A Cool, Dry Place (1998)

Director:

John N. Smith

Writers (WGA):

Michael Grant Jaffe (novel)
Matthew McDuffie (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

love, sex and starting over...

Plot:

A single father balances his work as an attorney with the care of his five year old son and his work as a high school basketball coach in rural Kansas...

Plot Keywords:

Single Father | Kansas | Basketball | Nipple Slip | Nipples Visible Through Clothing

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Vince Vaughn	...	Russell Durrell
Monica Potter	...	Kate Durrell
Joey Lauren Adams	...	Beth Ward
Bobby Moat	...	Calvin Durrell
Devon Sawa	...	Noah Ward
Todd Louiso	...	Bob Harper
Jenny Robertson	...	Joyce Ives
Siobhan Fallon	...	Charlotte
Chris Bauer	...	Larry Ives (as Christopher Bauer)
Nicholas Campbell	...	Frankie Gooland
Aleksa Palladino	...	Bonnie
Janet Kidder	...	Carol Holman
Doug Wert	...	Tom Johnson
Skipp Sudduth	...	Jack Newbauer
Dara Perlmutter	...	Megan

Also Known As:

Dance Real Slow (USA) (original script title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexuality and brief strong language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:14A (Ontario) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #36172) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14

Filming Locations:

Canada

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Quotes:

Kate Durrell: [to Russ] When I was in the bathroom, I was thinking about the time, God, I don't even think Calvin was 6-months-old, when we were down at the lake. And it started to rain, and you put him in the ice chest, you covered him - you covered him with a blanket. And that's the way I always think of him when I think of him with you. Y'know, being safe and protected in a cool dry place.

Movie Connections:

Features "ReBoot" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Precious Life

Good flick, but anticlimatic

I enjoyed "A Cool Dry Place". I found it to be a mellow but entertaining drama about a man's life. It'a very true to life story. Separated Man is out of work, man finds job he isn't happy with, man's ex-wife wants another go just as he finally starts dating a girl he really begins to love, man gets offered a "dream job" but must travel to take it, man's son is stuck in the middle of this. It's well-wtitten, for the most part, but I didn't like the pace. Vince Vaughn is capable of being a funny guy(see Swingers), but they gave his character virtually no sense of humor. I found myself giggle only ocassionally, and never busting out with laughter..while it was a drama, and not meant to be comedic, slow-moving dramas like this could benefits from some laughs. The acting is mostly good, even by child actor Bobby Moat. I'd like to see him take more child roles, as he seems very mature and understands the art of acting well for a child of his age. Vince Vaughn, who's quickly becoming one of my favorites, is well-cast but his talent is underused in this movie. His two love interests, Joey Lauren Adams, and Monica Potter are both nice to looks at, but the only the former seemed comfortable with her role. Joey is a pleasure to watch, while her voice may annoy some, I think it's just part of her charm, a charm that is abundant in this one. On the other hand, Monica Potter seemed nervous and on edge her whole on-screen performance. She doesn't show the true emotion seen in Vaughn, and Adams. Monica has done much better work than this. Like i said, the acting was good, the script was pretty good, the plot was good, but the screenwriter never gave us a climatic moment. This was my problem with the film, which was the same problem I had with "The trigger effect". It's a splendid movie, entertaining usually, but there's never that moment of climax that keeps you glued to the tube. While I found myself liking the movie, and finding it very interesting, I also found myself having a difficult time paying attention about half-way through.

It's definitely worth-watching though..check it out.