After losing his job as a paralegal, Sam Stein (Matthew Shear) suffers a panic attack and stumbles into a job babysitting his psychiatrist’s three granddaughters. The girls’ mother, Dianne (Amanda Peet), is an actor whose once-promising career has stalled; she’s in a difficult marriage to David, a rock bassist. When David goes abroad on tour, Dianne and Sam discover an easy rapport as well as a shared history of mental illness. Sam joins Dianne’s family to babysit for the summer on Martha’s Vineyard, and he ends up in a house with the woman he pines for, her husband, the three kids, and all four grandparents, including his psychiatrist. A smart, romantic dramedy co-starring Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Andrea Martin, Jessica Harper, Zosia Mamet, and Holland Taylor. Winner of the Narrative Feature Audience Award at South by Southwest.
FANTASY LIFE
FANTASY LIFE – Trailer & Release Details
- Published:
- Updated: March 11, 2026
- By: Creators Faire Editorial
WHO
DIRECTED BY
Matthew Shear
WRITTEN BY
Matthew Shear
CAST
Amanda Peet (“Your Friends and Neighbors”), Matthew Shear (Between the Temples), Alessandro Nivola (The Brutalist), Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans), Bob Balaban (Asteroid City), Andrea Martin (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Zosia Mamet (“Girls”), Jessica Harper (Bones and All), Holland Taylor (Bombshell), Sheng Wang (Dìdi)
RELEASING THEATRICALLY MARCH 27, 2026