The Slaughter Rule (2002)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Directors:

Alex Smith
Andrew J. Smith

Writers (WGA):

Alex Smith (written by) &
Andrew J. Smith (written by)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Plot:

A young man finds solace with a young woman, his mother, and a high-school football coach who recruits him to quarterback a six-man team.

Plot Keywords:

American Football | Gay Interest | Diabetic | Gay Friend | Rancher's Son

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Ryan Gosling	...	Roy Chutney
David Morse	...	Gideon 'Gid' Ferguson
Clea DuVall	...	Skyla Sisco
David Cale	...	Floyd aka Studebaker
Eddie Spears	...	Tracy Two Dogs
Kelly Lynch	...	Evangeline Chutney
Amy Adams	...	Doreen
Ken White	...	Russ Colfax
Noah Watts	...	Waylon Walks Along
Kim DeLong	...	Lem Axelrod
Geraldine Keams	...	Gretchen Two Dogs
Douglas Seybern	...	Uncle Peyton
Cody Harvey	...	Coach Motlow
Melkon Andonian	...	Devo
J.P. Gabriel	...	Jute

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexual content.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Centerville, Montana, USA

Company:

Solaris

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 2003 IFP Independent Spirit Awards (2003) (TV)

A little behind the scenes info!

Having this movie shot in my hometown (Great Falls, Montana), I answered a local casting call for extras. Blink and you'll miss me in the bonfire/party scene. My high school (Great Falls High) was the school used in the beginning of the film, and the locker room the team is in happens to be the girl's locker room. David Morse's character lives above a vacuum place downtown. The hospital in the movie used to actually be the old Colombus hospital, but is now a office building.

The twins in the movie (Matt and Paul Pippinich), I went to school with for 7 years, and that old orange truck is theirs. Matt played clarinet in a dixieland jazz band.

When I saw this movie at the Wilma theater in Missoula, MT, one of the directors was there to answer questions. He said that they chose Great Falls (pop. approx. 60,000) for shooting "because it was sort of the town that time forgot." In some ways, this is true, but the city is not as run down and rural as it appears in the movie.

Overall, I found myself enjoying this movie more for the "hey, I know him!" or "I lived 2 miles from there" situations. While this wasn't a movie that I would want to watch repeatedly, I still highly suggest it for rental. It's more than just a "sports" movie.

Also, a stellar soundtrack that makes the movie that much better.