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PICTURE PERFECT (1997)
Picture Perfect is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Glenn Gordon Caron, written by Arleen Sorkin, and starring Jennifer Aniston, Jay Mohr, Kevin Bacon, Illeana Douglas, Olympia Dukakis, and Anne Twomey. The film centers around a young advertising executive's life, which becomes increasingly complicated when, in order to impress her boss, she pretends to be engaged to a man she just met. Picture Perfect was released on August 1, 1997, by 20th Century Fox. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $44.3 million against an $18 million budget.
Plot
Kate is struggling in the advertising business in New York City: she cannot move forward despite her talent. Her boss, Mr. Mercer, passes her up for a promotion because she is "not stable enough". Her coworker, Darcy, invents a story claiming Kate is engaged to Nick, a freelance videographer who lives in Massachusetts, with whom Kate had her picture taken during a friend's wedding.
All seems to work out well for Kate, who gets her promotion, but after Nick saves a little girl from a fire and winds up in the news, Kate is asked to bring her alleged fiancé to dinner with Mercer and his wife. She goes to Boston to ask Nick to do it and to "break up" with her during the evening. Nick, who likes Kate, agrees to please Kate. Meanwhile, Sam, a colleague that Kate had always wanted, takes notice of her because she is engaged, and they have sex on two occasions.
Nick arrives in New York and stays at Kate's apartment, and as they get to know each other, she starts to like him. When they are at the dinner with Mercer, Nick compliments Kate and expresses his desire for a future with her. Kate just wants their "fight" to happen, and after unsuccessfully trying to incite Nick at the dinner table, she pays a restaurant employee to call her mobile phone and makes out that Nick is having an affair with an ex-girlfriend. Nick figures it out and finally plays along. The next day, after his attempt to woo Kate fails, he returns to Boston.
A week later, Kate finds a special gift Nick had left her that prompts her to admit the fake to Mercer and her coworkers, stating that she was dressing for the job she wanted (repeating a line that Mercer had used on her earlier regarding her instability). When she tells him she is quitting, Mercer admits how he had exaggerated his own past at one point in his life. He lets Kate keep her job and suggests she take a few days off to go see Nick.
Kate walks in while Nick is recording a church wedding, and he rebuffs her attempts to patch things up until she interrupts the ceremony at a crucial point. Watched by the entire wedding assembly, she apologizes for the way she treated him. He invites her to stay for the wedding reception and dinner afterwards, and they embrace, as the congregation applauds them.
Cast
- Jennifer Aniston as Kate Mosley
- Jay Mohr as Nick
- Kevin Bacon as Sam Mayfair
- Olympia Dukakis as Rita Mosley
- Illeana Douglas as Darcy O'Neil
- Matthew Sussman as Darcy's Husband
- Kevin Dunn as Mr. Mercer
- Faith Prince as Mrs. Mercer
- Anne Twomey as Sela
- John Rothman as Jim Davenport
- Meg Gibson as Mrs. Davenport
- Paul Cassell as Brad
- Marcia DeBonis as Rosie
- Amelia Campbell as Susan
- Faran Tahir as Sajit
- Ivar Brogger, Peter McRobbie and Jenna Stern as The Ad Executives
- Bellina Logan as Agency Receptionist
- Sean Patrick Thomas as Agency Researcher
- Andrea Bendewald as Pregnant Friend
- David Cromwell as Minister
- Jessica Cushman as Bride
- Kaley Cuoco as Little Girl at the wedding
- Greg Grunberg as Date (uncredited)
Production
Academy Award winner Tom Fleischman is the re-recording mixer of the film. Picture Perfect also consists of other Academy Award nominees such as Les Lazarowitz, Jane Robinson, and Debra Schutt.
