Float (2023 film)

Last updated
Float
Float poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Sherren Lee
Written by Jesse LaVercombe
Sherren Lee
Based onFloat by Kate Marchant
Produced by Robbie Amell
Aaron Au
Jeff Chan
Jamie D. Greenberg
Matthew Kariatsumari
Aron Levitz
Chris Paré
Shawn Williamson
Starring Andrea Bang
Robbie Amell
CinematographyAlfonso Chin
Edited by Simone Smith
Music by Dan Mangan
Jesse Zubot
Production
companies
Distributed byElevation Pictures
Lionsgate
Release date
  • September 30, 2023 (2023-09-30)(VIFF)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Float is a 2023 Canadian drama film, directed by Sherren Lee. The film stars Andrea Bang as Waverly, a young woman with a tense relationship with her parents who decides to spend the summer before starting university staying with her aunt in the coastal beach town of Holden, based on Tofino, where she is drawn into a romance with lifeguard Blake (Robbie Amell) when he gives her swimming lessons. [1]

Contents

The film was written by Lee and Jesse LaVercombe, as an adaptation of a Wattpad story by writer Kate Marchant. [2] The character of Waverly was not written as being of Asian ancestry in the original story, but Lee chose to write the film adaptation that way so that she could draw on some of her own cultural background. [1]

The film premiered at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival, and screened in the Canadian Narrative Competition at the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival. [3]

It went into commercial release on February 9, 2024. [4]

Cast

Soundtrack

No.TitleMusicPerformed byLength
1."Don't Waste Your Time"Dawn Pemberton 2:58
2."Sidecar"Robyn Dell'Unto, Adam King 3:24
3."In Our Hearts, We Shine Together, All Good Vibes"Rafy Levy 5'41
4."Come Back To Me (Fan Lai Ruan Shen Bian)"Hua Juang Shang, Wang Wu XiongPerformed by Jody Chiang 
5."Broke Boi Anthem"Kahdijah PaynePerformed by DijahSB3:54
6."Pump up The Jam"Manuela Kamosi, Thomas De QuinceyPerformed by Technotronic3:39
7."Lay Low"Dan Mangan, Ryan Guldmond 3:17
8."Four Chords"Dan Mangan, Andy Stochansky  

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 50% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. [5]

Richard Crouse gave the film three stars and wrote, "It's fitting, that given the setting of the film, that Float is the equivalent of a summer beach read. Despite some clunky, earnest dialogue—'I want to stay here with you but I want to be a doctor,' sounds like a rejected line from a Hallmark movie—the movie does what it set out to do, put a new spin on a classic genre." [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Heights</i> (film) 2005 American drama film

Heights is a 2005 American drama film directed by Chris Terrio and written by Amy Fox, based on her 2001 stage play of the same name. It follows a pivotal twenty-four hours in the interconnected lives of five New Yorkers. It stars Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Glenn Close, Jesse Bradford, and John Light. Numerous prominent actors such as Eric Bogosian, George Segal, and Isabella Rossellini appear in supporting roles.

<i>The Joy Luck Club</i> (film) 1993 American film by Wayne Wang

The Joy Luck Club is a 1993 American drama film about the relationships between Chinese-American women and their Chinese immigrant mothers. It was directed by Wayne Wang and stars Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, France Nuyen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, Tamlyn Tomita, and Ming-Na Wen. The film is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Amy Tan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bass. The film was produced by Bass, Tan, Wang, and Patrick Markey, while Oliver Stone served as an executive producer. Four older women, all Chinese immigrants living in San Francisco, meet regularly to play mahjong, eat, and tell stories. Each of these women has an adult Chinese-American daughter. The film reveals the hidden pasts of the older women and their daughters, and how their lives are shaped by the clash of Chinese and American cultures as they strive to understand their family bonds and one another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Amell</span> Canadian actor (born 1981)

Stephen Adam Amell is a Canadian actor. He came to prominence for playing the lead role of Oliver Queen on the CW superhero series Arrow (2012–2020), based on DC Comics. Amell also appeared in subsequent Arrowverse franchise media, along with reprising his role in various video games. Following the conclusion of Arrow, Amell landed the lead role of Jack Spade on the Starz drama series Heels (2021–2023). Outside of television, he portrayed Casey Jones in the superhero film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016).

<i>Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster</i> 2010 mystery film

Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster is a 2010 American made-for-television comedy horror mystery film directed by Brian Levant for Cartoon Network and based on the Saturday morning cartoon series Scooby-Doo by Hanna-Barbera. It is a sequel to the 2009 film Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins. Robbie Amell, Hayley Kiyoko, Kate Melton, Nick Palatas, and Frank Welker cast reprise their roles. The film was shot in Santa Clarita, California, and Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California, and premiered on October 16, 2010.

<i>Hick</i> (film) 2011 film by Derick Martini

Hick is a 2011 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Derick Martini from a screenplay by Andrea Portes, based on Portes' 2007 novel of the same name. The film stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Eddie Redmayne, Rory Culkin, Juliette Lewis, Ray McKinnon, Anson Mount, Blake Lively, and Alec Baldwin. It follows Luli (Moretz), a 13-year-old Nebraskan girl who runs away from her neglectful parents and sets out for Las Vegas. Along the way, she meets a drifter (Redmayne) and a troubled young woman (Lively).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Toland Krieger</span> American film director and screenwriter (born 1983)

Lee Toland Krieger is an American film director and screenwriter best known for the films The Vicious Kind (2009), Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012) and The Age of Adaline (2015).

