Down to You

Last updated
Down to You
Down to you.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKris Isacsson
Written byKris Isacsson
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Robert D. Yeoman
Edited by Stephen A. Rotter
Music byEdmund Choi
Distributed by Miramax Films
Release date
  • January 21, 2000 (2000-01-21)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
French
Budget$11 million [1]
Box office$24.4 million [1]

Down to You is a 2000 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Kris Isacsson, starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Julia Stiles as young lovers who meet in college and go through the ups and downs of a relationship. Selma Blair, Shawn Hatosy, Zak Orth, Ashton Kutcher, Rosario Dawson, Lucie Arnaz, and Henry Winkler play supporting roles. Isacsson's first and only theatrical feature film, Down to You paired Prinze and Stiles a year after their respective starring roles in the successful high school-set romantic comedies She's All That and 10 Things I Hate About You . The released version of the film was very different than the screenplay and the director's original cut, due to extensive post-production ordered by Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein. [2] Despite being the second-highest grossing film at the domestic box office its opening weekend, the film was panned by critics, and grossed $24.4 million against its $11 million budget. [1]

Contents

Plot

While attending college in New York City, sophomore Al and freshman Imogen begin dating. After three months they have fallen in love. Imogen, an aspiring artist, arranges a private showing at an art gallery for Al's birthday, after which the two have sex for the first time.

Al's roommate Monk, who has become a pornographic film actor and director, tells him that love is illusory and fleeting, and Monk's co-star Cyrus flirts with Al. Al loses a bet and must perform as an extra in one of Monk's films. This causes an argument between him and Imogen, who wants to spend time with him before she goes to France for the summer. He abandons the film in favor of spending the night with her.

While in France, Imogen is asked by her cousin if she and Al will marry. This unnerves her as she is only nineteen, and she acts differently toward Al on her return. His father, who hosts a cooking show, wants to do a father-and-son show after Al graduates, but Al would rather pursue his dream of becoming a chef of French cuisine.

Concerned that he and Imogen are drifting apart, Al arranges a picnic in the countryside; on the way back, she drives drunk and crashes into a tree. Seeing the accident as a sign, they try to improve their relationship. Though they seem happy, Monk predicts it is a precursor to a breakup.

When Imogen declines to have sex one night, Al feels emasculated and has a sexual fantasy about Cyrus. Imogen fears that she may be pregnant, and though she turns out not to be, this further strains their relationship. At one of Monk's parties, Cyrus tries to seduce Al, but he declines.

Meanwhile, Imogen spends time with musician acquaintance Jim; when Al learns she has agreed to design Jim's album cover, they argue and she leaves upset. The next day, she confesses she had sex with Jim afterward. After a tearful breakup, she moves to San Francisco to finish school.

Al graduates but becomes depressed. Monk is too preoccupied with his new work as an author and lecturer to comfort him, and their friendship dissolves. After a period of isolation, Al starts dating again and has a casual relationship with Cyrus, but she eventually moves away. He enrolls in the French Culinary Institute but feels unmotivated and drops out, and is reduced to bar-hopping with his single friend Eddie. Drunk and missing Imogen, he tries to purge himself of his feelings for her by drinking a bottle of her shampoo, resulting in his hospitalization.

Al's parents throw a party with his friends to lift his spirits. Monk apologizes to Al, and they mend their friendship. Imogen appears, and they spend time catching up; she has become a cover artist for a San Francisco-based book publisher. She confesses that she misses him, and gives him a book titled Down to You with her cover artwork depicting the two of them in love. They rekindle their romance, deciding that they met too young but can start over. Al takes a job at a four-star restaurant in San Francisco and surprises Imogen with a romantic evening.

Cast

Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel appear as themselves in a sequence in which Al imagines himself being made fun of on The Man Show . Additional minor roles are played by Zay Harding and Lauren German as a lovestruck couple, Chloe Hunter as one of Al's high school girlfriends, Bradley Pierce as one of Imogen's high school boyfriends, Lola Glaudini as a woman Al goes on a date with, Alexia Landeau as Imogen's cousin, Susan Blommaert as a psychiatrist, Frank Wood as a doctor, Joanna P. Adler as a woman who gives Eddie a nipple piercing, and Mark Blum as a television host interviewing Monk.

