Dean (film)

Last updated
Dean
Dean poster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Demetri Martin
Written byDemetri Martin
Produced by
  • Giles Andrew
  • Elliott Watson
  • Jessica Latham
  • Demetri Martin
  • Charles James Denton [1]
Starring
CinematographyMark Schwartzband
Edited byJosh Salzberg
Production
companies
  • Honora [2]
  • Abbolita Productions
Distributed by
Release dates
Running time
93 minutes [3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$950,000 [4]
Box office$254,536 [3]

Dean is a 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Demetri Martin and produced by Honora Productions. The film stars Martin, Gillian Jacobs and Kevin Kline. [1] [5] [6] [7] Martin plays the title character, Dean, who is a published cartoon artist who draws in a simple style with felt pen and Bristol board. The drawings in the film are done by Martin.

Contents

The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 16, 2016 and was released in the United States on June 2, 2017. [8]

Plot

Dean lives in Brooklyn and has recently lost his mother. His father, Robert, is having difficulty adjusting to being alone. Dean's ex-fiancée Michelle tries to give back the ring, as Dean has "un-proposed", but he refuses.

Dean's best friend from college Brett is getting married, and is actually the "second best" man behind Kevin. Dean's cat-obsessed friend Eric has also come from Los Angeles for the wedding. At the wedding, Dean's ex distracts him, and he drops the wedding ring. At the reception, Dean begins his best man speech, but gets interrupted by Kevin, who tries to assault him.

The next morning, Dean's dad announces he is selling the house. To postpone, Dean uses an excuse of an LA trip to meet with an ad agency who want to use his drawings. Frustrated by Dean's lack of engagement, his father has already brought in realtors Carol and Patrick, who he incorrectly assumes are married. Later Robert sees Carol's online dating profile on her PC, and he uses it to flirt with her.

Meanwhile the advertising agency puts Dean off by their idea to use his work in a deodorant ad. Dean excuses himself and leaves. Calling his LA friends, including Becca and Eric, he goes to a party, where he meets Nicky. He is immediately attracted to her and pursues her clumsily, despite her friend Jill blocking him. He gives Nicky his number, written on small notebook paper in a "twentieth-century way."

As Dean is flying out, Nicky's text invites him to the beach, so he gets off the plane and heads to meet her. Finding each other, they go to dinner. He kisses her at the end of the night. After an unsuccessful meetup with Nicky and Jill at an art gallery, Nicky tells Dean that she and Jill are going to San Francisco, and he asks if he and Eric can tag along. Just before a hike, Eric gets a call about a cat emergency and insists on flying home immediately.

Robert and Carol have been dating in New York. Returning from a play, Carol invites him to her apartment for coffee, but he declines because he is "still married." Meanwhile, Nicky spends the night with Dean, where he confesses he thinks he is in love with her, then mentions the failed engagement and his mother dying. In the morning, Nicky leaves him a "twentieth-century style" letter at the front desk, apologizing for not telling him she is separated from a current husband.

Dean returns to New York and finishes his book. Robert now lives in an apartment in the city. Dean apologizes for not being there, and finally reconciles with his dad. Dean sends a message and signed copy of his book to Eric, telling him of what he's learned about loss and healing. Robert sees Carol walking in his neighborhood, and they walk on together.

Cast

Comedian H. Jon Benjamin has an uncredited cameo as a phone salesman.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 62% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 6.13/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Dean's light touch with heavy themes -- and a talented cast led by writer-director-star Demetri Martin -- help compensate for the familiar story's narrative drift." [9] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film holds a score of 58 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [10]

Based in part on Martin's own experience losing his father at age 20 to kidney cancer [11] that may have been caused by a nearby Superfund site, [12] Dean received the prize for Best Narrative Feature from the Tribeca Film Festival in 2016, and the Tribeca jury praised the film for "breathing new life into a well-worn genre." [5] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film, a story of grief, generally feels less meta than Martin's comedy work, and he opined that Martin effectively pulls the audience "along for the ride." He continues, "If grief dramedies are as much a rite of passage as romantic rebounds, it's exciting to imagine what Martin's next step as a filmmaker will look like." [13] Critiques of the film focused on the movie's similarity to others in the genre, at some points failing to differentiate itself from its more successful influences. [1]