The movie was shot in June and July 1996.[3]
Kaley Cuoco later revealed that "I was the last name in the credits (credited as ‘little girl’).. when I saw the movie, they had cut my one line".[4]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 47% of 43 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10.[5] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 46 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[6] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B−" on a scale of A to F.[7]
Roger Ebert found the film at odds with itself, noting how the script has poor storytelling elements but contains "nice dialogue touches" delivered by the characters, saying that "it's a shame the plot is so contrived, because parts of this [movie] are really pretty good."[8] Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it a "light, undemanding comedy", commending its use of sitcom humor, bits of satire and the performances of Aniston, Douglas and Bacon, concluding that it "bounces busily among these players until it has to slow down and pretend to be sincere."[9] Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle heavily criticized the film for having the aesthetics of "an over-long, over-nice, made-for-TV movie that goes nowhere quick." He gave notice to Aniston's performance lacking sustainability to capture the big screen, and bringing the rest of the main cast to her acting level.[10]
Box office
The film opened at number 5 at the North American box office making $7.8 million in its opening weekend. It eventually earned over $44 million worldwide, against a budget of $18 million.[1][2]
Soundtrack
| Picture Perfect | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various | |
| Released | 1997 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Label | Warner Bros. Records |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Show Me How to Catch a Fish" | Jane Kelly Williams | |
| 2. | "Sex Life" | Geoffrey Williams | |
| 3. | "They Don't Know" | Kirsty MacColl | |
| 4. | "Get Down Tonight" | KC & The Sunshine Band | |
| 5. | "Runaround Sue" | Dion | |
| 6. | "Love Will Keep Us Together" | Captain and Tennille | |
| 7. | "Fruitful Acre" | From Good Homes | |
| 8. | "Wide Open Wide" | From Good Homes | |
| 9. | "Extra Super Fine" | Dragstrip Superstar | |
| 10. | "Bad Girls" | Donna Summer | |
| 11. | "When Dreams Turn to Dust" | Cathy Dennis | |
| 12. | "Say What You Want" | Texas | |
| 13. | "Heaven Only Knows" | Swing Out Sister | |
| 14. | "I Try" | Macy Gray | |
| 15. | "Amateur" | Aimee Mann | |
| 16. | "Bach]s Jesu of Man's Desring #7" | Marie-Claire Alain | |
| 17. | "Mendelssohn's Wedding March" | Marie-Claire Alain |
WANDERLUST (2012)
Wanderlust is a 2012 American comedy film directed by David Wain, written by Wain and Ken Marino, and produced by Wain, Judd Apatow and Paul Rudd. The film stars Jennifer Aniston and Rudd as a married couple who try to escape modern society by finding themselves on a commune in Georgia, after the economy crashes down on their dreams in New York City.
Plot
George and Linda Gergenblatt are an urban married couple who purchase a micro-loft in New York after much hesitation. George is expecting a promotion while Linda is trying to sell a documentary to HBO. Soon after purchasing their home, George learns that his company has folded, overnight, while HBO rejects Linda's documentary. With both out of work, they are forced to sell their apartment and drive to Atlanta to live with George's arrogant brother Rick and his wife Marisa after Rick offers George a job.
After many hours on the highway, Linda demands they stop to rest. The closest place to stop appears to be a bed and breakfast hotel named Elysium. After exiting the highway, as they approach, they are surprised to see a naked man walking ahead of them. He approaches them. Startled and apprehensive, George tries to back up to the highway, but accidentally flips the car over. The nude man, Wayne Davidson, helps them out of the car, and they are forced to stay at the hotel. They meet several colorful guests and then go to bed. While trying to sleep, they are distracted by noises downstairs. When they investigate, they learn that Elysium is a hippie commune. They meet various eccentric residents of Elysium, including Seth, Eva, and Elysium's owner Carvin. George and Linda spend the night feeling more alive than before. In the morning, everyone helps flip the car back upright so they can leave, as Seth urges them to stay, but they continue on to Atlanta.
George and Linda arrive at Rick's house and find the atmosphere chaotic. George quickly reaches a breaking point with Rick and takes Linda back to Elysium, where they are welcomed back. George is excited about the simpler lifestyle while Linda is hesitant. They decide to stay and give the place a two-week trial run. After a few days, Linda starts feeling enlightened after drinking some drug-laced tea in the truth circle, while George begins having second thoughts. George and Linda soon learn that 'free love' is strongly encouraged as Seth and Eva want to seduce Linda and George, respectively. Both George and Linda rebuff the notion of free love, and several crazy situations arise during that period, bizarre and otherwise.
