Exclusive: White Horse Pictures and Homegrown Pictures have teamed on an untitled documentary feature about the legendary musician and genius keyboardist Billy Preston. He was called the Fifth Beatle, because he the only non-member ever to be credited on a Beatles recording. He had plenty of his own hits and co-wrote the song Joe Cocker made famous, You Are So Beautiful. Fifteen years after his death in 2006, Billy Preston was inducted this past weekend into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Paris Barclay, the multi-Emmy-winning director, producer, and writer will direct. Cheo Hodari Coker is writing the film alongside Barclay.
The film is produced by Homegrown’s Stephanie Allain, White Horse’s Jeanne Elfant Festa, (Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) and Nigel Sinclair. The exec producers are Barclay, Daniel Shaw, G. Marq Roswell, Olivia Harrison, Jonathan Clyde, and White Horse Pictures’ Nicholas Ferrall and Cassidy Hartmann. Coker is co-producing and Erikka Yancy serves as the film’s supervising producer. Pic is presented by Concord Originals alongside Impact Partners, Chicago Media Project, and Play/Action Pictures, Polygram Entertainment, Dave Knott, and Sobey Road Entertainment.
Said Allain: “A singular figure in music history, Billy Preston lent his genius to elevate the most celebrated artists of the 20th Century. Grateful to work with this team, using this soundtrack to explore his personal journey and finally place him front and center.” Barclay said “the Billy Preston we know was an incomparable musician,” but the Billy we’ll see in this documentary was a mass of contradictions. I’m thrilled to dig deeper into the complex man under the Afro, and behind the famous smile.”
A self taught prodigy keyboard player, Preston was just 16 when he met the not-yet-famous Beatles while playing for Little Richard while they toured Hamburg in 1962. He befriended the young, impoverished band by sneaking them food and drinks. Later in the ’60s, this led to Preston playing on The Beatles’ Let It Be and Abbey Road albums as a credited musician, and performing with the Beatles in their last live performance as a group – the famous Roof Top concert. The Grammy Award-winning artist had solo career that included number one hits, and working with The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nat King Cole, Sly Stone, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson, among others. Preston is featured in the upcoming Peter Jackson-directed documentary The Beatles: Get Back.
Despite an enviable career in music, Preston had a challenging personal story that involved sexual abuse he endured as a child. He struggled with his sexuality and had substance abuse problems he used to make his pain. Only later in life did he come to terms with his truth and so find his peace.
Barclay and Hodari Coker asked to make a shout out to those who knew Preston or worked with him, who and may have recordings, photographs, or personal memories to make contact through http://www.billyprestondoc.com.
UTA Independent Film Group with White Horse Pictures helped raise the funding and they will broker sales of the film.
Allain’s Homegrown is repped by UTA, First Artists and Marcy Morris; Barclay is ICM and Lovett Management.
Paris Barclay, the multi-Emmy-winning director, producer, and writer will direct. Cheo Hodari Coker is writing the film alongside Barclay.
The film is produced by Homegrown’s Stephanie Allain, White Horse’s Jeanne Elfant Festa, (Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) and Nigel Sinclair. The exec producers are Barclay, Daniel Shaw, G. Marq Roswell, Olivia Harrison, Jonathan Clyde, and White Horse Pictures’ Nicholas Ferrall and Cassidy Hartmann. Coker is co-producing and Erikka Yancy serves as the film’s supervising producer. Pic is presented by Concord Originals alongside Impact Partners, Chicago Media Project, and Play/Action Pictures, Polygram Entertainment, Dave Knott, and Sobey Road Entertainment.
Said Allain: “A singular figure in music history, Billy Preston lent his genius to elevate the most celebrated artists of the 20th Century. Grateful to work with this team, using this soundtrack to explore his personal journey and finally place him front and center.” Barclay said “the Billy Preston we know was an incomparable musician,” but the Billy we’ll see in this documentary was a mass of contradictions. I’m thrilled to dig deeper into the complex man under the Afro, and behind the famous smile.”
A self taught prodigy keyboard player, Preston was just 16 when he met the not-yet-famous Beatles while playing for Little Richard while they toured Hamburg in 1962. He befriended the young, impoverished band by sneaking them food and drinks. Later in the ’60s, this led to Preston playing on The Beatles’ Let It Be and Abbey Road albums as a credited musician, and performing with the Beatles in their last live performance as a group – the famous Roof Top concert. The Grammy Award-winning artist had solo career that included number one hits, and working with The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nat King Cole, Sly Stone, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and Mahalia Jackson, among others. Preston is featured in the upcoming Peter Jackson-directed documentary The Beatles: Get Back.
Despite an enviable career in music, Preston had a challenging personal story that involved sexual abuse he endured as a child. He struggled with his sexuality and had substance abuse problems he used to make his pain. Only later in life did he come to terms with his truth and so find his peace.
Barclay and Hodari Coker asked to make a shout out to those who knew Preston or worked with him, who and may have recordings, photographs, or personal memories to make contact through http://www.billyprestondoc.com.
UTA Independent Film Group with White Horse Pictures helped raise the funding and they will broker sales of the film.
Allain’s Homegrown is repped by UTA, First Artists and Marcy Morris; Barclay is ICM and Lovett Management.
