Barefoot (2014 film)

Last updated
Barefoot
Barefoot Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Andrew Fleming
Written byStephen Zotnowski
Produced byLisa Demetree
David Scharf
Starring Evan Rachel Wood
Scott Speedman
Treat Williams
Kate Burton
J. K. Simmons
Cinematography Alexander Gruszynski
Edited byTara Timpone
Music by Michael Penn
Production
company
WhiteFlame Productions
Distributed by Roadside Attractions
Release dates
  • February 2, 2014 (2014-02-02)(SBIFF)
  • February 21, 2014 (2014-02-21)(limited)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7.4 million [1]
Box office$15,071 [2]

Barefoot is a 2014 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Andrew Fleming and distributed by Roadside Attractions. It was written by Stephen Zotnowski and is a remake of the 2005 German film Barfuss . [3] Its story follows Jay, the son of a wealthy family who meets Daisy, a psychiatric patient who was raised in isolation, as he takes her home for his brother's wedding. It stars Evan Rachel Wood, Scott Speedman, Treat Williams, Kate Burton and J. K. Simmons.

Contents

The film was produced by WhiteFlame Productions and premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 2, 2014, before receiving a limited release on February 21, 2014. It grossed $11,767 during its opening weekend and $15,071 worldwide. [2] It received negative reviews and has an 18% approval rating based on 22 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. [4]

Plot

Jay Wheeler, the "black sheep" son of a rich family, works as a janitor at a Los Angeles, California psychiatric hospital as part of his probation. One night, he overhears another janitor, Frakel, telling a patient that he's a doctor in order to rape her. Jay knocks him out and tells the patient, Daisy Kensington, to go back to bed.

Daisy, having been admitted to the hospital after being raised in isolation and barefoot all her life, follows Jay. Rather than send her back, he brings her home for his brother's wedding in New Orleans, Louisiana to convince his family that he has straightened out his life. While Daisy impresses them, she also admits to Jay that she was in the hospital for killing her mother.

Jay's father, suspecting that something is amiss, presses her for information, causing Daisy to have a panic attack. Jay gets her into a cab, and tells them the truth, only having come home to get money to pay back a loan shark. Jay and Daisy return to his parents' house, and set out back home in an RV.

Despite the fact that they are both being hunted; they enjoy each other's company. They pull over so he can sleep and, during the night, Daisy wakes him up when a cop pulls up. While Jay hides in the cupboard, she tells the cop that her boyfriend, "Beaver", ran away when he saw the flashing lights. Telling her that his father's name was Beaver, he proceeds to check the RV. While he leaves to search in the bushes on the side of the road for "Beaver", Daisy uses the distraction to throw away the keys to his car, so that she and Jay can escape.

Later, when they make a stop, Jay phones Dr. Bertleman, the doctor who was handling Daisy. When she overhears him saying that he is taking her back to Los Angeles to the psychiatric hospital, she runs away to the RV alone. Attempting to drive away before Jay can get to her, Daisy crashes the RV instead. As Jay opens the door, she climbs out crying, as other people come to check on them.

Jay, curious about Daisy, not truly believing she's schizophrenic as her doctor believes, asks her about whether the voices told her to kill her mother. Daisy tells him that it wasn't her who heard voices, but her mother. Her mother was screaming one night but Daisy didn't go to her, and when she woke up in the morning her mother was dead, causing her to believe she killed her mother. A group of police cars show up, detaining Daisy and arresting Jay.

Jay's mother convinces her husband to bail Jay out. When he returns to his apartment, his belongings have been torn apart as the loan shark comes to collect his debt. Jay flees to the psychiatric hospital to see Daisy, but the security and Dr. Bertleman tell him to leave.

Desperate, Jay goes to the train station, lying down on the tracks so that he'll be deemed suicidal and taken to the psychiatric hospital. Dr. Bertleman, knowing it was just a ruse, dismisses Jay. When he insists that he is suicidal, the doctor puts him in solitary confinement. While at the hospital, another patient gives Jay information on Daisy's well-being and confirms that they're being kept apart.

Frakel sneaks the loan shark's goon into the hospital, who he then strangles Jay using a chain. As Jay is struggling to get him off, the patient who was giving him information takes out the goon by hitting him in the head with a broom.

After this Jay wakes up in the hospital, where Dr. Bertleman apologizes to him about Frakel and tells him he was right about Daisy's mother, who was schizophrenic. The doctor then decides to release them both from the hospital. Jay receives a letter from his father, containing a $40,000 check to pay off his debts. He then meets Daisy at the hospital entrance, where they reconcile before leaving together.

