Growing Up Smith | |
---|---|
![]() Official theatrical poster | |
Directed by | Frank Lotito |
Written by | Anjul Nigam, Paul Quinn, Gregory Scott Houghton |
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Thomas Scott Stanton |
Edited by | Joshua Rathmell |
Music by | Michael Lira |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Good Deed Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2 million |
Box office | $35,300 [1] |
Growing Up Smith is a 2017 comedy-drama film written by Anjul Nigam, Paul Quinn, and Gregory Scott Houghton. It was produced by Anjul Nigam, Frank Lotito, and Steve Straka and directed by Frank Lotito. Prior to its theatrical release, the film was originally produced and exhibited in some festivals under the title "Good Ol' Boy".
The movie takes place in 1979, when an Indian family moves to America with hopes of living the American Dream. While their 10-year-old boy Smith falls head-over-heels for the girl next door, his desire to become a "good old boy" propels him further away from his family's ideals than ever before.
The film premiered on June 1, 2015, at the Seattle International Film Festival, where it won the Best of the Fest Top Five. Growing Up Smith went on to win the Audience Awards at the Woodstock Film Festival, Naples International Film Festival, Prescott Film Festival; the Jury Prize at CAAMFest; and the Best Family Film at Garden State Film Festival. It was the Opening Night Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival and the SouthSide Film Festival. The movie had its theatrical release in select cities in the United States on February 3, 2017, and expanded wider on February 10, 2017. Produced for $2 million, it received mostly positive reviews including Time magazine's Pick of the Week.
Growing Up Smith is a coming-of-age story of Smith, a 10-year-old boy from India growing up in small-town America in 1979.
As the boy's family tries to straddle the fine line between embracing the American Dream and preserving their Indian heritage, the awkward little hero sneaks out for a taste of Kentucky Fried Chicken (even though his family is vegetarian), dons a Saturday Night Fever costume, and contends with his parents as they send him to school with a yellow squash instead of a pumpkin to carve for Halloween.
And as Smith falls head-over-heels in love with Amy, the girl-next-door, he finds in Amy's father Butch the all-American cowboy he wishes his own father could be. But alas, when Smith goes on a hunting adventure with Butch, Butch injures himself while chasing a doe. Smith's rescuing Butch makes him a local hero, but his father's jealousy strains his relationship with him. With Butch unable to work, his wife decides to move away from the house and takes Amy with her. Amy, unable to deal with the turmoil in her own family, threatens to run away. Smith leaves the house on his bike to meet up with her, though Butch arrives soon after and prevents her from doing so. Smith's parents, in the meantime, search for him and find his sister making out with a boy. Furious, they condemn his sister to studying, and upon Smith's return banish him back to India after he declares his love for Amy. Nineteen years pass in India, with Smith becoming a neurosurgeon and finding a woman to marry. Smith's wife dies of a complication - though unknown - that Smith himself tries to cure.
Smith returns to his hometown in America, where his sister has a family with Patrick (the same boy she was found making out with nineteen years earlier) and lives in the same house as before. Smith reconnects with Butch, and finds out Amy still lives in her grandmother's house as a fourth-grade teacher, though she is unmarried and has a child. The movie concludes with Smith re-affirming his desire to meet Amy and riding out on the same old bike to do so.
The movie was shot in New York's Hudson Valley, about 90 miles (140 km) north of New York City.
The scene in the movie in which Smith crosses the bridge on his bicycle was filmed on the Kingston-Port Ewen Suspension Bridge crossing Rondout Creek between the town of Esopus and the city of Kingston.
Chasing Amy is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams and Jason Lee. The third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series, the film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Adams), to the displeasure of his best friend (Lee).
Places in the Heart is a 1984 American drama film written and directed by Robert Benton. It stars Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, Ray Baker, Amy Madigan, John Malkovich, Danny Glover, Jerry Haynes and Terry O'Quinn. The film follows Edna Spalding, a young woman during the Great Depression in Texas who is forced to take charge of her farm after the death of her husband and is helped by a motley bunch.
The Kid is a 2000 American fantasy comedy-drama film, directed by Jon Turteltaub and written by Audrey Wells. The film follows a 40-year-old image consultant who is mysteriously confronted by an eight-year-old version of himself ; Emily Mortimer, Lily Tomlin, Chi McBride, and Jean Smart also star.
The Pledge is a 2001 American neo-noir psychological mystery drama film directed by Sean Penn and starring Jack Nicholson alongside an ensemble supporting cast of Patricia Clarkson, Aaron Eckhart, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, Vanessa Redgrave, Sam Shepard, Mickey Rourke, Tom Noonan, Lois Smith and Benicio del Toro. It competed at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.