It ran four weeks in theaters, with a limited distribution. [3] Although not a box-office bomb, it did not recoup the original investment in the theatrical run.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Kline</span> American actor

Kevin Delaney Kline is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award and three Tony Awards, and has been nominated for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 2003, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

<i>Casino</i> (1995 film) 1995 film directed by Martin Scorsese

Casino is a 1995 American epic crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, produced by Barbara De Fina and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is based on the 1995 nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay along with Scorsese. It stars Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, and James Woods. The film was the eighth collaboration between director Scorsese and De Niro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demetri Martin</span> American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer, and humorist

Demetri Evan Martin is an American comedian, actor, writer, director, cartoonist and musician. He was a contributor on The Daily Show. In stand-up, he is known for his deadpan delivery, playing his guitar for jokes, and his satirical cartoons. He starred as Ice Bear in Cartoon Network's We Bare Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Farley</span> Actor

Kevin Prindiville Farley is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer and director. He is a brother of late American comedian and actor Chris Farley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tribeca Festival</span> Annual film festival held in New York, US

The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2002 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Until 2020, the festival was known as the Tribeca Film Festival.

<i>Bell, Book and Candle</i> 1958 film by Richard Quine

Bell, Book and Candle is a 1958 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Richard Quine from a screenplay by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1950 Broadway play of the same title by John Van Druten and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs. Novak portrays a witch who casts a spell on her neighbor, played by Stewart. The supporting cast features Lemmon, Kovacs, Hermione Gingold, Elsa Lanchester, and Janice Rule. The film is considered Stewart's final role as a romantic lead.

<i>Blade: The Series</i> American superhero television series

Blade: The Series is an American superhero television series that ran from June 28 to September 13, 2006. It was based on the Marvel Comics character and film series, taking place after the events of Blade: Trinity. The show premiered on Spike at June 28, 2006. Sticky Fingaz starred in the title role, alongside Jill Wagner as Krista Starr, Neil Jackson as Marcus van Sciver, Jessica Gower as Chase, and Nelson Lee as Shen. The two-hour pilot was directed by Peter O'Fallon from a script by David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns.

<i>Weeds</i> (season 7) Season of television series

The seventh season of Weeds premiered on June 27, 2011, on the television cable network Showtime and consisted of 13 episodes. As the season picks up, Nancy has spent three years in prison and now lives in a strictly monitored halfway house in New York City, where the family meet after they have spent three years in Denmark.

<i>Angie Tribeca</i> American comedy television series

Angie Tribeca is an American sitcom created by Steve and Nancy Carell, which aired on TBS. The series, a parody of the police procedural genre, stars Rashida Jones as police detective Angie Tribeca. It also stars Hayes MacArthur, Jere Burns, Deon Cole and Andrée Vermeulen in supporting roles.

<i>Holidays</i> (2016 film) 2016 American film

Holidays is a 2016 American horror anthology film of subversive short horror films, each inspired by a different celebration. The directors include Kevin Smith, Gary Shore, Adam Egypt Mortimer, Scott Stewart, Nicholas McCarthy, Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch, Sarah Adina Smith, and Anthony Scott Burns.

<i>Special Correspondents</i> 2016 film

Special Correspondents is a 2016 satirical comedy film written, directed by and starring Ricky Gervais. The film stars Gervais, Eric Bana, Vera Farmiga, Kelly Macdonald, Kevin Pollak, Benjamin Bratt, America Ferrera and Raúl Castillo. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on 22 April 2016 and was released worldwide by Netflix on 29 April 2016. The film follows two radio journalists who concoct a scheme to fake their kidnappings in South America.

<i>Dont Think Twice</i> 2016 American film

Don't Think Twice is a 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Birbiglia and starring Birbiglia, Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Kate Micucci, Tami Sagher and Chris Gethard. The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 13, 2016, and was released on July 22, 2016, by The Film Arcade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paolo Genovese</span> Italian director and screenwriter (born 1966)

Paolo Genovese is an Italian director and screenwriter.

