Spin (2003/I)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

James Redford

Writers (WGA):

Donald Everett Axinn (novel)
James Redford (screenplay)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Plot:

An orphaned boy is raised by a Latino family in the 1950s.

Plot Keywords:

Plane Crash | Coming Of Age | Period Film | Aviation | Teenage

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Brendan Guy Murphy	...	Sam Haley (as Brendan Murphy)
Max Madore	...	Young Eddie
Rubén Blades	...	Ernesto
Dana Delany	...	Margaret
Stanley Tucci	...	Frank Haley
Marissa Baca	...	Young Francesca
Daniel O'Haco	...	Alberto Montoya (as Danny O'Haco)
Ryan Merriman	...	Eddie Haley
David Alexander Johnston	...	Principal (as David A. Johnston)
Rich Montague	...	Brad
Dave Adams	...	Coach Allen (as David Adams)
Michael Heistand	...	Chris
Paula Garcés	...	Francesca
Heather Conforto	...	Julie (as Heather Rae)
Miguel Ortega	...	Manny

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some violent images.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Spin Prods. LLC

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Eddie gets into the plane to fly to Mexico and pick up Francesca, he starts the plane from the interior. The Piper seen in the film was a model that did not have an interior starting mechanism - someone had to spin the propeller to start the aircraft.

Soundtrack:

Fine Looking Woman

'Coming-Of-Age' Film Deserves More Recognition

This is one coming-of-age film I really liked and respected. Most of them are not "my cup of tea." However, this one features nothing but likable characters, including the teens. Yeah, they're not perfect; they have a few "moments," but mostly Ryan Merriman ("Eddie") and Paula Garces ("Francesca") are good kids.

The adults are even better, just wonderful people. Dana Dalaney ("Margaret") and Reuben Blades ("Ernesto") play a couple who adopts young "Eddie" who loses his parents in a small- plane accident. Stanley Tucci ("Frank") has a key role as a mentor of the boy, a guy who leaves Eddie when he's young but comes back and teaches the now-17-year-old how to fly.

Language-wise, there as almost zero profanity for the first hour, but there were cases of it in the last third of the movie. The photography is nice in here, too, especially for a film, I suspect, was low budgeted.

This little-known film should be better-known. It's a nice story. I really can't imagine anyone watching this film and not enjoying and respecting it.