PORTLAND – A Mainer is appearing on the big screen this week, but only briefly, in her home state.

“Rocket Science,” starring Portland actress Anna Kendrick, opened Friday at the Cinemagic Theater in Westbrook. But the theater’s marketing director, Bob Collins, says the run will probably end Thursday.

The quirky comedy-drama was directed by Jeffrey Blitz, who gained fame with his spelling bee documentary “Spellbound.”

The movie, which is about a shy 14-year-old boy with a debilitating stuttering problem who’s recruited for the debate team by Kendrick, won the best director prize for Blitz at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

Kendrick acted in local theater productions before getting a role at age 12 on Broadway. This year, she’ll star in a film featuring Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman called “The Marc Pease Experience.” The 22-year-old now lives in Los Angeles.