Sitcom co-creator makes new film on LI

What do you do after creating a popular television sitcom that launched a major star's career?

If you're Michael J. Weithorn, you make a small, personal movie about everyday people.

Weithorn, who grew up in Port Washington and co-created "The King of Queens," the CBS series that helped turn fellow Long Islander Kevin James into a household name, is the writer and director of "A Little Help," to be released in theaters Friday. Jenna Fischer (NBC's "The Office") stars as Laura, a dental hygienist whose marriage to a real-estate agent (Chris O'Donnell) is nearing an end. She gets precious little sympathy from her dysfunctional family (played by Lesley Ann Warren, Ron Leibman and Brooke Smith, of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"), while her overweight son (Daniel Yelsky) causes a whole new set of problems. Rob Benedict, another longtime television actor, plays an in-law with a painful secret.

Weithorn, 54, says the film represents his own artistic vision, as opposed to some of his ratings-driven television work. "I had to please the corporation," he says of his prime-time days. "I had this fantasy of: Wouldn't it be great if I could just do this little film for no money and be free of all that?"

Things didn't go quite that smoothly. Early potential investors demanded A-list talent and a happier ending, but Weithorn balked at both. As the project stalled, he went through a divorce (reflected in the tense scenes between Fischer and O'Donnell) and the economy soured. Eventually, Weithorn raised about $2.5 million from television-industry friends and kicked in his own money as well.

"A Little Help," which is set in Port Washington, also was largely filmed there -- the opening shot features Laura sneaking a smoke while driving down Shore Road -- in a swift 24 days in May and June 2009. "It's such a lovely, picturesque town," Weithorn says. "It's just a feeling you get." Other locations include Roslyn (the empty skating rink at Christopher Morley Park), Bay Shore (a home that serves as Laura's) and Glen Cove (a restaurant that kicks off a memorable first date).

Weithorn admits the film's sometimes funny, sometimes bruising tone might make it a tough sell to mainstream audiences, but that doesn't seem to trouble him much. "Whatever its fate, I made the movie I wanted to make," he says. "And let the chips fall where they may."

(Weithorn will speak Friday night after a 7:15 screening of "A Little Help" at Port Washington Cinemas, 116 Main St. Tickets are $10.75. 516-883- 6464; clearviewcinemas.com.)