Since premiering at TIFF Midnight Madness in 2025 and eventually being released by Magnolia Pictures this past February, The Napa Boys has already begun to amass a dedicated fanbase, including industry names like Ari Aster and Eric André, who have embraced the film as the highly rewatchable future cult classic it’s shaping up to be.
It’s a pitch only for sick freaks, but don’t mistake that for anything but a compliment: a raunchy DTV Sideways sequel, the fourth entry in an American Pie-like franchise that doesn’t actually exist, or maybe always has. The result is something like David Wain through the lens of John Ford, functioning both as a parody movie and a critique of the current state of franchise filmmaking.
The duo behind The Napa Boys are Armen Weitzman and Nick Corirossi, two staples of the LA comedy scene who write and star in the film together, with Nick also serving as director. Whether or not you’re familiar with them by name, you’ve almost certainly encountered their work, especially if you’ve spent any significant amount of time on the internet over the past two decades. Their respective resumes branch off in many directions, from acting and improv to rap albums, podcast banishments, and load-bearing Funny or Die skits.
My initial interest in The Napa Boys came from Nick Corirossi’s previous work as a director. Over the past decade-plus, Nick has quietly established himself as something of an unsung master of digital cinema, creating reality-blurring, hypermodern, if-you-know-you-know bangers like Miami 1996, Hector, and Bolt Driver. These movies, often released through in-universe websites built specifically for each film, have an air of danger to them, like being a kid passing around a worn Faces of Death bootleg. Ironically, The Napa Boys may be his most pleasant and accessible film yet.
I had the opportunity to speak with Nick and Armen ahead of the August 8 screening of The Napa Boys at the inaugural Left Turn Film Festival in Ojai, California, where we discussed everything from Nathan Fielder’s early support of the film to Soulja Boy’s influence on modern hip-hop.
junkiesRpeople: I have my Ruby in Paradise VHS copy here. Nick, I heard Victor Nuñez was one of your film instructors.
Nick Corirossi: Wow! So, I actually just showed Armen all of Ulee's Gold. He is one of the most underrated auteurs and I think even Coastlines is, like, the Magnolia of Ulee's Gold. He's great. He's awesome.
JRP: The Napa Boys is gonna be screening at the inaugural Left Turn Film Festival this upcoming Saturday. It's paired with some really great like-minded films. Brandon Daley's $Positions is another one of my favorites of the year. I appreciate that you guys are continuing to screen the film. Do you hope people seek it out specifically with an audience, or are you just happy for people to find it however they find it?
NC: What we've heard, and kind of in the way where it's actually…we're very grateful, is that people are seeking out to see it with an audience. We're doing another screening at the Americana AMC, and now people are starting to show up, having seen it 3 or 4 times, and they're saying the lines, or they're booing when Squirm comes on, and showing up in outfits like the characters, so, it's a whole other experience. I think it is, like, a heightened experience. I also think it's hilarious just watching it over and over again on your DVD, the way that, you know, when we would have DVDs and watch it over and over again, but the audience experience is definitely a special one, and it seems like a lot of fans are seeking it out in that kind of audience way, in that kind of, like, The Room, Rocky Horror, whatever kind of kooky way. It's got a great response, and it's a lot of fun to see in a theater with a bunch of people.
Armen Weitzman: Yeah, so I'd just like to add, I think it's also helpful, though, when we are in these fancy festivals, that people are reminded it's a real film, and not just some sort of naughty joke.
NC: I'll also say that both Napa Boys and $Positions have a Bug Mane song in them. That’s true, that's just a fact.
JRP: I'm gonna have to rewatch $Positions and listen out for that, I didn't catch it.
NC: Apparently, it's the song Ropes.
JRP: Nick, you've been making films and getting them into festivals since you were a kid, and I actually found a newspaper article from 2001 that names Kevin Smith as your role model. I know you guys have spoken about trying to remember why you fell in love with movies in the first place with The Napa Boys. Does it ever feel surreal to think that you've kind of come full circle with this project?