At the same time, Elysium is being targeted by property developers to build a casino on the property, as title to the property is disputed, and Carvin has misplaced the deed to the land. After the developers arrive with a bulldozer, to make a television reporting crew take more interest, Linda scares them off by flashing them her breasts, and many of the other residents join her, which gets sensationalized coverage, and halts the proceeding. Linda is lauded as a hero by the commune. The two weeks are up, and George demands that they leave, saying that if they stay, they would have to give in to 'free love'. Linda wants to stay and has sex with Seth. George is pressured to have sex with Eva, but he becomes uncomfortable and drives her away with his awkward and bizarre behavior. The next morning, George reaches a breaking point, again, stating that he dislikes the rules of Elysium and wants to leave. Linda wants to stay, so George goes back to Rick's house alone.
Seth believes he has found his soul mate in Linda and searches for the deed to Elysium, which he finds and sells to the property developers, for $11,000, to start a new life with Linda, betraying the commune. A child from the commune witnesses the burning of the deed by Seth and the man who wants to build the casino. Seth tells Linda he wants them to leave Elysium behind, together, and that the others can look after themselves. Linda refuses.
In the meantime, George realizes he loves Linda and comes back to find her, getting into a fight with Seth while the commune looks on and tries to help 'non-violently'. The child who witnessed the burning of the deed by Seth tells the commune what happened and George punches Seth in the jaw.
In the aftermath, the news show that visited Elysium does a follow-up story about the commune. George and Linda start a publishing company, with their first book being a political thriller novel written by Wayne. The novel is then fast-tracked into a film adaptation starring Ray Liotta. Carvin reclaims his rights to Elysium after he is reunited with all the original founders of Elysium, one of whom had another copy of the deed.
In a post-credits scene, Marisa is a cast member of the television reality show The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Cast
- Paul Rudd as George Gergenblatt
- Jennifer Aniston as Linda Gergenblatt
- Justin Theroux as Seth
- Michaela Watkins as Marisa Gergenblatt
- Malin Åkerman as Eva
- Lauren Ambrose as Almond Cohen
- Joe Lo Truglio as Wayne Davidson
- Alan Alda as Carvin Wiggins
- Kathryn Hahn as Karen
- Jessica St. Clair as Deena Schuster
- Ken Marino as Rick Gergenblatt
- Jordan Peele as Rodney Wilson
- Kerri Kenney-Silver as Kathy
- Linda Lavin as Shari
- Keegan-Michael Key as Marcy’s Flunkie
- David Wain, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and Ray Liotta all cameos as news reporters, credited as themselves.
Production
David Wain began chronicling the film's production and pre-production on his blog on May 21, 2010.[4] Most of the production took place in Georgia. Additional material was filmed in New York City and Los Angeles.
Filming
Principal photography took place in a number of places in Georgia: the Gwinnett Diner in Lawrenceville (which was also used for a scene in the film Road Trip); a subdivision called Miramonte Way off Ozora Road in the Lawrenceville, Georgia area;[5][6] and in Habersham County, off of New Liberty Road.[7]
Release
The film premiered at Mann Village Theatre in Los Angeles on February 16, 2012, and was theatrically released on February 24, 2012. It was the last film to use the 1997 Universal Pictures logo. During its first weekend Wanderlust opened at #8, with $6.5 million from 2,002 locations.[8] Given its poor debut, it was considered a box-office flop.[9] After six weeks, it concluded its theatrical run with North American domestic gross of $17,288,155 and international gross of $4,162,198.[10]
Reception
Critical response
Wanderlust received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 59% rating based on 147 reviews, with the site's consensus stating, "It isn't always as funny as it should be, but Wanderlust benefits from an extremely talented cast and some of David Wain's most confident, assured work behind the camera."[11] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 53 based on 34 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave it a B− grade.[13] Entertainment Weekly gave it an A−.[14]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 39th People's Choice Awards | Favorite Comedic Movie Actress | Jennifer Aniston | Won | [15] |
Home media
Wanderlust was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on June 19, 2012.[16] The last reported gross for the DVD was $3,807,225.[3] The Blu-ray contained the extras Wanderlust: The Bizarro Cut, and an audio commentary by director David Wain, co-writer/actor Ken Marino, and actor Paul Rudd. The video extras consist of a gag reel, a "Line-O-Rama", and making-of featurettes.[16]
ROCK STAR (2001)
Rock Star is a 2001 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Herek from a script by John Stockwell, and starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. It tells the story of Chris "Izzy" Cole, a tribute band singer who ascends to the position of lead vocalist in his favorite band.
