Henry Gamble's Birthday Party
| Henry Ramble's Birthday Party | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Stephen Cone |
| Written by | Stephen Cone |
| Produced by | Stephen Cone Bryan Hart Laura Klein Michael A. Leppen Shane Simmons |
| Starring | Pat Healy Tyler Ross Kelly O'Sullivan Francis Guinan Elizabeth Laidlaw |
| Cinematography | Jason Chiu |
| Edited by | Stephen Cone (uncredited) |
| Music by | Page Campbell Daniel Donahue Heather McIntosh |
| Distributed by | Wolfe Video[1] |
Release date | May 7, 2015 |
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Henry Gamble's Birthday Party is a 2015 drama film written and directed by Stephen Cone.
Cast
- Pat Healy as Bob Gamble
- Tyler Ross as Aaron
- Kelly O'Sullivan as Candice Noble
- Francis Guinan as Larry Montgomery
- Elizabeth Laidlaw as Kat Gamble
- Spencer Curnutt as Cooper
- Cole Doman as Henry Gamble
- Joe Keery as Gabe
- Melanie Neilan as Christine
- Hanna Dworkin as Bonnie Montgomery
- Daniel Kyri as Logan
- Zoe Tyson as Cheyenne
- Mia Hulen as Emily
- Meg Thalken as Rose Matthews
- Jack Ball as Jon
- Grace Melon as Heather
- Travis A. Knight as Keith Noble
- Patrick Andrews as Ricky Matthews
- Darci Nalepa as Grace Montgomery
- Nina Ganet as Autumn Gamble
Production
The film had a principle production schedule of 18 days.[2]
Release
The film was premiered on May 7, 2015 at the Maryland Film Festival.[3] The film later premiered in New York City at the BAMcinemaFest on June 25, 2015.[4][5]
Home media
On September 8, 2015, it was reported that Wolfe Video had acquired the rights to Henry Gamble's Birthday Party with plans to distribute the film on VOD and DVD in early 2016.[1]
Reception
Critical response
Henry Gamble's Birthday Party received a generally positive response from critics. The film holds a 71% positive "Fresh" rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 59 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as a "somewhat less successful" work than Cone's similarly themed 2011 film The Wise Kids, but nevertheless lauded, "The film works best in its quieter moments, especially in its touching climactic scene in which Henry, sensitively portrayed by Doman in his film debut, finally allows himself to act on his suppressed impulses. It adds a welcome hopeful note to the preceding turmoil, reminding us yet again that the heart inevitably wants what it wants."[8] Carson Kohler of Vox also praised the film, writing, "There are so many substantial issues that this birthday party illuminates. Sexuality. The church. Sexuality and the church. And that’s one line of the issues."[9] Joe Ehrman-Dupre of Indiewire praised the film as "miraculous" and wrote:
"It's very difficult for me to hate people," Stephen Cone tells me, and I believe him. If he were a vengeful writer, or an angry director—if he didn’t care so damn much about each and every one of his characters—this "Birthday Party" would quickly devolve into stereotypical zealot madness. As it stands, though, Henry Gamble has surrounded himself with complex, difficult, frustrated people. Essentially, people with stories, just like you and me.[10]
Ben Kenigsberg The New York Times gave the film a more mixed review, however, describing Cone as "not a sophisticated writer" and remarking, "Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party feels sincere but not accomplished, empathetic but not deep."[11]
Accolades
The film was awarded the SHOUT Jury Award and the Audience Narrative Award at the 2015 Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.[1][12]
References
- ^ a b c Sharf, Zack (September 8, 2015). "Exclusive: Wolfe Releasing Acquires Gay Coming-Of-Age Drama 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party'". Indiewire. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- ^ Radish, Christina (August 22, 2014). "Tyler Ross Talks THE KILLING Season 4, Moving to Netflix, Where His Character Ends Up, HENRY GAMBLE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY, and More". Collider.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- ^ Newman, Nick (May 1, 2015). "Pat Healy and More Celebrate In First Images from Stephen Cone's 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party'". The Film Stage. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ Weston, Hillary (June 25, 2015). "Director Stephen Cone & Actor Cole Doman on Their New Queer Coming of Age Film 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party'". BlackBook Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ Feinstein, Howard (June 16, 2015). "Chronicle of a Dream Foretold: BAMcinemaFest 2015". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ "Henry Gamble's Birthday Party". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "Henry Gamble's Birthday Party reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ Scheck, Frank (July 7, 2015). "'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- ^ Kohler, Carson (June 12, 2015). "Homebrewed Movie & Beer: Henry Gamble's Birthday Party". Vox. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- ^ Ehrman-Dupre, Joe (June 19, 2015). "'A Lot Of Stories:' Christianity and the Queer Human Condition At 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party'". Indiewire. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- ^ Kenigsberg, Ben (January 7, 2016). "Review: In 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party,' Sexual Repression (and Clothes) Start to Fall Away". The New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ Carlton, Bob (August 30, 2015). "Sidewalk Film Festival 2015 announces winners; here's the list". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved September 10, 2015.