In the dark, comedic thriller, Wrong Reasons, an ambiguously intentioned masked man (James Parks) kidnaps a drug-addicted punk rock singer (Liv Roush, in her acting debut). He triggers a police investigation by Detective Charles Dobson (Ralph Garman) and sparks a media circus.
From Executive Producer Kevin Smith (Clerks III, Red State), Wrong Reasons marks the narrative feature debut from director Josh Roush (Magnum Dopus) and features an all-star supporting cast that includes Teresa Ruiz (The Marksman), David Koechner (Anchorman: The Legend of Don Burgundy) Daniel Roebuck (The Fugitive), Kevin Smith (Clerks) and Keith Coogan (Adventures in Babysitting), boasting a killer punk rock soundtrack with music by Tim Armstrong, L7, Black Flag, The Wipers, Channel 3, William Elliott Whitmore, The Unseen, Bi-Product and more.
Following its debut at Smith’s first annual Smodcastle Film Festival in the fall of 2022, the film was toured theatrically in North America and Australia during the first quarter of 2023, presented by Smith himself, along with Q & A’s from writer/director Roush.
Making his feature directorial debut with Wrong Reasons, director, and writer Josh Roush talks about his experience bringing his vision to the screen. “This film represents the culmination of the skills I’ve developed throughout my life. I wrote and directed this film as a psychoanalysis of myself and my love of Punk Rock and approached the film like The Ramones approached music: Get in and out quickly while cutting to the chase. There is not one aspect of this flick that doesn’t contain my heart, soul, and DNA bared openly for the audience to judge.”
Roush’s producer, star (and partner) Liv Roush, an Australian-born filmmaker whose most recent credits as Production Manager on David O. Russell’s Amsterdam and Netflix’s Blonde, agrees. “Filmmaking tends to be such a bloated process nowadays. It’s refreshing to work with a smaller crew who has their hands and hearts in every detail. And, it’s exciting to work with a director who isn’t just afraid to get his hands dirty, but also to get his nose bloody if it means getting the shot.”
Both Josh and Liv were also fortunate to have the support of Executive Producer Kevin Smith, who shared, “Few first films are as accomplished as Wrong Reasons. This punk rock thriller by Josh Roush reminded me of why I got into filmmaking in the first place, and seeing what he accomplished on a next-to-nothing budget even inspired me to go equally indie-as-f*ck on my next feature.”
MVD Director of Acquisitions Eric D. Wilkinson is excited to bring Josh’s film to a broad audience. “After having experienced Wrong Reasons at the Smodcastle Film Festival with an enthusiastic crowd who loved every minute, I was determined to bring Josh’s movie to MVD. The film’s humor, message, and music immediately won me over, and I look forward to sharing this fun flick with audiences on digital, VOD, and disc this summer.”
MVD Entertainment Group has scheduled Wrong Reasons for release on August 15, 2023, available exclusively on Digital HD, VOD, Blu-ray, and DVD through its MVD Visual imprint.