Production

Writer-director Kris Isacsson had won the award for best short film at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. [3] Chris O'Falt, who worked on Down to You, described the screenplay in IndieWire as "an edgy, unorthodox look at a group of friends struggling with post-college life in New York." However, Miramax had recently had a big hit with the teen comedy She's All That , also starring Freddie Prinze Jr., and Miramax head Harvey Weinstein determined in post-production to transform Down to You into a similar film. According to O'Falt, "This led to a series of test screenings, re-edits, and expensive last minute reshoots, to say nothing of his demeaning verbal assaults on a promising young filmmaker. Heaven and earth were moved, and souls were crushed, because Weinstein knew how to react, not steer. As the film’s financier, it was Weinstein’s prerogative to Frankenstein Down to You as he saw fit. However, the result was a slightly-schizophrenic, over-budget film." [2]

Reception

Down to You opened at number 2 at the US box office and made $7.6 million in its opening weekend, behind Next Friday . It went on to gross $24.4 million worldwide. [1] The film received negative reviews from critics. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave it an "F" grade, calling the dialogue "embarrassing in its coy and wistful hungry-heart neuroticism" while criticizing the lead actors' performances and Isacsson's writing: "Making his first feature, writer-director Kris Isacsson treats the most squishy-sincere rituals of first love with a quivering sense of discovery. Obviously, it's a discovery to him. For the audience, it's like watching the dreckiest of teen puppy courtships trying to pass itself off as Annie Hall ." [4] In The New York Times , A. O. Scott described it as "scrubbed, wholesome and bland", opining that Isacsson "seems aware that a feature film requires narrative complication: not even really good-looking people can be happy all the time. But he flees from anything that might involve real human emotion, or for that matter any credible human activity other than looking good." [5] Brendan Kelly of Variety wrote that "Prinze and Stiles have genuine screen charisma to spare, and there's something oddly appealing about this mushy romantic tale, but first-time feature writer-director Kris Isacsson doesn't have the skills to raise it far above its formulaic foundation." [6]

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 3% approval rating based on 61 reviews, with an average score of 3.3/10. [7] The website's critics consensus reads, "Down to You is ruined by a bland, by-the-numbers plot and an awful script." [7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 13 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". [8]

Soundtrack

Down to You: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture
Soundtrack album
ReleasedJanuary 18, 2000 (2000-01-18)

A soundtrack album was released simultaneously with the film, featuring twelve songs from the soundtrack. [9] William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave it two stars out of five in an unfavorable review, describing some songs and artists as similar-sounding imitations of more well-known ones from other recent romantic comedy soundtracks. [9] He singled out Belle Perez as "the poster child for all this weightless pop/rock, following up her earnest greeting with 'This is me/Life should be/Fun for everyone.' Indeed, it should, and if you're in your late teens, maybe it is. But much of the Down to You soundtrack tries to be ingenuous and only manages to be callow." [9] He singled out the closing track, Sam Phillips' "I Need Love", as a highlight, but opined that it made the rest of the album seem even less impressive in comparison. [9]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)PerformerLength
1."It All Comes Down to You" Dianne Warren Billie Myers 4:36
2."The Garden of You and I" (from Kismet, 1998)Ginger MackenzieGinger Mackenzie2:35
3."Free to Go" (from One Part Lullaby , 1999) Lou Barlow, Wally Gagel The Folk Implosion 3:32
4."Shine on Me" (from Free Expression, 1999)Paul Chastain, Ric Menck Velvet Crush 1:56
5."Stay"Kevin Bents, Patrick Daugherty, Deanna Kirk Deanna Kirk3:45
6."Silver Lining" (from The Rockfords , 2000)Chris Friel, Rick Friel, Mike McCready, Danny Newcomb The Rockfords 4:24
7."Hello World" (from Hello World, 2000) Belle Perez, Jim SoulierBelle Perez3:15
8."Vagabond Angel" Miranda Lee Richards Miranda Lee Richards4:04
9."I Must Have Done Something Right"Chris Glenn, Fred SpigelmanFormosa3:39
10."Spun Out" (from Spun Out, 1999)Greg Stoddard, Brian StewartPsychic Rain4:18
11."Didn't Mean to Do You Harm" Jimmy Harry, Craig Wedren Jimmy Harry, Craig Wedren3:22
12."I Need Love" (from Martinis & Bikinis , 1994) Sam Phillips Sam Phillips3:39

Additional songs used in the film but not included on the soundtrack album include:

Related Research Articles

Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. Today, it is owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global.