<i>Rebirth</i> (2016 film) 2016 American film

Rebirth is a 2016 American thriller film written and directed by Karl Mueller. The film stars Fran Kranz, Adam Goldberg, Nicky Whelan, Kat Foster, Andrew J. West and Eric Ladin. The film was released on July 15, 2016, on Netflix.

<i>Lemon</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

Lemon is an American comedy-drama film directed by Janicza Bravo in her feature directorial debut, from a screenplay by Bravo and Brett Gelman. It stars Gelman, Judy Greer, Michael Cera, Shiri Appleby, Fred Melamed, Rhea Perlman, David Paymer, Gillian Jacobs, Jon Daly, Martin Starr, Megan Mullally, Jeff Garlin, Elizabeth De Razzo, Marla Gibbs and Nia Long.

<i>Mr. Roosevelt</i> 2017 American film

Mr. Roosevelt is an American comedy film written, directed by, and starring Noël Wells, in her directorial debut. It co-stars Nick Thune, Britt Lower, Daniella Pineda, Andre Hyland, Doug Benson, Armen Weitzman, and Sergio Cilli.

<i>Blame</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

Blame is a 2017 American teen psychological drama film written, co-produced, edited, and directed by Quinn Shephard, who also stars alongside Nadia Alexander, Tate Donovan, and Chris Messina. The film is Shephard's feature film directorial debut. It screened at several film festivals, including at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it was nominated for several awards and won the award for Best Actress in a US Narrative Feature.

<i>The Good House</i> (film) 2021 American film

The Good House is a 2021 American comedy-drama film directed by Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, who wrote the screenplay with Thomas Bezucha. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ann Leary.

<i>Becky</i> (2020 film) American thriller film

Becky is a 2020 American action thriller film directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion, from a screenplay by Nick Morris, Lane Skye, and Ruckus Skye. The film stars Lulu Wilson, Kevin James, and Joel McHale.

<i>Dont Tell a Soul</i> (film) 2021 film by Alex McAulay

Don't Tell a Soul is a 2020 American thriller film written and directed by Alex McAulay, in his directorial debut. It stars Rainn Wilson as a security guard who gets trapped in a hole chasing two teens who stole $12,000, and must barter for his life; Mena Suvari also stars.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tobias, Scott (2016-04-16). "Tribeca Film Review: 'Dean'" Variety.com. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  2. ↑ "Dean". Honora. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  3. 1 2 3 "Dean (2017)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Demetri Martin at 'Dean' Premiere: 'I Beat the Odds'". Variety. 25 May 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Fleming, Mike, Jr. (2016-04-22). "Demetri Martin Tribeca Winner 'Dean' Scores CBS Films Deal". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  6. ↑ Kim, Kristen Yoonsoo (2016-04-19). "Gillian Jacobs and Demetri Martin on LA and Creating Female Characters Who Are Actual Human Beings". Complex.com. Complex Media, Inc. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  7. ↑ Cox, Gordon (2016-04-21). "Tribeca Film Festival: Demetri Martin’s ‘Dean,’ Documentary ‘Do Not Resist’ Win Top Awards (Full List)". Variety. Retrieved 2016-04-23.
  8. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (February 16, 2017). "'Dean' Trailer: Demetri Martin & Kevin Kline Deal with Death, Life & the Future". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Dean (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Dean reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  11. ↑ WTF with Marc Maron, Episode 817: "Lesley Stahl/Demetri Martin"(2017-06-05). Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  12. ↑ Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Services Consumer and Environmental Health Services (1997-09). "Childhood Cancer Incidence Health Consultation: A Review and Analysis of Cancer Registry Data, 1979-1995, for Dover Township (Ocean County), New Jersey." New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. Retrieved from State.NJ.US 2017-09-25.
  13. ↑ DeFore, John (2016-04-16). "'Dean': Tribeca Review." TheHollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01.

Dean at IMDb

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.