<i>The Age of Adaline</i> 2015 American film by Lee Toland Krieger

The Age of Adaline is a 2015 American romantic fantasy film directed by Lee Toland Krieger and written by J. Mills Goodloe and Salvador Paskowitz. The film stars Blake Lively as Adaline, with Michiel Huisman, Kathy Baker, Amanda Crew, Harrison Ford, and Ellen Burstyn. Narrated by Hugh Ross, the story follows Adaline Bowman, a young woman who stops aging following an accident at the age of 29.

<i>The DUFF</i> 2015 American teen comedy film

The DUFF is a 2015 American high school teen comedy film directed by Ari Sandel. The screenplay by Josh Cagan was based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Kody Keplinger. The film stars Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Nick Eversman, Skyler Samuels, Bianca Santos, Allison Janney, and Ken Jeong.

<i>The Babysitter</i> (2017 film) Teen horror-comedy film by McG

The Babysitter is a 2017 American teen black comedy slasher film directed by McG and written by Brian Duffield. It stars Samara Weaving, Judah Lewis, Hana Mae Lee, Robbie Amell and Bella Thorne. The film follows a lonely 12-year-old boy (Lewis) who discovers that his babysitter (Weaving) is part of a satanic cult that wants to kill him. The film was released by Netflix on October 13, 2017, and received mostly positive reviews from critics. A sequel, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, was released on September 10, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Bang</span> Canadian actress

Andrea Bang is a Canadian actress and screenwriter from Burnaby, British Columbia. She is best known for playing Janet Kim in the CBC comedy Kim's Convenience, for which she was nominated three times at the Canadian Screen Awards. She has appeared in A Million Little Things, Fresh and Running with Violet.

<i>Code 8</i> (2019 film) Canadian science fiction action film

Code 8 is a 2019 Canadian science fiction action film written and directed by Jeff Chan, and starring the cousins Stephen and Robbie Amell. It is a feature-length version of the 2016 short film of the same name about a man with superhuman abilities who works with a group of criminals to raise money to help his sick mother.

<i>Upload</i> (TV series) American science fiction comedy-drama television series

Upload is an American science fiction comedy-drama television series created by Greg Daniels. The series premiered on May 1, 2020, on Amazon Prime Video and was renewed for a second season. The second season premiered on March 11, 2022; it had seven episodes, three fewer than the first. In May 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on October 20, 2023 and consists of eight episodes. In March 2024, the series was renewed for a fourth and final season.

Jesse LaVercombe is a Canadian-American actor and writer. He is most noted for his performance in the film Violation, for which he won the ACTRA Award for Best Actor in 2021 and received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards.

<i>Code 8: Part II</i> 2024 Canadian film by Jeff Chan

Code 8: Part II is a 2024 Canadian science fiction action film directed by Jeff Chan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Paré, Sherren Lee and Jesse LaVercombe. It is a sequel to the 2019 film Code 8. Robbie Amell and Stephen Amell reprise their roles from the original film as Connor Reed and Garrett Kelton, respectively; Sirena Gulamgaus, Altair Vincent, Alex Mallari Jr., Moe Jeudy-Lamour, Aaron Abrams, and Jean Yoon also star.

<i>Simulant</i> (film) Canadian film by April Mullen

Simulant is a 2023 Canadian science fiction thriller film directed by April Mullen. It stars Robbie Amell, Jordana Brewster, Simu Liu, Alicia Sanz, and Sam Worthington. The film was released on April 7, 2023.

<i>My Life with the Walter Boys</i> 2023 American television series

My Life with the Walter Boys is an American teen drama television series that premiered on Netflix on December 7, 2023. The coming-of-age drama is an adaptation of Ali Novak's 2014 novel of the same name, which was first published on Wattpad. The series follows recently-orphaned Jackie Howard, a teenage girl from Manhattan who relocates to rural Colorado after she is taken in by the Walters, a family of seven sons and one daughter. The series was developed by Melanie Halsall. It stars Nikki Rodriguez, Noah LaLonde, Ashby Gentry and Alisha Newton. In December 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherren Lee</span> Canadian director

Sherren Lee is a Canadian film and television director based in Toronto, Ontario. She is most noted for her 2017 short film The Things You Think I'm Thinking.

<i>EXmas</i> 2023 American film

EXmas is a 2023 American romantic comedy Christmas film directed by Jonah Feingold, starring Leighton Meester and Robbie Amell. It was released on Amazon Freevee on November 17, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collective Pictures</span> Canadian film company

Collective Pictures is a Canadian production company founded in 2010 by Jeff Chan and based in Toronto, ON.

References

  1. 1 2 Rebecca Sun, "Lionsgate Boards Robbie Amell’s Wattpad Romance ‘Float’". The Hollywood Reporter , October 1, 2021.
  2. Liza Sardi, "Lionsgate boards Robbie Amell-led Float". Playback , October 4, 2021.
  3. Aryn Toombs, "Calgary International Film Festival adds new competition to 2023". LiveWire Calgary, August 16, 2023.
  4. Ralph Lucas, "Canadians in Movies, Coming Soon". Northern Stars, January 12, 2024.
  5. "Float". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  6. "FLOAT: 3 STARS. "the film equivalent of a summer beach read."". Richard Crouse. Retrieved February 9, 2024.