NC: Oh, yeah. I mean, it was very lucky that [Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes] showed up with their outfits on the day as Jay and Silent Bob, they don't do that in a lot of movies. We're in the Screamiverse, they showed up in Scream 3, they haven't done it, really, for another franchise, so they kind of laundered The Napa Boys into existence. Then, not only that, but I think he delivered one of the best performances of his career. And then we actually got to show it at his theater with him, doing the Q&A, so it was, that day was extremely surreal for me and Armen, because he was, obviously, like, so influential and such a staple of indie film in the 90s and 2000s, and it was a very… we were kind of freaking out that day. We were in New Jersey, like, “oh my god, this is crazy.”
JRP: Nick, your early films, are those considered lost media now?
NC: Yes, a lot of them are, and even a lot of recent ones are, too. I've had so many things, even through Funny or Die, but also just, like, strange art films. Some people have found some of them, and have spoken about them recently, but, it's sort of like when you look at silent directors that worked in the silent era. It's the same once we went through the wormhole simulation of the internet, it kind of restarted again, and I find that, similarly, there's, like, a thousand credits and a bunch of stuff, and you can't really find all of those early John Fords and Charlie Chaplins sometimes, so it's kind of restarted.
JRP: Right. Alan Dwan, too, a lot of those are lost.
NC: And, of course, Fatty Arbuckle!
JRP: One thing that really stood out to me was the use of color and light. The film is so bright and colorful. My biggest complaint with a lot of movies now, especially on streaming, is how dark they are, how bland they look. But with this, the light has this tangible quality to it. It's really beautiful and I think it makes the sun, and then in turn Napa itself, feel like another character in the film. What was that collaboration with Markus Mentzer like, in terms of creating the visual identity for the film? I really think it's a masterpiece of digital filmmaking.
NC: Wow, thank you. First off, Markus…
AW: You are right, yeah.
NC: Yeah, you’re completely correct and it doesn't look like the kind of in-vogue thing. One of the first things he did was literally get the filter that they used on the film Sideways. Like, actually got the filter that they used on that film, which kind of blooms light, and put it on the entire movie (laughs). So, yes, it was obviously intentional, but then that nice little surprise kind of cinched it into another era of filmmaking, that is not the current era, and the current in-vogue style of shooting and coloring.
JRP: I think your mission statement of trying to put things in movies that you don't normally see anymore, I think you guys were absolutely successful with that.
AW: It was a strange journey for everyone to sort of be reminded of that, because I think working here, you're used to making things look a certain way now, because that's what people want to feel like is a real movie, or, you know, this Netflix-ification sort of thing, and people forget that everything was, yeah, from John Ford to... all the stuff, yeah.
NC: And also, not only visually, but also writing it, when we were writing the movie, people sometimes conflate this with, like, "Oh, you guys are hating on things." No, no, no. Actually, a lot of it is love, and a lot of the calculus that went into it was reminding ourselves of certain things that movies used to do that they don't do anymore.
Some of that is, like, literally in the concepts. Like, okay, how about the characters have a special car that they all fucking drive, like in Dumb and Dumber and the shaggy dog mobile, or the Mirth Mobile [from Wayne’s World], or Austin Powers. There used to just be, they would have a car, they would have a bad guy that would show up three times and be, like, super mean for no reason.
So it was even in the conceptual aspect of the movie. We were trying to remind ourselves and the audience of things that they used to do in movies, setups and payoffs, like setting something up in the very beginning of the movie that only pays off 80 minutes later, things like that. I'm happy that it's not lost on viewers, that we try to extract the tenets of films in the past era that, you know, we think people forgot about some of these tropes that everyone loves.
AW: And also, I think that feeling, I'll just add, that maybe when you saw a movie when you were younger, maybe this wasn't made by a studio. You'd watch Billy Madison or something, and you didn't think there were executives. It was against the rules. I think people aren't used to that anymore. Younger people have only seen these blue-looking movies where everything's perfectly shot and symmetrical. I just think this feels like Pulp Fiction, to Swingers, to John Ford, Friedkin, anything.
NC: Yeah, it seems like nowadays, movies are… you assume when you're watching them that they're passing through the hands of a ton of committees and corporations, and it's kind of sanding down the edges, and that was another thing that, back in the day, yeah, exactly, Pulp Fiction, whatever, that there is kind of these moments that felt kind of unhinged, or just really pure, that weren't passing through a million approvals and notes, and we were so lucky that we kind of snuck some of that through the simulation as well.