<i>Shakespeare in Love</i> 1998 film by John Madden

Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 period romantic comedy film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, and produced by Harvey Weinstein. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck and Judi Dench. The film depicts a fictional love affair involving playwright William Shakespeare (Fiennes) and Viola de Lesseps (Paltrow) while Shakespeare was writing Romeo and Juliet. Several characters are based on historical figures, and many of the characters, lines, and plot devices allude to Shakespeare's plays.

<i>Pretty Woman</i> 1990 film by Garry Marshall

Pretty Woman is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, Laura San Giacomo, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. The film's story centers on Hollywood escort Vivian Ward and wealthy businessman Edward Lewis. Vivian is hired to be Edward's escort for several business and social functions, and their relationship develops during her week-long stay with him. The film's title Pretty Woman is based on the 1964 song "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison. The original screenplay was titled "3,000," and was written by then-struggling screenwriter J. F. Lawton.

<i>I Know What You Did Last Summer</i> 1997 American slasher film

I Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze Jr., with supporting roles played by Johnny Galecki, Bridgette Wilson, Anne Heche, and Muse Watson. The first installment in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise, it is loosely based on the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan. The film centers on four teenage friends, who are stalked by a hook-wielding killer one year after covering up a car accident in which they supposedly killed a man. It also draws inspiration from the urban legend known as "the Hook", as well as the slasher films Prom Night (1980) and The House on Sorority Row (1982).

<i>Jackie Brown</i> 1997 film by Quentin Tarantino

Jackie Brown is a 1997 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, based on the 1992 novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard. It stars Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who smuggles money between the United States and Mexico. Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, and Robert De Niro appear in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freddie Prinze Jr.</span> American actor (born 1976)

Freddie James Prinze Jr. is an American actor. He has starred in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its sequel (1998), She's All That (1999), Down to You, Boys and Girls, Summer Catch (2001), Scooby-Doo (2002), and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004). Alongside recurring roles on Boston Legal (2004) and 24 (2010), Prinze starred on the self-titled ABC sitcom Freddie (2005–2006)—which he co-created and executive produced—and voiced Kanan Jarrus in the Disney XD series Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018). He is the only child of actor and comedian Freddie Prinze.

<i>I Still Know What You Did Last Summer</i> 1998 American slasher film

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1998 slasher film directed by Danny Cannon and written by Trey Callaway. It is a sequel to 1997's I Know What You Did Last Summer, and the second installment in the franchise of the same name. It stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Muse Watson, who reprise their role from the first film, while Brandy, Mekhi Phifer, Bill Cobbs, Matthew Settle, Jennifer Esposito, Jack Black, Jeffrey Combs, and John Hawkes also star.

<i>Scandal</i> (1989 film) 1989 film by Michael Caton-Jones

Scandal is a 1989 British historical drama film, directed by Michael Caton-Jones. It is a fictionalised account of the Profumo affair that rocked the government of British prime minister Harold Macmillan. It stars Joanne Whalley as Christine Keeler and John Hurt as Stephen Ward, personalities at the heart of the affair.

<i>Shes All That</i> 1999 film by Robert Iscove

She's All That is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Robert Iscove. It stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, and Paul Walker. After being dumped by his girlfriend, Zack Siler boasts he could make any girl at his high school popular. It is a modern adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion and George Cukor's 1964 film My Fair Lady.

<i>Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason</i> 2004 film by Beeban Kidron

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason is a 2004 romantic comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron from a screenplay by Andrew Davies, Helen Fielding, Richard Curtis and Adam Brooks. The sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and the second installment in the Bridget Jones film series, it is based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Fielding. The film stars Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Weinstein</span> American sex offender and former film producer (born 1952)

Harvey Weinstein is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films including Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989); The Crying Game (1992); Pulp Fiction (1994); Heavenly Creatures (1994); Flirting with Disaster (1996); and Shakespeare in Love (1998). Weinstein won an Academy Award for producing Shakespeare in Love and also won seven Tony Awards for plays and musicals including The Producers, Billy Elliot the Musical, and August: Osage County. After leaving Miramax, Weinstein and his brother Bob founded The Weinstein Company (TWC), a mini-major film studio. He was co-chairman, alongside Bob, from 2005 to 2017.