The script was inspired by the real-life story of Tim "Ripper" Owens, a singer in a Judas Priest tribute band who was chosen to replace singer Rob Halford when he temporarily left the band. After optioning the filming rights to a New York Times profile of Owens by Andrew Revkin, Warner Bros. hired Stockwell to write the script. Brad Pitt was initially signed to play the lead role, but left due to creative differences, and Wahlberg was eventually hired for the part.
Rock Star garnered mixed reviews from critics, but was a box office failure, grossing $19 million worldwide against a production budget of $57 million.
Plot
In the mid-1980s, Pittsburgh resident Chris Cole is a fanatical admirer of a heavy metal band called Steel Dragon. By day, Chris is a photocopier technician and by night, he is the lead singer of a Steel Dragon tribute band called Blood Pollution (the name is taken from a Steel Dragon song).
Internal struggles among the actual Steel Dragon band members culminate with firing their lead singer, Bobby Beers, and the beginning of recruitment sessions to find a new vocalist. Chris experiences his strife with his Blood Pollution bandmates, particularly guitarist Rob Malcolm. During a show, Rob plays a guitar solo instead of following the note-for-note accuracy of the original Steel Dragon song. After Chris sabotages Rob's amplifier mid-song, there is a fight between the two onstage. The next day, Chris goes to rehearsal but discovers he has been replaced by his arch-rival Bradley, the erstwhile lead vocalist of another Steel Dragon tribute band. Rob and Chris argue, and Rob criticizes Chris for preferring to remain the singer in a tribute band rather than create his music.
One day, Chris receives an unexpected phone call from Steel Dragon's founder and rhythm guitarist, Kirk Cuddy, and is offered an audition for the band (thanks to two of Blood Pollution's groupies, who showed Kirk a videotape of one of Blood Pollution's concerts). After hanging up on Kirk once, thinking Rob is pranking him, Chris ecstatically agrees. At the studio, he meets the band and gives an outstanding performance of "We All Die Young" (a Steel Dragon song in the movie, but it is an actual song by Steelheart, whose lead vocalist, Miljenko Matijevic, provides Cole's singing voice for the film). Chris joins the band as their new singer, adopting the stage name "Izzy." Following a successful debut concert with Steel Dragon, Izzy must face the pressures of his new-found fame and success. The band embarks on a lengthy tour, and Izzy experiences the excesses of the lifestyle. The group's road manager, Mats, is a sympathetic mentor to Izzy.
His new lifestyle impacts his life for better and worse, particularly with his relationship with his supportive girlfriend, Emily Poule, when she decides not to continue with him throughout the remainder of the tour as a rock star girlfriend. However, Emily and Izzy agree to get back together when the tour reaches Seattle. Eventually, Steel Dragon stops in Seattle for a show, and Emily arrives at his hotel room as they had previously arranged. Although Izzy has become so drunk while on tour, he forgets about the arrangement and does not even know what city he is in. Although taken aback by all the groupies, Emily still tries to reconnect with him, reminding him of their plans to meet up once he gets to Seattle; however, he is too intoxicated to understand what she is saying, eventually suggesting they go to Seattle together. Heartbroken by his inconsiderate behavior, intoxication, and the fact that he is having sex with so many groupies, Emily leaves him.