JRP: Absolutely, you can tell how much love is behind it. I think because of both of your past work, people may feel like they're being laughed at, but I saw it as sincere.
AW: I think that a lot of it is… well, at least for me, way too sincere, but that's sort of the Paul McCartney, John Lennon thing. You need both sides to battle each other, but that's because comedy is not sincere. It's like the end of Bowfinger.
NC: In general, just in a movie, comedy or drama, whatever, you're basically playing against expectations. I think the most critical we are is of our current day lega-sequel tropes, The Force Awakens, that's where we're actually being maybe more critical, in those kinds of tropes. But then, playing with expectations, sometimes people would assume that we're about to do a snarky thing, and actually what's the funniest, or even the best twist of expectation, is poetry, or sincerity, or a real moment. Oh, you went through these moments that seemed like they were, you know, kind of critical? Oh, now here's a real moment. And that's even more of an expectation turn.
JRP: It made me happy to see that the film was dedicated to the late, great, Harris Wittels. Armen, I'm curious if anything has carried over from your years writing with Harris into the way you and Nick develop ideas together, or is it a completely different sort of collaboration?
AW: That's a good question. I think Nick is very helpful in translating some of my sentences, even to you right now. We secretly bond over things, that sort of thing is there, and definitely the spirit of rebellion and all that stuff, and sort of, the feeling of friendship, yeah. I'm answering this a little too earnestly now.
JRP: No, that was kind of a serious question on my part.
AW: It's much better now. And I'm laughing at him. From the beyond. Or he's laughing at me, that's what I meant.
NC: Just a weird story. The second person I met in LA was Harris Wittels, accidentally. I was doing something with his random roommate, who I knew from Miami, and I was in his apartment. And then I got to know him also. It wasn't, you know, as a creative partner like Armen was, but just in a weird, coincidental way. I’ve always looked up to him, and it was just such a strange and interesting coincidence that he was literally the second person that I ever met, and now me and Armen are working together, and it's all just a small, beautiful world.
AW: Nick is a brave man, and so that's good. I mean, that they both are. Oh boy. Nevermind.
JRP: No, I get what you're saying.
AW: Oh boy.
JRP: I noticed one of the people thanked in the end credits was Nathan Fielder. What was his connection to the film? Did he offer any feedback along the way?
NC: It happened to be that we were in a writer's room for Borat 2, just pitching jokes or whatever, and the first time I said “Napa Boys” was in front of him, and he couldn't stop laughing. I basically was just talking about American Pie Presents, and then I said “Sideways Presents: Napa Boys,” and it made him, like, keel over nonstop laughing. And I was talking about Merlot and how they find Merlot. And then I told that to Armen, and Armen said, "Oh, me and Jerrod [Carmichael] had an idea called Juwanna Mann Presents." And we were kind of like, (laughing) well, I think maybe The Napa Boys would be a better starting point than Juwanna Mann Presents. But it was kind of that synchronicity that happened.
And then Nathan was at the first screening we held publicly, at the CBS studios. And also, he's seen it now in theaters, like, two times, and he's a big fan and supporter, and wears the hat, and he was there. So he's basically just kind of a hovering presence that has been very supportive this whole time.
JRP: I don't know if you guys considered it, but what was on Miles Jr.'s mix CD for Loretta?
AW: That has been considered. I think it's pretty…too embarrassing to say out loud, really. But they were just a lot of call-outs, I think, about what's going on now, and Ben Folds and stuff, probably.
NC: I think there might have been a bonus track on it that was the Chipettes version of Firework, of Katy Perry's Firework.
AW: Yes, that's true, that's true.
JRP: The whole cast is just incredible. I think this is gonna be one of those movies you look back on, kind of like a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, where the ensemble only gets more impressive over the years. You know, people like Ivy Wolk and Jamar Neighbors. I mean, I knew Jamar peripherally as a stand-up, but I had no idea he had this revelatory performance in him.
AW: Yes, what you said is gonna make me cry later. That's very correct. It was on purpose. I think that was something that maybe has been lost, I don't know, maybe since Dazed and Confused, or I guess Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Just making sure everyone shined, as well as us, you know. That felt... What's the word? Yeah, it would flow out of the screen into the vibes, as you're feeling right now.