- 11/4/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Earlier this summer, Scream Factory got down with the sickness with they announced new Collector's Edition Blu-rays for the Dawn of the Dead remake and George A. Romero's Land of the Dead. Now they've announced a new Halloween release date for both Blu-rays, as well as a bunch of new bonus features, including interviews with James Gunn, makeup effects artists David Anderson and Heather Langenkamp Anderson (who also played Nancy in the Nightmare on Elm Street movies), actor Ty Burrell (see a tease of that interview here), and much more:
Press Release: This Halloween, get ready for a double dose of zombie apocalypse mayhem and trips to hell! On October 31, 2017, Scream Factory™ is proud to present Dawn Of The Dead Collector’s Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray andGeorge A. Romero’s Land Of The Dead Collector’s Edition2-Disc Blu-ray. These two definitive collector’s editions boast new 2K transfer,...
Press Release: This Halloween, get ready for a double dose of zombie apocalypse mayhem and trips to hell! On October 31, 2017, Scream Factory™ is proud to present Dawn Of The Dead Collector’s Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray andGeorge A. Romero’s Land Of The Dead Collector’s Edition2-Disc Blu-ray. These two definitive collector’s editions boast new 2K transfer,...
- 9/20/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Sony Pictures Classics has released the new poster and latest photos from I Saw The Light, starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen.
Check out the trailer now.
I Saw The Light, the story of the legendary country western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his meteoric rise to fame and its ultimately tragic effect on his health and personal life.
Written and directed by Marc Abraham, I Saw The Light is based on Colin Escott’s award-winning biography and stars Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, David Krumholtz and Cherry Jones. RatPac Entertainment’s Brett Ratner and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert produced the film, with G. Marq Roswell and Abraham. Director of photography is Dante Spinotti.
I Saw The Light opens in theaters March 25, 2016.
The post I Saw The Light New Photos And...
Check out the trailer now.
I Saw The Light, the story of the legendary country western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his meteoric rise to fame and its ultimately tragic effect on his health and personal life.
Written and directed by Marc Abraham, I Saw The Light is based on Colin Escott’s award-winning biography and stars Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, David Krumholtz and Cherry Jones. RatPac Entertainment’s Brett Ratner and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert produced the film, with G. Marq Roswell and Abraham. Director of photography is Dante Spinotti.
I Saw The Light opens in theaters March 25, 2016.
The post I Saw The Light New Photos And...
- 12/9/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The life and times of Hank Williams may not be the story everyone is looking for, but with a legend that is impossible to deny, and a solid cast, this could be a film that turns out to be for everyone.
I Saw the Light has released some new images, and if you’re very familiar with Williams’ life, they’re a very interesting batch of photos, revealing a great deal about the moments you can expect in the film. On the other hand, you knew they were there anyway.
Hiddleston, who is already in theaters with Crimson Peak, may seem an odd choice at first, but what we’ve already seen of him should remove any doubts, and though no one could get that smile exactly right, some of these images are downright creepy. Plus, Hiddleston and Olsen have proven themselves over the last few years, and ought to...
I Saw the Light has released some new images, and if you’re very familiar with Williams’ life, they’re a very interesting batch of photos, revealing a great deal about the moments you can expect in the film. On the other hand, you knew they were there anyway.
Hiddleston, who is already in theaters with Crimson Peak, may seem an odd choice at first, but what we’ve already seen of him should remove any doubts, and though no one could get that smile exactly right, some of these images are downright creepy. Plus, Hiddleston and Olsen have proven themselves over the last few years, and ought to...
- 10/18/2015
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
See Full Gallery Here
A tepid audience test screening may have prevented Elizabeth Olsen and Tom Hiddleston from starring together in Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, but it won’t be long before the acting duo will share the screen in earnest for Marc Abraham’s soon-to-be-released musical biopic, I Saw the Light.
It’s Hiddleston who will be playing the title role in the drama, stepping into the shoes of the late and legendary folk singer Hank Williams, and after flexing his husky vocal chords, we’re eager to see the actor tackle the tragic story of the brilliant artist. Olsen, meanwhile, is taking point to play Williams’ doting wife Audrey Mae, who becomes increasingly concerned of her spouse’s behaviour and health after he teeters on the edge of alcoholism.
Burning the candle at both ends, Williams’ burgeoning career came to an abrupt end at the...
A tepid audience test screening may have prevented Elizabeth Olsen and Tom Hiddleston from starring together in Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, but it won’t be long before the acting duo will share the screen in earnest for Marc Abraham’s soon-to-be-released musical biopic, I Saw the Light.
It’s Hiddleston who will be playing the title role in the drama, stepping into the shoes of the late and legendary folk singer Hank Williams, and after flexing his husky vocal chords, we’re eager to see the actor tackle the tragic story of the brilliant artist. Olsen, meanwhile, is taking point to play Williams’ doting wife Audrey Mae, who becomes increasingly concerned of her spouse’s behaviour and health after he teeters on the edge of alcoholism.
Burning the candle at both ends, Williams’ burgeoning career came to an abrupt end at the...
- 10/14/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Sony Pictures Classics has released brand new photos featuring some of Lahly Poore-Ericson’s amazing costumes from I Saw The Light.