Six months later, Izzy reports to the next series of Steel Dragon recording sessions with song concepts and artwork for the band's next album. The rest of the band likes his ideas, but they reject them, with Kirk explaining that the band has to stay true to the "Steel Dragon thing" to fulfill fan expectations. Izzy is angered upon realizing he was only recruited for his vocal abilities. After a heartfelt conversation with Mats about how he feared he had no control over the direction life has taken him, Izzy begins to reconsider his rock star lifestyle. On the next tour, in a scene directly paralleling one near the film's beginning with their roles reversed, Izzy hears a fan singing along with him toward the end of a live concert. Impressed, Chris (name change from Izzy intentional) invites the fan onstage, has a microphone provided to the fan by a roadie, and the pair of them proceed to perform together in sync on stage with the band while imitating Chris's established stage performance/act (body movements). After the song, Chris and the fan exit backstage, and the fan introduces himself as Thor while expressing to Chris his immense appreciation for the band and spiritual love for Chris himself. Chris offers Thor to "blow the roof off" by taking his place on stage - essentially finishing the set. Thor (in disbelief) gleefully accepts and proceeds to assume the lead singer role and perform on stage with the rest of the band and without Chris. While observing Thor's excitement that his (Thor's) dream is being lived (just like he was), Chris arrives at the realization that his priorities have changed, implying he has grown out of the desire to live the Rockstar lifestyle and that he has matured to the point he wants to blaze his path and pursue developing his legacy writing music and sharing a life with his girlfriend, Emily Poule. Chris exits the stage, approaches the Tour Manager Mats, and lets him know he is going to take a piss - which is code for he is leaving for good (this is established earlier in the movie plot... which includes a personal conversation between Chris and Mats). Mats nods, understanding the implication of Chris's intent, and Chris departs the concert.
After leaving Steel Dragon and ditching his rock star image and stage name, Chris travels to Seattle and starts a new band with his old friend and former bandmate, Rob, allowing him to write his music. Chris finds Emily working in the coffee shop she and her roommate purchased a few years earlier, and he is initially too ashamed to speak to her. While walking one evening, Emily sees a flyer for his band posted on the wall and takes it down. In the final scene, Chris sings with his band in a bar, and Emily walks in. Chris leaves the stage and speaks to her. They reconcile, ending the film with a kiss and the final note of Chris' first original song, "Colorful" (which is an actual song by the Verve Pipe).
During the credits, Cuddy talks about the band's future, and Bobby Beers is shown to have taken up Irish Dancing after his sacking from Steel Dragon.
Cast
The band members are portrayed by ex-Dokken and current Foreigner bassist Jeff Pilson; Black Label Society founder and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde; actor Dominic West; and ex-Foreigner and Black Country Communion drummer Jason Bonham (the son of the late John Bonham, drummer for Led Zeppelin). Myles Kennedy, who was at the time the lead vocalist of the Mayfield Four and now the front man of Alter Bridge and Slash's solo project, makes a cameo appearance.
The singing voice for Wahlberg's character was provided by Steelheart frontman Miljenko Matijevic for the Steel Dragon Songs, and the final number was sung by Brian Vander Ark of the Verve Pipe. Jeff Scott Soto (of Talisman, Yngwie Malmsteen, Soul SirkUS, and Journey) provided the voice of Jason Flemyng's character Bobby Beers. Ralph Saenz (aka Michael Starr of Steel Panther) also appears briefly, as the singer auditioning ahead of Chris at the studio.
Tribute band Blood Pollution is also made up of known musical artists, including guitarist Nick Catanese (Black Label Society), drummer Blas Elias (Slaughter), and bassist Brian Vander Ark (The Verve Pipe, who also contributed a song to the film's soundtrack). Actor Timothy Olyphant portrays Blood Pollution's guitarist, Rob Malcolm. Bradley, the singer who replaces Chris in Blood Pollution, is played by Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins.