Cast

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 18% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.2/10.The website's consensus reads: "Caution when walking Barefoot: This all-too-disturbing attempt at levity painfully stumbles thanks to an oblivious cast." [5] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 22 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. [6]

Barbara VanDenburgh of the Arizona Republic rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and called the film an "offensively infantilizing [...] spectacularly wrong-headed, chemistry-free romance, and too dumb to know how sexist it is" and calling Evan Rachel Wood's character "a cartoon character" similar to the Little Mermaid who "all but brushes her hair with a fork". [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>My Life Without Me</i> 2003 film

My Life Without Me is a 2003 Canadian drama film directed by Isabel Coixet and starring Sarah Polley, Mark Ruffalo, Scott Speedman, and Leonor Watling. Based on the 1997 short story collection Pretending the Bed Is a Raft by Nanci Kincaid, it tells a story of a 23-year-old woman, with a husband and two daughters, who finds out she is going to die soon. The film is an El Deseo and My Life Productions co-production.

<i>The Princess and the Warrior</i> 2000 film by Tom Tykwer

The Princess and the Warrior is a 2000 German romantic drama film written and directed by Tom Tykwer. It follows the life of Sissi, a psychiatric hospital nurse who, after a near-death experience, enters into a relationship with Bodo, an anguished former soldier who lapses into criminality.

<i>Coma</i> (1978 film) 1978 film by Michael Crichton

Coma is a 1978 American mystery thriller film based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Robin Cook. The film rights were acquired by director Michael Crichton, who also wrote the screenplay, and the movie was produced by Martin Erlichmann for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The cast includes Geneviève Bujold, Michael Douglas, Elizabeth Ashley, Richard Widmark, and Rip Torn. Among the actors in smaller roles are Tom Selleck, Lois Chiles, and Ed Harris.

<i>Girl, Interrupted</i> (film) 1999 film by James Mangold

Girl, Interrupted is a 1999 American biographical psychological drama film written and directed by James Mangold, from a screenplay by Mangold, Lisa Loomer, and Anna Hamilton Phelan, and based on the 1993 memoir of the same name by Susanna Kaysen. Starring Winona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Clea DuVall, Brittany Murphy, Elisabeth Moss, Jared Leto, Angela Bettis, Jeffrey Tambor, Vanessa Redgrave, and Whoopi Goldberg, the film follows a young woman who spends 18 months institutionalized at a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt.

<i>Hellbound: Hellraiser II</i> 1988 horror film by Tony Randel

Hellbound: Hellraiser II is a 1988 supernatural horror film directed by Tony Randel and starring Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Kenneth Cranham and Doug Bradley. The second film in the Hellraiser franchise, Hellraiser II draws heavily upon its precursor, Hellraiser, which was released a year before. Laurence reprises her role as Kirsty Cotton, who is admitted into a psychiatric hospital after the events of the first film. There, the head doctor (Cranham) unleashes the Cenobites, a group of sadomasochistic beings from another dimension.

<i>K-PAX</i> (film) 2001 film by Iain Softley

K-PAX is a 2001 science fiction mystery film based on Gene Brewer's 1995 novel of the same name. An American-German co-production, it was directed by Iain Softley, starring Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack, and Alfre Woodard. The film tells the story of a psychiatric patient who claims to be an alien from the planet K-PAX. During his treatment, the patient demonstrates an outlook on life that ultimately proves inspirational for his fellow patients and especially for his psychiatrist.

<i>Reign Over Me</i> 2007 US buddy drama film by Mike Binder

Reign Over Me is a 2007 American buddy drama film written and directed by Mike Binder, produced by his brother Jack Binder, and starring Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland, Saffron Burrows, and Mike Binder himself. The film follows the story of former college roommates and old friends Alan and Charlie, the latter of whom is struggling with depression after the death of his wife and daughters in the September 11 attacks. This was also Melinda Dillon's final film acting role before retiring from acting later that same year and her death in 2023.

<i>On the Edge</i> (2001 film) 2001 film by John Carney

On the Edge is a 2001 Irish drama film co-written and directed by John Carney and starring Cillian Murphy, Tricia Vessey, Jonathan Jackson and Stephen Rea. The dramedy tells the story of a suicidal young man and his stay in a Dublin psychiatric hospital where he meets new friends who greatly influence his life.

