Keith (film)

Last updated
Keith
Keith2006.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Todd Kessler
Written by
Based on"Keith"
by Ron Carlson
Produced by
  • Rebecca Hobbs
  • Todd Kessler
Starring
CinematographyDarko Suvak
Edited by
Music byTree Adams
Production
company
No Hands Productions
Distributed by
  • Gray Area Entertainment
  • Lili Claire Communications
Release date
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Keith is a 2008 American independent drama film directed by Blue's Clues co-creator Todd Kessler. It was written by David Zabel and Kessler based on the short story "Keith" by author Ron Carlson, from his book The Hotel Eden. The film stars Jesse McCartney and Elisabeth Harnois.

Contents

The protagonist is a 17-year-old high school senior, Natalie, who thinks she has got life figured out. Natalie is at first annoyed by her new chemistry class lab partner, Keith, but she ultimately falls for him and discovers that Keith is hiding a secret. The film was released in theaters on September 19, 2008. [1] The film found additional popularity worldwide after its initial release, and was named a "hidden gem" by readers of BuzzFeed in an article by Alexis Nedd. [2]

Plot

Natalie is an academically-focused student, with the intent of going to Duke University on a tennis scholarship. Natalie, with several other of her classmates, frequents an outdoors party place called The Brick. There, she bonds with Rafael, a new transfer student. Meanwhile, in chemistry, Natalie is paired with Keith, a carefree boy with a rebellious view of life. When Natalie asks Keith to help her with a lab report, he drives her out of school to trespass into an office building, bringing her into his easygoing lifestyle. Even though Rafael becomes Natalie's boyfriend, Keith persistently asks Natalie to go out with him, though insisting as friends and calling his offers "non-dates".

Gradually, Keith and Natalie get closer, and Natalie goes on non-dates with Keith. Her continued interaction with Keith starts to make Rafael jealous. One night, Keith and Natalie have an argument just as Al and a boy named Billy turn up. The relationship between Al and Billy is not made clear. Keith's kindness towards Billy causes Natalie to think that Keith is "a softy". After driving for a while, Natalie tells Keith to turn into a dirt road leading to a cliff overlooking The Brick, which happens to be Keith's favorite spot. They talk and eventually share a kiss. The next day, Natalie and Keith go to the cliff and discuss their future dreams. While lying down and talking in the back of the truck, Natalie notices that the truck is moving. She panics and gets out of it, screaming at Keith to jump to safety. Keith, however, remains lying down, relaxed and rambling on. Just before rolling off, Keith swiftly moves into the driver's seat and hits the brakes. Natalie is furious at Keith and asks him if he wanted to kill himself. When Natalie gets home, she is still wearing Keith's jacket and finds antidepressants in his pocket.

Worried, Natalie wants to speak to Keith about the medication, but he does not come to school for several days. When Natalie fails to get his address from the school's office, she remembers Keith saying that he lived at the old white house with a big porch, and decides to go visit. When she arrives, she realizes Keith lied to her about his residence. Two weeks later, Keith appears, and Natalie is irritated with his lies. She decides to find out his real address by breaking into his locker, and is suspended from school as a result. When Natalie visits his house, Keith refuses to see her, so Natalie hides in the back of his yellow truck. Later that night, Keith comes out of the house and drives off to the clifftop. There, Natalie expresses her love for him, and Natalie loses her virginity to Keith in the back of his truck. As Keith drives Natalie home, Natalie is excited to begin a relationship with Keith, but he says that they should forget about what happened, leaving Natalie heartbroken.

Natalie's tennis rankings drop, and she is on the verge of losing her scholarship. She also dumps Rafael. On the road, Natalie sees Al, who is revealed to be Keith's counselor. Natalie is informed that Billy died of cancer and that Billy and Keith received chemotherapy treatment together, leading her to realise that Keith is dying of cancer. One night, Keith appears at her house, and Natalie leads Keith to the airport so that he can follow his dreams for the short time he has left. Keith finally expresses his true feelings for Natalie, and Natalie tells Keith that she wants to be with him despite what the future holds for him. They kiss and the camera pans out.

The film then cuts to when Natalie graduates; Keith has presumably died, and Natalie has adopted many of Keith's old habits. She has become a grease monkey and drives Keith's yellow truck. She decides since Keith did not get to live out his dream, she will do it for him. She drives to London, Ontario to put Keith's yellow truck in the annual truck show.