Production
After The New York Times ran a story on Tim "Ripper" Owens in 1997, various Hollywood studios ran to option the filming rights. Warner Bros. won the bid, and hired John Stockwell to write the script. Stockwell soon began researching the heavy metal music and tribute band scene and visited Owens' hometown of Akron, Ohio.[3] Afterwards the project, under the working title Metal God, got the involvement of George Clooney's newly founded Maysville Pictures.[4] Brad Pitt signed to star in 1998, but wound up dropping the project following creative differences with the studio.[5] Eventually Mark Wahlberg, a former rapper with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch who co-starred with Clooney in Three Kings, was hired for the main role in May 1999.[6] Stephen Herek signed to direct in October,[7] and the following month Jennifer Aniston became attached for the main female role, while Callie Khouri was hired to revise the script.[8] Judas Priest were initially approached, but the band had some objections to the initial script and were phased out as it was rewritten into a more original story loosely based on the facts, in spite of the band still offering to give advice and assistance to the production.[9][10]
Wahlberg spent five months preparing for his role as Chris Cole, working with a vocal coach, growing his hair, attending the metal scene and wandering around Los Angeles in-character.[11] A concert scene was shot at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena before 10,000 Metallica and Megadeth fans.[12] While filming one Steel Dragon performance, the crew pranked Wahlberg by playing Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations" instead of a rock track, and footage of this is featured during the film's end credits.[13] By 2001, Warner renamed the project from Metal God to Rock Star in order to attract a broader rock fandom instead of just metal fans.[14]
Reception
The film opened at No. 4 at the U.S. box office taking US$6,018,636 in its opening weekend,[15] and grossing a domestic total of $17,008,282 and $2,325,863 internationally for a worldwide gross of $19,334,145; based on a $57 million budget, Rock Star was a box office bomb.[16]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 53% of 129 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Like its title, Rock Star is rather generic, being not so much about the heavy metal scene than about rock cliches and formula."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[18] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B−" on scale of A to F.[19]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 2.5 out of 4 stars and wrote: "By the end of the film I conceded, yes, there are good performances and the period is well captured, but the movie didn't convince me of the feel and the flavor of its experiences."[20]
Tim "Ripper" Owens, the inspiration for the story, noted to Rolling Stone that while he considered Rock Star "a Spinal Tap kind of movie" that distanced from the real facts to feature "all the cliches of sex, drugs, and rock and roll", he found the portrayal of the band members as accurate and was still flattered to become the basis for a movie.[9] When Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill was asked about his reaction to Rock Star in an interview in PopMatters magazine, he said "I mean, I quite enjoyed the movie. It was entertaining, you know?" Hill was quoted as saying "It had nothing to do with Rob Halford, Ripper Owens and Judas Priest, it's got nothing to do with that, whatsoever. It was fiction. Apart from the fact that 'Local Boy Makes Good'? That was the only true aspect of the movie." Hill was quick to add "I watched it once. I don't have the urge to watch it again."[10]
Soundtrack
A small number of the songs featured in the film and on the soundtrack were released after the dates given in the film. They are marked with an asterisk.
Partial list of songs that were featured in the movie but did not appear on the soundtrack CD:
- AC/DC – "Are You Ready"*
- Culture Club – "Karma Chameleon"
- Def Leppard – "Let's Get Rocked"*
- Def Leppard – "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)"
- Foghat – "Chateau Lafitte '59 Boogie"
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood – "Relax"
- Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – "Good Vibrations"
- Ralph Saenz, Peter Beckett, and Steve Plunkett – "California Girls" (The Beach Boys cover)
- Talking Heads – "Once in a Lifetime"
- Steel Dragon – "Reckless" (Phoenix Down cover)
- Jennifer Aniston - Believe in Me
- Trevor Rabin - Batman Theme
- Steel Dragon - Crown of Falsehood (written by Zakk Wylde)
- Pat King & Brian Grant - Sheedy's
Year-end charts
|
Blood Pollution
|
Steel Dragon
|
Spouses
|
Others
|
| ||||
| Rock Star | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by various artists | ||||||||
| Released | August 28, 2001 | |||||||
| Genre | Rock | |||||||
| Label | Priority | |||||||
| Review scores | ||||||||
| Source | Rating | |||||||
| AllMusic |    [21] | |||||||
| No. | Title | Artist | Length | |||||
| 1. | "Rock Star" (Art Alexakis) | Everclear | 3:30 | |||||
| 2. | "Livin' the Life" (Steve Plunkett, Peter Beckett) | Steel Dragon | 3:14 | |||||
| 3. | "Wild Side*" (Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee) | Mötley Crüe | 4:34 | |||||
| 4. | "We All Die Young" (Miljenko Matijevic, Kenny Kanowski) | Steel Dragon | 4:01 | |||||
| 5. | "Blood Pollution" (Twiggy Ramirez) | Steel Dragon | 3:59 | |||||
| 6. | "Livin' on a Prayer*" (Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Desmond Child) | Bon Jovi | 4:08 | |||||
| 7. | "Stand Up" (Sammy Hagar) | Steel Dragon | 4:18 | |||||
| 8. | "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent) | Ted Nugent | 8:23 | |||||
| 9. | "Wasted Generation" (Desmond Child, A.Allen (Ajay Popoff), J. Allen (Jeremy Popoff)) | Steel Dragon | 2:54 | |||||
| 10. | "Lick It Up" (Paul Stanley, Vinnie Vincent) | KISS | 3:56 | |||||
| 11. | "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" (Ronnie James Dio, Ritchie Blackmore) | Steel Dragon | 3:27 | |||||
| 12. | "Devil Inside*" (Andrew Farriss, Michael Hutchence) | INXS | 5:13 | |||||
| 13. | "Colorful" (Brian Vander Ark) | The Verve Pipe | 4:25 | |||||
| 14. | "Gotta Have It" (Trevor Rabin) | Trevor Rabin | 2:57 | |||||
| Total length: | 58:59 | |||||||
| Chart (2002) | Position | |||||||
| Canadian Metal Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[22] | 63 | |||||||
THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION (1998)
The Object of My Affection is a 1998 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner, and starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd alongside Alan Alda, Nigel Hawthorne, John Pankow, and Tim Daly. The film was adapted from novel of the same name by Stephen McCauley and the screenplay was written by Wendy Wasserstein. The story is centered around a pregnant New York social worker who develops romantic feelings for her gay new friend and decides to raise her child with him, and the complications that ensue.
