Full Frontal (2002)

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writer:

Coleman Hough (written by)

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Everybody Needs A Release

Plot:

A day in the life of a group of men and women in Hollywood, in the hours leading up to a friend's birthday party.

Plot Keywords:

Birthday Party | Acting | Hitler | Low Budget Film | Massage

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Bill / Gus
Nicky Katt	...	Hitler
Catherine Keener	...	Lee
Brian Krow	...	Bellboy
Mary McCormack	...	Linda
David Hyde Pierce	...	Carl
Julia Roberts	...	Catherine / Francesca
Blair Underwood	...	Nicholas / Calvin
Enrico Colantoni	...	Arty / Ed
Erika Alexander	...	Lucy
Tracy Vilar	...	Heather
Brandon Keener	...	Francesca's Assistant
Jeff Garlin	...	Harvey, Probably
David Alan Basche	...	Nicholas' Agent
Terence Stamp	...	Man on Plane / Himself

Also Known As:

How to Survive a Hotel Room Fire (USA) (working title)
The Art of Negotiating a Turn (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate #38888) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:A | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Beverly Blvd. at Vista, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

In the scene when Nicholas (Blair Underwood) is giving a rap/speech in the limo to Catherine (Julia Roberts) he says the line "briefly be seen kissing a pretty woman under a pelican moon". Julia Roberts starred in Pretty Woman (1990) and The Pelican Brief (1993).

Goofs:

Continuity: Catherine's black notebook and pen suddenly appear on the airplane armrest between shots, after her tape player clicks.

Quotes:

[from the trailer]
Carl: You can't pretend that you are having sex with someone, when you are actually having sex with them.

Movie Connections:

References Le mépris (1963)

Soundtrack:

Sarah

Confusing But Satisfying

"Full Frontal" is probably one of the most difficult movies to watch, at least the first half. The movie within a movie definitely confused (though the hint in the credits strongly suggested as much). What really disappointed was the quality of the movie within the movie, while the production value was good, the script and the plot didn't seem anywhere near what a movie would be. On the other hand, the production value of the rest of the movie didn't detract unlike what some other critics have complained. With real tv now the big rage, what the audience expects isn't all that clear.

By the end of the movie, events move forward more quickly, the separate strands tie together and the end (though not original) does help to make the movie wrap up in a nice package. (It's Brad Pitt's last commentary after the credits that really does a number - making one realize that Soderbergh actually did a nice job at focusing on what was really important to him).

While a difficult to movie to wade through at first (a definitely not for everybody), the movie for me was eventually understandable, at times enjoyable, and worth the trip and expense. I just wish a little more effort had been made at helping the audience get through it.