Her costume design credits include The Homesman, 50 to 1, Doc West, Spoken Word, First Snow and Save Me.
Written and directed by Marc Abraham, I Saw The Light is based on Colin Escott’s award-winning biography of Hank Williams and stars Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, David Krumholtz and Cherry Jones.
Of star Tom Hiddleston, who actually sings every note in the film, Abraham says, “He’s an amazing actor and truly I cannot imagine anyone, anywhere more dedicated.”
The film screened at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Hiddleston’s “performance is magnificent,” says Chris Bumbray (JoBlo.com). Read the full review here.
I Saw The Light tells the story of the iconic, tormented singer-songwriter Hank Williams who revolutionized country music with his raw charisma, haunting voice and original songs,...
Her costume design credits include The Homesman, 50 to 1, Doc West, Spoken Word, First Snow and Save Me.
Written and directed by Marc Abraham, I Saw The Light is based on Colin Escott’s award-winning biography of Hank Williams and stars Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, David Krumholtz and Cherry Jones.
Of star Tom Hiddleston, who actually sings every note in the film, Abraham says, “He’s an amazing actor and truly I cannot imagine anyone, anywhere more dedicated.”
The film screened at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Hiddleston’s “performance is magnificent,” says Chris Bumbray (JoBlo.com). Read the full review here.
I Saw The Light tells the story of the iconic, tormented singer-songwriter Hank Williams who revolutionized country music with his raw charisma, haunting voice and original songs,...
- 10/14/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
On Thursday Tom Hiddleston debuted the first clip from I Saw The Light on Twitter.
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the first clip from I Saw The Light. @TIFF_NET tomorrow! #MoveItOnOver https://t.co/0xC30AghNF
— Tom Hiddleston (@twhiddleston) September 10, 2015
I Saw The Light, the story of the legendary country western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his meteoric rise to fame and its ultimately tragic effect on his health and personal life.
Written and directed by Marc Abraham, I Saw The Light is based on Colin Escott’s award-winning biography and stars Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, David Krumholtz and Cherry Jones. RatPac Entertainment’s Brett Ratner and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert produced the film, with G. Marq Roswell and Abraham. James Packer of RatPac Entertainment and Jason Cloth...
It gives me great pleasure to introduce the first clip from I Saw The Light. @TIFF_NET tomorrow! #MoveItOnOver https://t.co/0xC30AghNF
— Tom Hiddleston (@twhiddleston) September 10, 2015
I Saw The Light, the story of the legendary country western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his meteoric rise to fame and its ultimately tragic effect on his health and personal life.
Written and directed by Marc Abraham, I Saw The Light is based on Colin Escott’s award-winning biography and stars Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, David Krumholtz and Cherry Jones. RatPac Entertainment’s Brett Ratner and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert produced the film, with G. Marq Roswell and Abraham. James Packer of RatPac Entertainment and Jason Cloth...
- 9/11/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Photo by Alan Markfield, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Catch a first look at Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams in Sony Pictures Classics’ I Saw The Light.
I Saw The Light, the story of the legendary country western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his meteoric rise to fame and its ultimately tragic effect on his health and personal life.
Written and directed by Marc Abraham, I Saw The Light is based on Colin Escott’s award-winning biography and stars Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, David Krumholtz and Cherry Jones.
RatPac Entertainment’s Brett Ratner and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert produced the film, with G. Marq Roswell and Abraham. James Packer of RatPac Entertainment and Jason Cloth of Creative Wealth Media Finance executive produced. Dante Spinotti iss the cinematographer for the film.
Catch a first look at Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams in Sony Pictures Classics’ I Saw The Light.
I Saw The Light, the story of the legendary country western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his meteoric rise to fame and its ultimately tragic effect on his health and personal life.
Written and directed by Marc Abraham, I Saw The Light is based on Colin Escott’s award-winning biography and stars Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, David Krumholtz and Cherry Jones.
RatPac Entertainment’s Brett Ratner and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert produced the film, with G. Marq Roswell and Abraham. James Packer of RatPac Entertainment and Jason Cloth of Creative Wealth Media Finance executive produced. Dante Spinotti iss the cinematographer for the film.
- 8/13/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Sony Pictures Classics has snagged worldwide rights to "I Saw the Light," writer/director Marc Abraham's biopic of country western singer Hank Williams, whose life was destroyed by fame. No release date has been announced. Williams died in 1953 but left behind a legacy of songs including "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," "Cold Cold Heart," "Lovesick Blues" and, of course, "I Saw the Light." Based on Colin Escott’s award-winning biography, the film stars Tom Hiddleston as Williams, along with Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, David Krumholtz and Cherry Jones. Read More: Should Brit Star Tom Hiddleston Take on Country Icon Hank Williams? RatPac Entertainment’s Brett Ratner and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert produced the film, with G. Marq Roswell and Abraham. James Packer of RatPac Entertainment and Jason Cloth of Creative Wealth Media Finance executive produced. Dante Spinotti was the cinematographer for the...
- 4/2/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
• Gal Gadot is in talks for the female lead in Ben-Hur. Timbur Bekmambetov is directing. The work is a remake of the 1959 film of the same name, as well as an adaptation of the Lew Wallace novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The film follows Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), the Jewish prince who is betrayed into slavery by Messala (Toby Kebbell). Morgan Freeman will play the man who teaches Ben-Hur the art of chariot-racing. If Gadot signs on, she will play Esther, a slave and the love interest of Ben-Hur. Keith Clarke penned the script with a rewrite by John Ridley.