It was filmed in 1997 in various locations around New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The film received mixed reviews and was a moderate box office success grossing $46.9 million against a production budget of $15 million.
Plot
Social worker Nina Borowski is a bright young woman living in a cozy Brooklyn apartment. Nina attends a party given by her stepsister Constance and her husband, Sidney. There Nina meets George Hanson, a young, handsome first-grade teacher who is gay. Nina tells George that her stepsister is constantly trying to fix her up with somebody from higher society, completely ignoring the fact that Nina has a boyfriend, Vince. During the conversation, Nina offers George a room in her apartment as she has just heard from his boyfriend, Dr. Robert Joley, that George is looking for somewhere to live. George, not knowing Robert's plans, is taken aback and heartbroken, and after the party, the two split up. George accepts Nina's offer and moves into her apartment.
The two soon become best friends; watching films together and going ballroom dancing. Everything is great until Nina announces that she is pregnant. Vince, the baby's father, wants to marry her, but his constant control drives Nina crazy; she leaves him and George offers to help raise the child. For some time, they live together in her apartment in Brooklyn. Everything is perfect again until Nina finds that her love for George is growing every day, especially after he tells her he had a girlfriend in high school, leading her to believe they might develop a romantic relationship.
One afternoon, George and Nina are about to have sex when George gets a phone call from Robert, telling George he has missed him and invites him away for the weekend. George is confused but agrees to go. Nina feels threatened and jealous. George and Robert do not re-establish their relationship, but George meets Paul James, a young actor, and the two are attracted to each other. Meanwhile, Nina stays with Constance at a vacation mansion and is extremely moody. She has a horrible time, decides to head back home, and asks George to return as well. Her purse is snatched on the way and a friendly police officer, Louis, gives her a ride home.
Nina invites Paul and his older acting mentor with whom he lives, Rodney, for Thanksgiving after a rather prickly brunch with a late arriving George, his brother Frank, and his brother's latest fiancée. After the evening winds down, Paul stays the night with George, resulting in a heated argument between George and Nina, and heartache for Rodney.
At Frank's wedding, they continue their discussion as Nina begins to realize the reality of the situation. Nina fully explains to George her feelings for him. George, who loves Nina as his best friend, tells her that, ultimately, he wants to be with Paul. A few hours later, Nina gives birth to a baby girl she names Molly. Vince, ecstatic, visits her in the hospital, but when he leaves to complete paperwork, Nina and George remain alone with Molly. Nina asks George when he plans to move out to which he replies that he doesn't know. She asks him to move out of her apartment before she gets home from the hospital, stating that it would hurt her too much to have him stay any longer knowing that he doesn't love her the same way she does him.
Eight years later at George's school, everyone goes to see Molly in a musical production that George has directed. George is now the principal of the school. Nina is now in a relationship with Louis, and George is still with Paul, both of them are now happy. Rodney is also there, still considered 'one of the family' by Louis and Nina. Nina, George, and young Molly (who refers to George as her "Uncle George") walk together, hand-in-hand, on their way to get coffee and talk.