NC: And also, it is one of those things, like Armen said, Dazed and Confused, Wet Hot, Can't Hardly Wait. Like, there used to be these movies that would kind of get all the people in one thing and give them all a special moment and it wasn't cast by, you know, whoever one agent's client was at the time, or whatever. So, that was part of the vibes, like Armen was saying. Then the vibes spilled over. It's like, how about one of those big ensembles where you collect everyone and you write to them, and they all have a special moment. And I do think that, even though it's maybe been lost a little bit, it will be found in those ways, like Dazed and Confused, it will be found as time goes on. Everyone will be like, “holy shit.”
JRP: One of my favorite things about The Napa Boys is how much it draws from adventure films and westerns and John Ford. If you guys could pair it with a classic western for a double feature, what would you choose?
AW: Hmm...
NC: It's interesting because one weird John Ford movie that I actually don't even think was so consciously in it, but he made a movie called Donovan's Reef that's really crazy and weird, and for no reason, and he called it, like, a whiz-bang, and he was just like, "We were just having fun!" and all this. It takes place on a fake island where everyone lives, and it's all crazy. That was the only one I was like, that one is so weird, why did he make that movie? But it is kind of the thing where we were saying, you know, when George Lucas did Star Wars, and he took, you know, sci-fi serials that no one cared about, and then injected John Ford and Kurosawa and all these things into it, and elevated it, we kind of similarly were just like, how about you take kind of direct-to-video or 2000s-era comedies, raunchy American Pie, and you inject some John Ford and some Terrence Malick and things like that, and elevate it to something greater than the sum of its parts?
JRP: Nick, I heard you mention on Office Hours, I didn't know if it was a joke or not, that you were up for the role of young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace. Is that true?
NC: Yes, I was. It really gave me a really good lesson in Hollywood. I was down to the final 10 as Anakin in Episode I. Robin Gurland, who was the casting director, would call my house and see how much I grew, and I would send in tapes every once in a while. I wasn't invited to the final 3 or 4 that are on the DVD, but I was really close and up for it. It was also a traumatic thing when the movie came out, but then again, it seemed also like a mini-curse for Jake Lloyd. But yes, that is true.
JRP: Just knowing my own personality, it might be a while before I could watch something if I felt like, “it could’ve been me”. I know you said it was a lesson. Did it take you a while to enjoy The Phantom Menace, or were you able to get on board right away?
NC: I still got on board. I really do think that the only Star Wars, and I think Armen agrees, any Star Wars that starts with the 20th Century Fox logo before the movie is a canonical Star Wars, and any Star Wars that doesn't start with the 20th Century Fox is not canonical. But I definitely embraced the prequels and enjoyed them. But yes, briefly, when the movie was coming out, it was… fucked up.
AW: That's tough. I think meeting me was helpful, because I came to Episode I with fresher eyes, and I think… It's good that we're here now, because… Yeah! Maybe we wouldn't be here. You know, you'd be busy working out.
Nick bursts out laughing.
NC: Editing! Or whatever.
JRP: I read that Ray Wise remembered Nick from working together at Funny or Die, so I was watching some of those sketches, and I noticed Soulja Boy was in one. Nick, do you have any stories from working with Soulja Boy? I'm a hip-hop writer as well, so I'm very curious about that.
NC: If you are a hip-hop writer, then you do understand that Soulja Boy should be on the Mount Rushmore of modern-day rap.
JRP: Oh, absolutely.
NC: He obviously influenced Chief Keef. Chief Keef maybe, arguably, is on that too, but Soulja Boy... The video, I think it was, like, some video for a Twitter thing, and it was with Soulja Boy and Ray Wise, and that's where I worked with Ray first. But I remember Soulja Boy, we met in the record label's conference room because he was very paranoid about... he had, like, a death threat or something, and he was like, "I'll only meet in the highly guarded label's conference room." And then he kept saying, "Suck my dick, bitch!" over and over again, almost like a tic in between takes, and it was hilarious. It was a very fun time. But I'm a huge...
AW: Hmm.
NC: …huge supporter of Soulja Boy, and every era, and I think he's a trailblazer, and his name is slept on these days.
****
junkiesRpeople is a film and music writer who currently resides in Providence, RI. He first rose to prominence as the key grip on John M. Stahl’s Leave Her to Heaven (1945).