Stolen Summer (2002)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Pete Jones

Writer:

Pete Jones (written by)

Release Date:

25 July 2003 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

You saw the back-stabbing. Now see the final cut.

Plot:

Pete, an eight-year-old Catholic boy growing up in the suburbs of Chicago in the mid-1970s, attends Catholic school...

Plot Keywords:

Catholic | Catholicism | Cultural Difference | Friendship | 1970s

Cast

Aidan Quinn	...	Joe O'Malley
Bonnie Hunt	...	Margaret O'Malley
Kevin Pollak	...	Rabbi Jacobsen
Eddie Kaye Thomas	...	Patrick O'Malley
Lisa Dodson	...	Mrs. Jacobsen
Mike Weinberg	...	Danny Jacobsen
Adiel Stein	...	Pete O'Malley (as Adi Stein)
Brian Dennehy	...	Father Kelly
Peggy Roeder	...	Sister Leonora Mary
Martin Hughes	...	Jimmy
Ryan Kelley	...	Seamus O'Malley
Lindsay Light	...	Katie O'Malley
Will Malnati	...	Eddie O'Malley
Kristie Kelley	...	Marie O'Malley
Etel Billig	...	Esther

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and language.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | UK:PG | USA:TV-PG (cable rating) | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:I | Malaysia:(Banned) | New Zealand:PG | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

All Nighter Inc.

Trivia:

This film was the result of "Project Greenlight," the first-time-director competition launched by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Miramax, and was the subject of the HBO documentary of the same name, which aired in Winter 2002. The documentary revealed many behind-the-scenes snafus, which led to the mid-production firing of co-producer Jeff Balis.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The film is set in 1976, but during one of the beach scenes, we see several buildings on the Chicago skyline that were not built until several years later (e.g., the new Prudential Building "Pru-2").

Quotes:

Joe O'Malley: Baseball should be the only thing on an eight year old boy's mind.

Movie Connections:

Spin off from "Project Greenlight" (2001)

Soundtrack:

FRIEND

Surprisingly Decent

I watched the entire series of Project Greenlight in one sitting (had to rent it on DVD, we don't have HBO yet in my ice country); had I not watched the show, I would not have given Stolen Summer more than a cursory glance. Though I enjoyed Greenlight more than the movie, I enjoyed Stolen Summer for its sincerity and some of the performances. Plus, seeing what I'll have to go through in the future made me appreciate Pete Jones' situation, thus making me ease up on the film. Despite that, the film has its sloppy moments: the two boys are not exactly RADA grads, the editing could be much better (though the same could be said about 99% of every film made since the mid 1930s) and some of the camera work is unnecessarily shaky (I enjoy handheld shots, but only in moderation and when they fit the context of the scene). But the performances by Aidan Quinn and especially Kevin Pollak are pretty damn good. Yes, there is melodrama, but it works; furthermore, it actually deals with big questions like death, god, and existence, high concept terms you wouldn't find in a high concept picture. So watch Stolen Summer, but please watch it after Greenlight.