Cast
- Jennifer Aniston as Nina Borowski
- Paul Rudd as George Hanson
- John Pankow as Vince McBride
- Allison Janney as Constance Miller
- Alan Alda as Sidney Miller
- Tim Daly as Dr. Robert Joley
- Joan Copeland as Madame Reynolds
- Steve Zahn as Frank Hanson
- Amo Gulinello as Paul James
- Kevin Carroll as Louis Crowley
- Nigel Hawthorne as Rodney Fraser
- Kali Rocha as Melissa
- Gabriel Macht as Steve Casillo
- Sarah Hyland as Molly
- Holli Marie Connors as the girl at the zoo
- Hayden Panettiere as Mermaid
- Liam Aiken as Nathan
- Bruce Altman as Dr. Goldstein
- Daniel Cosgrove as Trotter Bull
- Samia Shoaib as Suni
- Audra McDonald as wedding singer
- Lauren Pratt as Sally
- Paz de la Huerta as 13-year-old Sally
- Salem Ludwig as Mr. Shapiro
- Antonia Rey as Mrs. Ochoa
- John Roland as TV Anchor
- Rosanna Scotto as TV Anchor
- Kia Goodwin as Juliet
Production
Paramount Pictures optioned McCauley's book in the late 1980s.[3] In 1993, Nicholas Hytner was brought in as director.[3] Winona Ryder was offered the role of Nina,[citation needed] but turned it down so Uma Thurman was cast opposite Keanu Reeves.[3] Paramount dropped the projecct in November 1996 and later Reeves and Thurman also dropped out.[3] Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd were cast instead.
The shooting took place from June to July 1997, in New York.[4][5]
Release
Box office
The Object of My Affection was released in US theaters on April 17, 1998, and took in $9,725,855 during its opening weekend, coming in at No. 2 at the box office in 1,890 theaters, averaging $5,146 per theater. The film went on to gross $29,187,243 in the United States alone, over a span of five weekends.[2] The film continued to open in European countries throughout the fall and winter of 1998, and ultimately grossed $17,718,646 outside of the United States.
Critical reception
Critical reaction to the film was mixed. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars, saying: "The Object of My Affection deals with some real issues and has scenes that work, but you can see the wheels of the plot turning so clearly that you doubt the characters have much freedom to act on their own."[6] Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle said the film "occasionally borders on being too clever. But that's a small quibble about a movie that gets so much right."[7]
The film holds a rating of 53% on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes based on 59 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Despite heartfelt performances from Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd, The Object of My Affection suffers from too many plot contrivances and frequent turns into rom-com sappiness."[8] Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 51% based on 18 critics.[9]
Accolades
In efforts of the film it received a GLAAD Media award nomination for Outstanding Film (Wide Release), and won the London Critics Circle Film award for British Supporting Actor of the Year awarded to actor Nigel Hawthorne.[10]
Soundtrack
| The Object of My Affection OST | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | January 1, 1998 | |||
| Genre | Score | |||
| Length | 36:50 | |||
| Label | Ark 21 Records | |||
| George Fenton chronology | ||||
| ||||
All tracks are written by George Fenton
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Object of My Affection" | 2:31 |
| 2. | "The School Show (Front Titles)" | 2:21 |
| 3. | "Schon Rosmarin" | 1:54 |
| 4. | "Off To Work" | 1:40 |
| 5. | "Nina's News" | 1:34 |
| 6. | "The Dance Class (You Were Mean For Me)" | 1:55 |
| 7. | "Father And Son" | 1:04 |
| 8. | "Jolie Calls/Off To College" | 4:29 |
| 9. | "The Announcement (You Were Meant For Me)" | 0:40 |
| 10. | "Home From The Hamptons Part 1" | 2:44 |
| 11. | "Home From The Hampstons Part 2" | 1:16 |
| 12. | "Berceuse" | 2:03 |
| 13. | "New Friends" | 2:18 |
| 14. | "Lewis Reflects" | 1:16 |
| 15. | "George Moves Out" | 1:05 |
| Total length: | 28:50 | |
Additional Music
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Were Meant for Me" | Sting | 3:49 |
| 2. | "You Were Meant for Me (New York Version)" | Sting | 4:11 |
| Total length: | 8:00 | ||