Meet Cobie Smulders in person at the Music Box this Saturday

While Cobie Smulders is best known for her roles as Robin Scherbatsky on How I Met Your Mother and Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she is also in the process of successfully reinventing herself as a leading lady in quality independent films. Smulders became something of an indie “It Girl” when two such films, Kris Swanberg’s Unexpected and Andrew Bujalski’s Results, had world premieres at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Both movies receive their local premieres at the Music Box Theater this Saturday, May 2, as part of the third annual Chicago Critics Film Festival. Each movie is well worth your time—with the added bonus that Smulders will be on hand for a Q&A after each.

With Results, Andrew Bujalski follows up his astonishing retro-‘80s comedy Computer Chess with a wildly different though equally masterful Austin-based comedy set in the world of personal training. An out of shape stoner (and new millionaire) wanders into a gym and ends up playing unlikely matchmaker to emotionally stunted gym-owner Trevor (Guy Pearce) and sharp-tongued trainer Kat (Smulders). I can’t recall seeing a recent American movie capture the spirit of classic screwball comedy as well as this. Results is Preston Sturges–level great.

Similarly, Unexpected is a breath of fresh air in a cinematic landscape currently oversaturated with plot-driven films. Local director Kris Swanberg seems destined to find the wider audience she deserves with this semi-autobiographical character-based drama about Sam (Smulders), a 30-year-old CPS high-school science teacher who finds out she is pregnant at the same time as one of her students, 17-year old Englewood-resident Jasmine (Gail Bean). A low-key but bracingly female-centric film about emotionally forthright characters, Unexpected is an unexpected gem.

You can find the complete lineup of the Chicago Critics Film Festival, along with tickets and showtimes, on their official website.