<i>Manic</i> (2001 film) 2001 American drama film by Jordan Melamed

Manic is a 2001 American drama film directed by Jordan Melamed and written by Michael Bacall and Blayne Weaver. It was shown at several film festivals in 2001 and 2002, including the Sundance Film Festival. The region 1 DVD was released January 20, 2004. This also marks the first time actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel have worked together as each other's main love interest in a film, the second being (500) Days of Summer.

<i>Young Doctors in Love</i> 1982 film by Garry Marshall

Young Doctors in Love is a 1982 American comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. It spoofs a variety of medical shows and has many guest stars from ABC soap operas.

<i>Choke</i> (2008 film) 2008 film by Clark Gregg

Choke is a 2008 American black comedy film written and directed by Clark Gregg, based on the 2001 novel by Chuck Palahniuk. It stars Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston. It tells the story of a man who works in a colonial theme park, attends sexual addiction recovery meetings, and intentionally chokes on food in upscale restaurants so his "rescuers" give him money out of sympathy and thus cover his mother's Alzheimer's disease hospital bills.

<i>On a Clear Day You Can See Forever</i> (film) 1970 musical/romantic fantasy film directed by Vincente Minnelli

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever is a 1970 American musical comedy-drama fantasy film starring Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand and directed by Vincente Minnelli. The screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner is adapted from his book for the 1965 stage production of the same name. The songs feature lyrics by Lerner and music by Burton Lane. Yves portrays a hypnotherapist who discovers that his meek patient (Streisand) has an enigmatic past life as a 19th century aristocrat and begins to fall in love with her.

<i>Shrink</i> (film) 2009 film directed by Jonas Pate

Shrink is a 2009 American independent black comedy-drama film about a psychiatrist who treats members of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, California. It is directed by Jonas Pate, written by Thomas Moffett, and stars Kevin Spacey with an ensemble cast. The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and includes music by Jackson Browne. Shrink received negative reviews from critics, praising Spacey's performance but critical of the film's scripting and directing.

<i>Man Facing Southeast</i> 1986 film

Man Facing Southeast is a 1986 Argentine science fiction drama film written and directed by Eliseo Subiela, starring Lorenzo Quinteros and Hugo Soto.

<i>Its Kind of a Funny Story</i> (film) 2010 American film

It's Kind of a Funny Story is a 2010 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, an adaptation of Ned Vizzini's 2006 novel of the same name. The film stars Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, and Viola Davis. It was released in the United States on October 8, 2010, and received generally mixed reviews.

<i>Coma</i> (American miniseries) 2012 US medical thriller miniseries by Mikael Salomon

Coma is a 2012 American television miniseries based on the 1977 novel Coma by Robin Cook and the subsequent 1978 film Coma. The four-hour medical thriller was originally broadcast on A&E on September 3–4, 2012.

<i>Hours</i> (2013 film) 2013 film by Eric Heisserer

Hours is a 2013 American thriller film directed and written by Eric Heisserer. The film stars Paul Walker, Genesis Rodriguez, TJ Hassan, Shane Jacobsen, and Judd Lormand, and follows a father who struggles to keep his newborn infant daughter alive after the electricity cuts off in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The film premiered on March 10, 2013 at the South by Southwest Film Festival in the Topfer Theatre in Austin, Texas. It went on general release on December 13, 2013, two weeks after Paul Walker's death on November 30, 2013.

<i>The Vatican Tapes</i> 2015 American film

The Vatican Tapes is a 2015 American supernatural horror film directed by Mark Neveldine from a screenplay written by Christopher Borrelli and Michael C. Martin, based on a story conceived by Borrelli and Chris Morgan.

<i>Elephant Song</i> (film) 2014 film

Elephant Song is a 2014 Canadian drama film directed by Charles Binamé and adapted from the same titled stage play by Nicolas Billon. The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>The Couch</i> (film) 1962 film

The Couch is a 1962 American psychological horror film directed by Owen Crump from a screenplay by Robert Bloch and a story by Blake Edwards and Owen Crump. The film stars Grant Williams, Shirley Knight, and Onslow Stevens. The film was released by Warner Bros. on February 21, 1962.

References

  1. ↑ "Fastlane NextGen: Initial Certification Search" (Type "Barefoot" in the search box). Louisiana Economic Development. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Barefoot". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  3. ↑ Holden, Stephen (20 February 2014). "A Pretty Mental Patient Comes Home to Meet the Folks". The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Barefoot (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Barefoot". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved June 15, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  6. ↑ "Barefoot". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc.
  7. ↑ VanDenburgh, Barbara. "Review: 'Barefoot'". Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.