Jeff Baena’s directorial debut “Life After Beth” (2014) could be considered one of the more original romantic comedies to make it onscreen.

The effective performances from the heavyweight cast, including Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly, Dane DeHaan and Anna Kendrick, solidify Baena’s reputation as a director who can create intimate and emotional scenes while employing a distinct, naturalistic brand of humor.

Baena was born in Miami, Florida and attended New York University to study film. After a move to Los Angeles, he worked as an assistant editor for David O. Russell and collaborated with him as a writer on the acclaimed “I Heart Huckabees”. Baena’s second film “Joshy” (2016), is an equally inspired story about the weekend reunion of a group of friends attending a bachelor party, even though the titular character’s engagement ends in the worst way possible. The impressive cast includes Thomas Middleditch (“Silicon Valley”), Alison Brie (“Community”) and Jenny Slate (“Obvious Child”).

Baena also directed a comedic Hulu campaign starring Aubrey Plaza and has previously teamed up with director Spike Jonze to write for commercial projects, including SoftBank. His latest film, “The Little Hours”, features his usual ensemble cast and was released in the summer of 2017.