<i>Carolina</i> (2003 film) 2003 American film

Carolina is a 2003 American-German romantic comedy film directed by Marleen Gorris, starring Julia Stiles, Shirley MacLaine, Alessandro Nivola, Mika Boorem, Randy Quaid, and Jennifer Coolidge. Lisa Sheridan has a cameo role in the film, and Barbara Eden has the uncredited part of Daphne. It is set in Los Angeles, California. Shot in 2003, the film failed to find a distributor and was released direct-to-video in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naomi Julien</span> Fictional character

Naomi Julien is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Petra Letang. She first appeared in the show in the episode broadcast on 15 August 2005. Her storylines include a relationship with established character Sonia Fowler, a friendship with Garry Hobbs and Minty Peterson and being threatened by Dr. May Wright. The character was axed in January 2007 and her final scenes were broadcast on 24 May 2007.

<i>Boys and Girls</i> (2000 film) 2000 American film by Robert Iscove

Boys and Girls is a 2000 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Iscove and starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Claire Forlani, Jason Biggs, and Amanda Detmer. The film follows Ryan (Prinze) and Jennifer (Forlani), who meet each other initially as adolescents, and later realize that their lives are intertwined through fate.

<i>All the Pretty Horses</i> (film) 2000 Western film

All the Pretty Horses is a 2000 American Western film produced and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, based on Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name, and starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz. It premiered on December 25, 2000 to mostly negative reviews. It grossed $18 million worldwide on a $57 million budget.

<i>Hav Plenty</i> 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Christopher Scott Cherot

Hav Plenty is a 1997 American romantic comedy film released by Miramax Films, based on an eventful weekend in the life of Lee Plenty, written and directed by Cherot. The film is based on the true story of Chris Cherot's unrequited romance with Def Jam A&R executive Drew Dixon.

<i>Head over Heels</i> (2001 film) 2001 American romantic comedy film by Mark Waters

Head over Heels is a 2001 American romantic comedy-thriller film directed by Mark Waters. Starring Monica Potter, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah O'Hare, Shalom Harlow, Ivana Miličević, Tomiko Fraser, China Chow and Timothy Olyphant. The film was panned by critics and failed to recover its modest $14 million budget.

<i>Scary Movie</i> (film series) American horror parody film series

Scary Movie is a series of American parody films, mainly focusing on spoofing horror films. The films have a combined gross of almost $900 million at the worldwide box office. The two recurring actresses are Anna Faris and Regina Hall as Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks, respectively, appearing in all installments except the fifth film.

<i>My Scene Goes Hollywood: The Movie</i> 2005 American film

My Scene Goes Hollywood: The Movie is a 2005 American animated romantic comedy film based on Mattel's line of My Scene dolls. It features Barbie and American singer and actress Lindsay Lohan, who plays herself. It is the third feature with the My Scene characters, and the only one that was full-length. The film was directed by Eric Fogel. Although the title of the film suggests a trip to Hollywood, California, the entire plot takes place in New York City, where all the My Scene characters live. It was released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment under the Miramax Family label.

<i>Let It Shine</i> (film) 2012 television film directed by Paul Hoen

Let It Shine is a 2012 American musical television film that premiered on Disney Channel. It features an ensemble cast of Tyler James Williams, Coco Jones, Trevor Jackson and Brandon Mychal Smith. The film follows a shy, talented rapper and musician who pens romantic hip hop verses only to stand idly by as they're delivered to the girl of his dreams by his best friend, in a retelling of Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac. The film was directed by Paul Hoen and written by Eric Daniel and Don D. Scott. The Disney Channel Original Movie premiered on June 15, 2012 in the United States and Canada, and July 20, 2012 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Down to You". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  2. 1 2 O'Falt, Chris (October 18, 2017). "It's Time to Shatter the Harvey Myth: Weinstein Was Shitty at His Job". IndieWire. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  3. ↑ Roman, Monica (August 19, 1998). "Miramax gets 'Down' with tyro filmmaker". Variety. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  4. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (2000-01-28). "Down to You". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 2001-05-07. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  5. ↑ Scott, A. O. (2000-01-22). "Film Review; Cake Is Her World, and What a Small World That Is". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  6. ↑ Kelly, Brendan (2000-01-24). "Down to You". variety.com. Variety. Archived from the original on 2003-09-19. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  7. 1 2 "Down to You". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  8. ↑ "Down to You". metacritic.com. Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2016-07-09. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Ruhlmann, William. "Review: Down to You: Original Soundtrack". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
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.