Romance & Cigarettes is a 2005 American musical romantic comedy film written and directed by John Turturro. The film stars an ensemble cast which includes James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker, Aida Turturro, Christopher Walken, Barbara Sukowa, Elaine Stritch, Eddie Izzard, and Amy Sedaris. The film was nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2005 Venice Film Festival.
Murmur of the Heart is a 1971 French comedy-drama film written, produced and directed by Louis Malle. It stars Lea Massari, Benoît Ferreux and Daniel Gélin. Written as Malle's semi-autobiography, the film tells a coming-of-age story about a 14-year-old boy (Ferreux) growing up in bourgeois surroundings in post-World War II Dijon, France, with a complex relationship with his Italian-born mother (Massari).
Storytelling is a 2001 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Todd Solondz. It stars Selma Blair, Leo Fitzpatrick, Paul Giamatti, Mark Webber, Robert Wisdom, Xander Berkeley, Aleksa Palladino, Julie Hagerty, Lupe Ontiveros, Franka Potente, and John Goodman. It features original music by Belle & Sebastian, later compiled on the album Storytelling. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.
A Perfect World is a 1993 American thriller crime drama film directed by Clint Eastwood. It stars Kevin Costner as an escaped convict who takes a young boy hostage and attempts to escape on the road with the child. Eastwood co-stars as a Texas Ranger in pursuit of the convict.
About a Boy is a 2002 comedy-drama film directed by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz, who co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Hedges. It is an adaptation of the 1998 novel by Nick Hornby. The film stars Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and Rachel Weisz.
The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1981 American neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Bob Rafelson and written by David Mamet. Starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange, it is the fourth adaptation of the 1934 novel by James M. Cain. The film was shot in Santa Barbara, California.
A Home of Our Own is a 1993 American drama film directed by Tony Bill, starring Kathy Bates and Edward Furlong. It is the story of a mother and her six children trying to establish a home in the small fictional town of Hankston, Idaho, in 1962.
In Love and War is a 1996 romantic drama film based on the book, Hemingway in Love and War by Henry S. Villard and James Nagel. The film stars Sandra Bullock, Chris O'Donnell, Mackenzie Astin, and Margot Steinberg. Its action takes place during the First World War and is based on the wartime experiences of the writer Ernest Hemingway. It was directed by Richard Attenborough. The film was entered into the 47th Berlin International Film Festival.
The Hi-Lo Country is a 1998 Western film directed by Stephen Frears, starring Billy Crudup, Penélope Cruz, Woody Harrelson, Cole Hauser, Sam Elliott, Patricia Arquette, Enrique Castillo, and Katy Jurado. It is set in post-World War II New Mexico and is based on the Western novel by Max Evans.
Anjul Nigam is an Indian-born American actor, producer, and writer.
Sunshine Cleaning is a 2008 American comedy-drama film written by Megan Holley and directed by Christine Jeffs. It stars Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, and Alan Arkin. The story revolves around two sisters who start a crime scene cleanup business and the various events that occur in their respective lives. Produced by Big Beach, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2008, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on March 13, 2009, by Overture Films. Sunshine Cleaning garnered positive reviews from critics and was a minor box-office hit, grossing $17.3 million against a $5 million budget. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 25, 2009.
Nowhere Boy is a 2009 British biographical drama film, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson in her directorial debut. Written by Matt Greenhalgh, it is based on Julia Baird's biography of her half-brother, the musician John Lennon. Nowhere Boy is about the teenage years of Lennon, his relationships with his aunt Mimi Smith and his mother Julia Lennon, the creation of his first band, the Quarrymen, and its evolution into the Beatles.
Trust is a 2010 American drama thriller film directed by David Schwimmer and written by Andy Bellin and Robert Festinger based on an uncredited story by Schwimmer. Starring Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Jason Clarke, Liana Liberato, and Viola Davis, the film follows a fourteen-year-old girl who becomes a victim of sexual abuse after meeting a man posing as a teenage boy on an online chat room.
Colorful (カラフル) is a 2010 Japanese animated feature film directed by Keiichi Hara. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Eto Mori, produced by Sunrise and animated by the animation studio Ascension. It also deals with some of the pressures on school children as they come up to graduation before entering college or university.
Gone Girl is a 2014 American psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher and written by Gillian Flynn, based on her 2012 novel of the same name. It stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, and Carrie Coon in her film debut. In the film, Nick Dunne (Affleck) becomes the prime suspect in the sudden disappearance of his wife, Amy (Pike) in Missouri.
Louder Than Bombs is a 2015 drama film directed by Joachim Trier and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Devin Druid, Gabriel Byrne, Isabelle Huppert, David Strathairn, and Amy Ryan. The film was internationally co-produced and was co-written by Trier and Eskil Vogt.