Storytelling (film)
| Storytelling | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Todd Solondz |
| Written by | Todd Solondz |
| Produced by | Christine Vachon Ted Hope |
| Starring | Selma Blair Leo Fitzpatrick Paul Giamatti John Goodman |
| Cinematography | Frederick Elmes |
| Edited by | Alan Oxman |
| Music by | Nathan Larson Belle & Sebastian |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Fine Line Features |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 87 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Spanish |
| Box office | $921,445[2] |
Storytelling is a 2001 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Todd Solondz. It features original music by Belle & Sebastian, later compiled on an album of the same name. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.[3]
Plot
The film consists of two stories that are unrelated and have different actors, titled "Fiction" and "Non-Fiction".
"Fiction," starring Selma Blair, is about a group of college students in a creative writing class taught by a professor who has affairs with his students.
"Non-Fiction," starring Paul Giamatti and John Goodman, is about the filming of a high school student and his family through the college application process.
Third story
The original version of the film featured a third story, concerning, among other things, a closeted football player played by actor James van der Beek. But for unknown reasons, possibly that the character had an explicit sex scene with a male partner (Steven Rosen); the entire story was cut from the final version.[1]
Cast
- Fiction
- Selma Blair as Vi
- Leo Fitzpatrick as Marcus
- Robert Wisdom as Mr. Scott
- Maria Thayer as Amy
- Angela Goethals as Elli
- Devorah Rose as Lucy
- Nancy Anne Ridder as Joyce
- Steven Rosen as Ethan
- Aleksa Palladino as Catherine
- Mary Lynn Rajskub as Melinda
- Tina Holmes as Sue
- Non-fiction
- Paul Giamatti as Toby Oxman
- Mike Schank as Mike the cameraman
- Xander Berkeley as Mr. DeMarco
- Mark Webber as Scooby Livingston
- John Goodman as Marty Livingston
- Julie Hagerty as Fern Livingston
- Noah Fleiss as Brady Livingston
- Jonathan Osser as Mikey Livingston
- Lupe Ontiveros as Consuela
- Steve Railsback as Mr. Kirk
- Franka Potente as Toby's editor
- Conan O'Brien as himself
Red box controversy
During the sex scene in the "Fiction" part of the film, a red box was added for the American version of the film, blocking the audience's view of a rough sex scene between Selma Blair and Robert Wisdom. This was used to bend the rules of the MPAA's rating system, allowing the film to obtain the R rating instead of NC-17. Initially the red box was to have had the word "Censored" on it, but the MPAA also deemed this unacceptable because they do not consider themselves censors.[citation needed] Solondz described the addition of the box as a political statement: "I was prepared to make that political statement. This is something I've always been prepared to do, as long as the audience is aware of what it's not allowed to see. That's how I feel "politically" about that. (...)" [2] [dead link]The box is not present in the international version of the film, although in the American DVD release, both options are available.
References
- ^ "STORYTELLING (18)". British Board of Film Classification. October 3, 2001. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ Storytelling at Box Office Mojo Retrieved May 29, 2013
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Storytelling". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
External links
- 2001 films
- 2000s comedy-drama films
- American films
- American comedy-drama films
- English-language films
- Spanish-language films
- Films directed by Todd Solondz
- Films about dysfunctional families
- Films about people with cerebral palsy
- Films about suburbia
- Films shot in New Jersey
- Films shot in New York
- Independent films
- New Line Cinema films