- 10/16/2014
- by C. Molly Smith
- EW - Inside Movies
Elizabeth Olsen has joined the cast of RatPac Entertainment and Bron Studios’ I Saw The Light, the film about the life of country western singer Hank Williams. Deadline’s Mike Fleming broke the news this summer that Tom Hiddleston nabbed the Williams role and will be singing classics like “Your Cheatin’ Heart”, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “Hey Good Lookin'”. Olsen will play Williams’ wife Audrey Mae. Marc Abraham is directing from his own script about Williams’ meteoric rise to fame, and the price that fame took on his personal life. He died at age 29 of heart failure.
Pic is based on the biography by Colin Escott and is produced by RatPac’s Brett Ratner and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert, along with G. Marq Roswell and Abraham. James Packer will executive produce for RatPac Entertainment. I Saw The Light is also a Creative Wealth Media Finance co-production.
Pic is based on the biography by Colin Escott and is produced by RatPac’s Brett Ratner and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert, along with G. Marq Roswell and Abraham. James Packer will executive produce for RatPac Entertainment. I Saw The Light is also a Creative Wealth Media Finance co-production.
- 9/11/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Tom Hiddleston is on tap to play one of the greatest American music icons, Hank Williams. Named for one of Williams' best known songs, "I Saw the Light" will see the British actor trying on a deep South accent and tackling tunes from the Williams songbook. The British actor has risen to fame in recent years for his delicious turn as Loki in the "Thor" films, for dancing on command, and co-starring as a storied and tortured musician in one of 2014's best films "Only Lovers Left Alive." Williams, on the other hand, rose to fame in his teens and died at 29 of complications due to his raging alcoholism and drug abuse, leave behind a rep of at least three dozen country, blues and gospel originals and renditions one could easily qualify as stone-cold classics. The singer/songwriter's fabled death alone could fill volumes (or at least a 90-minute film...
- 6/13/2014
- Hitfix
Setting aside his villainous persona as The Avengers’ Loki, Tom Hiddleston will play country western singer Hank Williams in Marc Abraham’s I Saw the Light, which will chronicle the performer’s rise to fame and fame’s ultimately tragic effects. Abraham is directing from his screenplay based on Colin Escott’s biography. Aaron L. Gilbert will produce via his Bron Studios alongside Brett Ratner, G. Marq Roswell and Abraham. James Packer will executive produce for RatPac Entertainment. Photos Note Perfect: The 15 Best Portrayals of Musicians in Movies The Bron Studios/RatPac Entertainment production, in association with Creative Wealth Media Finance, is scheduled to
read more...
read more...
- 6/12/2014
- by Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Call it "Dawson's Cleats".
WB resident James Van Der Beek tries the big screen on for size with "Varsity Blues", an all-too-familiar portrait of a group of small town high school footballers who ultimately make All The Right Moves after seeing their way through a barrage of physical and psychological obstacles.
While Van Der Beek manages to make the transition with most of that "Dawson's Creek" sweetness intact, the tired, corn-fed storyline and generic, plug-and-play direction quickly give rise to the question, "Where's Adam Sandler when you need him?"
Given its pre-Super Bowl positioning and potential built-in "Dawson's Creek" demo, the MTV Films production probably won't have Paramount crying the blues, but neither will it be a boxoffice overachiever.
Van Der Beek plays second-string West Canaan Coyotes quarterback Jonathan Moxon, a good student with aspirations beyond the gridiron (he spends his time on the sidelines reading Kurt Vonnegut) which automatically puts him at odds with bullying head coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight) who's hell-bent on leading his team to their 23rd division title.
Of course, nobody likes a smart boy, especially in a town that has at least one very obese character called Billy Bob (Ron Lester) and a distinct fondness for the phrase, "sumabitch."
But Jonathan ends up going head-to-head with Kilmer when star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) suffers an injury that will put him out of commission for two seasons, thrusting Moxon into the limelight.
As it turns out, keeping his team's spirits up and winning the division aren't the only items on Mox's full plate. There are also the matters of living out his father's own failed high school football dreams, handling the transferred affections of Harbor's cheerleader girlfriend (Ali Larter), while trying to hold onto his relationship with Harbor's unimpressed sister (Amy Smart), not to mention how he's going to deal with Kilmer's less-than-ethical ways of treating player injuries.
Since this is a story with zero semblance of originality or unpredictability, all will be tied up with a cute little bow at the end, with Mox providing a closing voice-over assuring us that he'll never forget that championship season.
Whatever cliches may have been inadvertently left out of W. Peter Iliff's derivative script, have thoughtfully been visually incorporated thanks to Brian Robbins' ("Good Burger") no-brainer directing style. The modus operandi here appears to be, when in doubt, go for the slo-mo.
Although Van Der Beek doesn't exactly register strongly here, he remains likable enough despite the uninspiring material. As his chief nemesis, Voight adds yet another heavy to his ever-growing roster of arched-eyebrowed adversaries. He's certainly up to more challenging stuff.
