriz as Lisa
Grace Reiter as Protester Rebecca
Production
In July 2022, it was announced that Chelsea Peretti would make her feature directorial debut for the film First Time Female Director, and also star, write, and produce alongside Amy Poehler, Kate Arend, and Jordan Grief for Paper Kite Productions, and Deanna Barillari. Production companies involved include Paper Kite Productions, MarVista Entertainment, and Fox Entertainment.
The film wrapped principal photography in Los Angeles, California, in July 2022.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2023. Prior to the premiere, Roku acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released on March 8, 2024.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 36% approval rating with an average rating of 5.0/10, based on 14 critic reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 40 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".