As the chronic party animal, Scott Caan displays some of dad James' early Young Buck bravado; while Ali Larter shows some spark as the town tramp who's afraid she'll never leave home despite her way with a can of whipped cream.
Production values are certainly more than serviceable, with solid work from cinematographer Charles Cohen, whose affinity for shooting athletics was previously demonstrated with "The Waterboy", "Little Giants", and, particularly, "Without Limits", a sports picture that refreshingly broke the generic mold at every turn with nary a Billy Bob in sight.
VARSITY BLUES
Paramount
In association with MTV Films
A Marquee Tollin/Robbins prod. in association with Tova Laiter Prods.
Director: Brian Robbins
Producers: Tova Laiter, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins
Screenwriter: W. Peter Iliff
Executive producers: David Gale and Van Toffler
Director of photography: Charles Cohen
Production designer: Jaymes Hinkle
Editor: Ned Bastille
Costume designer: Wendy Chuck
Music supervisor: G. Marq Roswell
Music: Mark Isham
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jonathan Moxon: James Van Der Beek
Coach Bud Kilmer: Jon Voight
Lance Harbor: Paul Walker
Billy Bob: Ron Lester
Tweeder: Scott Caan
Jules Harbor: Amy Smart
Darcy: Ali Larter
Wendell: Eliel Swinton
Running time -- 106 minutes
MPAA Rating: R...
WB resident James Van Der Beek tries the big screen on for size with "Varsity Blues", an all-too-familiar portrait of a group of small town high school footballers who ultimately make All The Right Moves after seeing their way through a barrage of physical and psychological obstacles.
While Van Der Beek manages to make the transition with most of that "Dawson's Creek" sweetness intact, the tired, corn-fed storyline and generic, plug-and-play direction quickly give rise to the question, "Where's Adam Sandler when you need him?"
Given its pre-Super Bowl positioning and potential built-in "Dawson's Creek" demo, the MTV Films production probably won't have Paramount crying the blues, but neither will it be a boxoffice overachiever.
Van Der Beek plays second-string West Canaan Coyotes quarterback Jonathan Moxon, a good student with aspirations beyond the gridiron (he spends his time on the sidelines reading Kurt Vonnegut) which automatically puts him at odds with bullying head coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight) who's hell-bent on leading his team to their 23rd division title.
Of course, nobody likes a smart boy, especially in a town that has at least one very obese character called Billy Bob (Ron Lester) and a distinct fondness for the phrase, "sumabitch."
But Jonathan ends up going head-to-head with Kilmer when star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) suffers an injury that will put him out of commission for two seasons, thrusting Moxon into the limelight.
As it turns out, keeping his team's spirits up and winning the division aren't the only items on Mox's full plate. There are also the matters of living out his father's own failed high school football dreams, handling the transferred affections of Harbor's cheerleader girlfriend (Ali Larter), while trying to hold onto his relationship with Harbor's unimpressed sister (Amy Smart), not to mention how he's going to deal with Kilmer's less-than-ethical ways of treating player injuries.
Since this is a story with zero semblance of originality or unpredictability, all will be tied up with a cute little bow at the end, with Mox providing a closing voice-over assuring us that he'll never forget that championship season.
Whatever cliches may have been inadvertently left out of W. Peter Iliff's derivative script, have thoughtfully been visually incorporated thanks to Brian Robbins' ("Good Burger") no-brainer directing style. The modus operandi here appears to be, when in doubt, go for the slo-mo.
Although Van Der Beek doesn't exactly register strongly here, he remains likable enough despite the uninspiring material. As his chief nemesis, Voight adds yet another heavy to his ever-growing roster of arched-eyebrowed adversaries. He's certainly up to more challenging stuff.
As the chronic party animal, Scott Caan displays some of dad James' early Young Buck bravado; while Ali Larter shows some spark as the town tramp who's afraid she'll never leave home despite her way with a can of whipped cream.
Production values are certainly more than serviceable, with solid work from cinematographer Charles Cohen, whose affinity for shooting athletics was previously demonstrated with "The Waterboy", "Little Giants", and, particularly, "Without Limits", a sports picture that refreshingly broke the generic mold at every turn with nary a Billy Bob in sight.
VARSITY BLUES
Paramount
In association with MTV Films
A Marquee Tollin/Robbins prod. in association with Tova Laiter Prods.
Director: Brian Robbins
Producers: Tova Laiter, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins
Screenwriter: W. Peter Iliff
Executive producers: David Gale and Van Toffler
Director of photography: Charles Cohen
Production designer: Jaymes Hinkle
Editor: Ned Bastille
Costume designer: Wendy Chuck
Music supervisor: G. Marq Roswell
Music: Mark Isham
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jonathan Moxon: James Van Der Beek
Coach Bud Kilmer: Jon Voight
Lance Harbor: Paul Walker
Billy Bob: Ron Lester
Tweeder: Scott Caan
Jules Harbor: Amy Smart
Darcy: Ali Larter
Wendell: Eliel Swinton
Running time -- 106 minutes
MPAA Rating: R...
- 1/11/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What with last year's "Boogie Nights" and "The Ice Storm", the big 1970s nostalgia-fest continues in style with "Slums of Beverly Hills", a bracingly funny, knowing, bittersweet coming-of-age comedy set during a time when success was measured by the height of one's brown shag carpeting.
A remarkably assured debut for writer-director Tamara Jenkins, the semi-autobiographical picture scores with biting originality and a terrific ensemble featuring young Natasha Lyonne in a breakout performance, the always effective Alan Arkin and an irrepressible Marisa Tomei in her best role since "My Cousin Vinny".
This quirky, smiley-face of a fish-out-of-water story should hold universal appeal for female adolescents and family members from virtually any generation and economic standing. Careful marketing could earn Fox Searchlight some pleasingly modest numbers.
Jenkins' poignantly dysfunctional reminiscence is seen through the somewhat cynical eyes of 15-year-old Vivian Abramowitz (Lyonne), who, along with her divorced, well-meaning car dealer father, Murray (Arkin) and her two annoying brothers, Ben and Rickey, (David Krumholtz and Eli Marienthal), are constantly moving from dump to dump with alluring names such as "The Paradise" and "The Capri", located on the fringes of the 90210 zip code so that the kids can attend the better Beverly Hills schools.
As if that isn't humiliating enough, there's the matter of Vivian's breasts, which have blossomed rather voluminously for the whole world to abruptly take notice. Suddenly Vivian's dad is insisting she wears her brand-new underwire bra beneath her halter tops -- a somewhat unsightly look even by 1976 standards.
Things begin to look up, sort of, when Murray's benefactor brother Mickey (Carl Reiner) agrees to supplement his meager income if he takes in his messed-up daughter, Rita (a sparkling Tomei), who's about to be released from drug rehab. The financial infusion means the Abramowitz family can move across the street into a luxury furnished apartment that looks like one of those swinging bachelor pads from a vintage "Love, American Style" episode.
Ultimately, despite the monetary and mammillary gain, Vivian learns how to accept both herself and her flawed but lovable family for what they are.
Filmmaker Jenkins has crafted a seldom-seen female rite-of- passage story that is equally outrageous and tellingly truthful. And, unlike the previous, somewhat jaded depictions of the era, she presents a quaintly bemused version of the '70s that neatly reflects Vivian's own personal upheaval -- both aggressively defiant and affectionately clunky at the same time.
As the heart and soul of "Slums of Beverly Hills", Lyonne delivers a perfectly rendered performance, one that painfully and comically captures the conflicting child-woman impulses of her character. As her unofficial mentor, meanwhile, Tomei is a free-spirited firecracker who has struggled, albeit disastrously, to come out from under the oppressive domain of her overbearing parents (nicely played by Reiner and Rita Moreno).
Effective also, are Krumholtz and Marienthal as Lyonne's all-too-real siblings: Kevin Corrigan, as a drug-dealing, Charles Manson-obsessed but nevertheless sweet neighbor and Jessica Walter as Arkin's starchy girlfriend.
Similarly on the money are the technical contributions, with fine, cringe-inducing period touches from production designer Dena Roth and costume designer Kirsten Everberg. Music supervisors G. Marq Roswell and Gary Calamar have dusted off an evocative mix of period tunes serving as gentle reminders that '70s music can be more than just disco.
SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS
Fox Searchlight
A South Fork Pictures production
Director-screenwriter: Tamara Jenkins
Producers: Michael Nozik, Stan Wlodkowski
Executive producer: Robert Redford
Director of photography: Tom Richmond
Production designer: Dena Roth
Editor: Pamela Martin
Costume designer: Kirsten Everberg
Music: Rolfe Kent
Music supervisors: G. Marq Roswell, Gary Calamar
Casting: Sheila Jaffe, Georgianne Walken
Color/stereo
Cast:
Vivian: Natasha Lyonne
Murray: Alan Arkin
Rita: Marisa Tomei
Eliot: Kevin Corrigan
Doris: Jessica Walter
Belle: Rita Moreno
Ben: David Krumholtz
Rickey: Eli Marienthal
Mickey: Carl Reiner
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
A remarkably assured debut for writer-director Tamara Jenkins, the semi-autobiographical picture scores with biting originality and a terrific ensemble featuring young Natasha Lyonne in a breakout performance, the always effective Alan Arkin and an irrepressible Marisa Tomei in her best role since "My Cousin Vinny".
This quirky, smiley-face of a fish-out-of-water story should hold universal appeal for female adolescents and family members from virtually any generation and economic standing. Careful marketing could earn Fox Searchlight some pleasingly modest numbers.
Jenkins' poignantly dysfunctional reminiscence is seen through the somewhat cynical eyes of 15-year-old Vivian Abramowitz (Lyonne), who, along with her divorced, well-meaning car dealer father, Murray (Arkin) and her two annoying brothers, Ben and Rickey, (David Krumholtz and Eli Marienthal), are constantly moving from dump to dump with alluring names such as "The Paradise" and "The Capri", located on the fringes of the 90210 zip code so that the kids can attend the better Beverly Hills schools.
As if that isn't humiliating enough, there's the matter of Vivian's breasts, which have blossomed rather voluminously for the whole world to abruptly take notice. Suddenly Vivian's dad is insisting she wears her brand-new underwire bra beneath her halter tops -- a somewhat unsightly look even by 1976 standards.
Things begin to look up, sort of, when Murray's benefactor brother Mickey (Carl Reiner) agrees to supplement his meager income if he takes in his messed-up daughter, Rita (a sparkling Tomei), who's about to be released from drug rehab. The financial infusion means the Abramowitz family can move across the street into a luxury furnished apartment that looks like one of those swinging bachelor pads from a vintage "Love, American Style" episode.
Ultimately, despite the monetary and mammillary gain, Vivian learns how to accept both herself and her flawed but lovable family for what they are.
Filmmaker Jenkins has crafted a seldom-seen female rite-of- passage story that is equally outrageous and tellingly truthful. And, unlike the previous, somewhat jaded depictions of the era, she presents a quaintly bemused version of the '70s that neatly reflects Vivian's own personal upheaval -- both aggressively defiant and affectionately clunky at the same time.
As the heart and soul of "Slums of Beverly Hills", Lyonne delivers a perfectly rendered performance, one that painfully and comically captures the conflicting child-woman impulses of her character. As her unofficial mentor, meanwhile, Tomei is a free-spirited firecracker who has struggled, albeit disastrously, to come out from under the oppressive domain of her overbearing parents (nicely played by Reiner and Rita Moreno).
Effective also, are Krumholtz and Marienthal as Lyonne's all-too-real siblings: Kevin Corrigan, as a drug-dealing, Charles Manson-obsessed but nevertheless sweet neighbor and Jessica Walter as Arkin's starchy girlfriend.
Similarly on the money are the technical contributions, with fine, cringe-inducing period touches from production designer Dena Roth and costume designer Kirsten Everberg. Music supervisors G. Marq Roswell and Gary Calamar have dusted off an evocative mix of period tunes serving as gentle reminders that '70s music can be more than just disco.
SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS
Fox Searchlight
A South Fork Pictures production
Director-screenwriter: Tamara Jenkins
Producers: Michael Nozik, Stan Wlodkowski
Executive producer: Robert Redford
Director of photography: Tom Richmond
Production designer: Dena Roth
Editor: Pamela Martin
Costume designer: Kirsten Everberg
Music: Rolfe Kent
Music supervisors: G. Marq Roswell, Gary Calamar
Casting: Sheila Jaffe, Georgianne Walken
Color/stereo
Cast:
Vivian: Natasha Lyonne
Murray: Alan Arkin
Rita: Marisa Tomei
Eliot: Kevin Corrigan
Doris: Jessica Walter
Belle: Rita Moreno
Ben: David Krumholtz
Rickey: Eli Marienthal
Mickey: Carl Reiner
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 8/14/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What with last year's "Boogie Nights" and "The Ice Storm", the big 1970s nostalgia-fest continues in style with "Slums of Beverly Hills", a bracingly funny, knowing, bittersweet coming-of-age comedy set during a time when success was measured by the height of one's brown shag carpeting.
A remarkably assured debut for writer-director Tamara Jenkins, the semi-autobiographical picture scores with biting originality and a terrific ensemble featuring young Natasha Lyonne in a breakout performance, the always effective Alan Arkin and an irrepressible Marisa Tomei in her best role since "My Cousin Vinny".
This quirky, smiley-face of a fish-out-of-water story should hold universal appeal for female adolescents and family members from virtually any generation and economic standing. Careful marketing could earn Fox Searchlight some pleasingly modest numbers.
Jenkins' poignantly dysfunctional reminiscence is seen through the somewhat cynical eyes of 15-year-old Vivian Abramowitz (Lyonne), who, along with her divorced, well-meaning car dealer father, Murray (Arkin) and her two annoying brothers, Ben and Rickey, (David Krumholtz and Eli Marienthal), are constantly moving from dump to dump with alluring names such as "The Paradise" and "The Capri", located on the fringes of the 90210 zip code so that the kids can attend the better Beverly Hills schools.
As if that isn't humiliating enough, there's the matter of Vivian's breasts, which have blossomed rather voluminously for the whole world to abruptly take notice. Suddenly Vivian's dad is insisting she wears her brand-new underwire bra beneath her halter tops -- a somewhat unsightly look even by 1976 standards.
Things begin to look up, sort of, when Murray's benefactor brother Mickey (Carl Reiner) agrees to supplement his meager income if he takes in his messed-up daughter, Rita (a sparkling Tomei), who's about to be released from drug rehab. The financial infusion means the Abramowitz family can move across the street into a luxury furnished apartment that looks like one of those swinging bachelor pads from a vintage "Love, American Style" episode.
Ultimately, despite the monetary and mammillary gain, Vivian learns how to accept both herself and her flawed but lovable family for what they are.
Filmmaker Jenkins has crafted a seldom-seen female rite-of- passage story that is equally outrageous and tellingly truthful. And, unlike the previous, somewhat jaded depictions of the era, she presents a quaintly bemused version of the '70s that neatly reflects Vivian's own personal upheaval -- both aggressively defiant and affectionately clunky at the same time.
As the heart and soul of "Slums of Beverly Hills", Lyonne delivers a perfectly rendered performance, one that painfully and comically captures the conflicting child-woman impulses of her character. As her unofficial mentor, meanwhile, Tomei is a free-spirited firecracker who has struggled, albeit disastrously, to come out from under the oppressive domain of her overbearing parents (nicely played by Reiner and Rita Moreno).
Effective also, are Krumholtz and Marienthal as Lyonne's all-too-real siblings: Kevin Corrigan, as a drug-dealing, Charles Manson-obsessed but nevertheless sweet neighbor and Jessica Walter as Arkin's starchy girlfriend.
Similarly on the money are the technical contributions, with fine, cringe-inducing period touches from production designer Dena Roth and costume designer Kirsten Everberg. Music supervisors G. Marq Roswell and Gary Calamar have dusted off an evocative mix of period tunes serving as gentle reminders that '70s music can be more than just disco.
SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS
Fox Searchlight
A South Fork Pictures production
Director-screenwriter: Tamara Jenkins
Producers: Michael Nozik, Stan Wlodkowski
Executive producer: Robert Redford
Director of photography: Tom Richmond
Production designer: Dena Roth
Editor: Pamela Martin
Costume designer: Kirsten Everberg
Music: Rolfe Kent
Music supervisors: G. Marq Roswell,
Gary Calamar
Casting: Sheila Jaffe, Georgianne Walken
Color/stereo
Cast:
Vivian: Natasha Lyonne
Murray: Alan Arkin
Rita: Marisa Tomei
Eliot: Kevin Corrigan
Doris: Jessica Walter
Belle: Rita Moreno
Ben: David Krumholtz
Rickey: Eli Marienthal
Mickey: Carl Reiner
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
A remarkably assured debut for writer-director Tamara Jenkins, the semi-autobiographical picture scores with biting originality and a terrific ensemble featuring young Natasha Lyonne in a breakout performance, the always effective Alan Arkin and an irrepressible Marisa Tomei in her best role since "My Cousin Vinny".
This quirky, smiley-face of a fish-out-of-water story should hold universal appeal for female adolescents and family members from virtually any generation and economic standing. Careful marketing could earn Fox Searchlight some pleasingly modest numbers.
Jenkins' poignantly dysfunctional reminiscence is seen through the somewhat cynical eyes of 15-year-old Vivian Abramowitz (Lyonne), who, along with her divorced, well-meaning car dealer father, Murray (Arkin) and her two annoying brothers, Ben and Rickey, (David Krumholtz and Eli Marienthal), are constantly moving from dump to dump with alluring names such as "The Paradise" and "The Capri", located on the fringes of the 90210 zip code so that the kids can attend the better Beverly Hills schools.
As if that isn't humiliating enough, there's the matter of Vivian's breasts, which have blossomed rather voluminously for the whole world to abruptly take notice. Suddenly Vivian's dad is insisting she wears her brand-new underwire bra beneath her halter tops -- a somewhat unsightly look even by 1976 standards.
Things begin to look up, sort of, when Murray's benefactor brother Mickey (Carl Reiner) agrees to supplement his meager income if he takes in his messed-up daughter, Rita (a sparkling Tomei), who's about to be released from drug rehab. The financial infusion means the Abramowitz family can move across the street into a luxury furnished apartment that looks like one of those swinging bachelor pads from a vintage "Love, American Style" episode.
Ultimately, despite the monetary and mammillary gain, Vivian learns how to accept both herself and her flawed but lovable family for what they are.
Filmmaker Jenkins has crafted a seldom-seen female rite-of- passage story that is equally outrageous and tellingly truthful. And, unlike the previous, somewhat jaded depictions of the era, she presents a quaintly bemused version of the '70s that neatly reflects Vivian's own personal upheaval -- both aggressively defiant and affectionately clunky at the same time.
As the heart and soul of "Slums of Beverly Hills", Lyonne delivers a perfectly rendered performance, one that painfully and comically captures the conflicting child-woman impulses of her character. As her unofficial mentor, meanwhile, Tomei is a free-spirited firecracker who has struggled, albeit disastrously, to come out from under the oppressive domain of her overbearing parents (nicely played by Reiner and Rita Moreno).
Effective also, are Krumholtz and Marienthal as Lyonne's all-too-real siblings: Kevin Corrigan, as a drug-dealing, Charles Manson-obsessed but nevertheless sweet neighbor and Jessica Walter as Arkin's starchy girlfriend.
Similarly on the money are the technical contributions, with fine, cringe-inducing period touches from production designer Dena Roth and costume designer Kirsten Everberg. Music supervisors G. Marq Roswell and Gary Calamar have dusted off an evocative mix of period tunes serving as gentle reminders that '70s music can be more than just disco.
SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS
Fox Searchlight
A South Fork Pictures production
Director-screenwriter: Tamara Jenkins
Producers: Michael Nozik, Stan Wlodkowski
Executive producer: Robert Redford
Director of photography: Tom Richmond
Production designer: Dena Roth
Editor: Pamela Martin
Costume designer: Kirsten Everberg
Music: Rolfe Kent
Music supervisors: G. Marq Roswell,
Gary Calamar
Casting: Sheila Jaffe, Georgianne Walken
Color/stereo
Cast:
Vivian: Natasha Lyonne
Murray: Alan Arkin
Rita: Marisa Tomei
Eliot: Kevin Corrigan
Doris: Jessica Walter
Belle: Rita Moreno
Ben: David Krumholtz
Rickey: Eli Marienthal
Mickey: Carl Reiner
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 5/22/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.