Cast

Music

Related Research Articles

<i>Where the Heart Is</i> (2000 film) 2000 American film

Where the Heart Is is a 2000 American romantic drama film directed by Matt Williams and starring Natalie Portman, Stockard Channing, Ashley Judd, and Joan Cusack with supporting roles by James Frain, Dylan Bruno, Keith David, and Sally Field. The screenplay, written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, is based on the best-selling 1995 novel of the same name by Billie Letts. The film follows five years in the life of Novalee Nation, a pregnant 17-year-old who is abandoned by her boyfriend at a Walmart in a small Oklahoma town. She secretly moves into the store, where she eventually gives birth to her baby, which attracts media attention. With the help of friends, she makes a new life for herself in the town.

<i>Creepshow 2</i> 1987 American comedy horror anthology film

Creepshow 2 is a 1987 American comedy horror anthology film directed by Michael Gornick, and the sequel to Creepshow. Gornick was previously the cinematographer of the first film, and the screenplay was written by George A. Romero who was director of the original film. The film's stars were Lois Chiles, George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, and Tom Savini. It was once again based upon stories by Stephen King, and features three more horror segments consisting of "Old Chief Wood'nhead", "The Raft" and "The Hitchhiker".

<i>With Six You Get Eggroll</i> 1968 film by Howard Morris

With Six You Get Eggroll is a 1968 American romantic comedy film directed by Howard Morris and starring Doris Day, Brian Keith, Barbara Hershey, George Carlin, and Pat Carroll. It was the first film that was produced by the CBS Television Network's film unit, Cinema Center Films, and Day's final film performance.

<i>Return of the Living Dead Part II</i> 1988 film directed by Ken Wiederhorn

Return of the Living Dead Part II is a 1988 American comedy horror film written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn, and starring Michael Kenworthy, Marsha Dietlein, Dana Ashbrook, Thom Mathews, James Karen, and Phil Bruns. It is the first of four sequels to The Return of the Living Dead.

<i>My Date with the Presidents Daughter</i> 1998 American TV series or program

My Date with the President's Daughter is a 1998 American made-for-television romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Television and premiered as part of ABC's revival of The Wonderful World of Disney. The film was directed by Alex Zamm and stars Dabney Coleman, Will Friedle, and Elisabeth Harnois. It was shot in various locations around Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Buchanan</span> Soap opera character

Jessica Eugenia Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She is the daughter of Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan. She is the fraternal twin sister of Natalie Buchanan, and is born on-screen in the episode first-run on September 23, 1986, with the birth year later revised to 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Sugden</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Victoria Sugden is a fictional character from the British soap opera Emmerdale, played since 12 October 2006 by Isabel Hodgins. As a young child, Victoria was played by Jessica Heywood until 1997, followed by Hannah Midgley from 1997 to 2006. Victoria is currently the longest serving female character on the soap. Her storylines have included surviving an explosion which she caused, being put in psychiatric care, being bullied at school, romancing Daz Eden, marrying Adam Barton, accidentally running over Ashley Thomas, coping when Adam goes on the run, falling in love with Adam's brother Matty and being the victim of rape during her night out in April 2019, leading to her pregnancy as a result and giving birth to a son named Harry.

<i>Coast to Coast</i> (1980 film) 1980 film by Joseph Sargent

Coast to Coast is a 1980 American romantic comedy film starring Dyan Cannon and Robert Blake, directed by Joseph Sargent. The screenplay was written by Stanley Weiser. The original score was composed by Charles Bernstein. The film was shot in Stockton, California. It was Blake's first film in six years and first since his popular TV series, Baretta left the airwaves.

<i>Solstice</i> (film) 2007 American film

Solstice is a 2007 American horror film directed by Daniel Myrick, written by Myrick, Marty Musatov, and Ethan Erwin, and starring Elisabeth Harnois, Shawn Ashmore, Hilarie Burton, Amanda Seyfried, Tyler Hoechlin, Matt O'Leary, and R. Lee Ermey. It is a remake of the 2003 film Midsommer.

<i>Dance with Me</i> (1998 film) 1998 film by Randa Haines

Dance with Me is a 1998 American romantic dance drama film directed by Randa Haines and starring Vanessa L. Williams and Puerto Rican singer Chayanne.

<i>The Alchemist</i> (film) 1983 American film

The Alchemist is a 1983 American horror film about a man who desires to avenge a curse placed on him by an evil magician. The film was directed by Charles Band, and stars Robert Ginty, Lucinda Dooling, and John Sanderford.

<i>The Ghoul</i> (1975 film) 1975 British film by Freddie Francis

The Ghoul is a 1975 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Peter Cushing, John Hurt, Alexandra Bastedo, Veronica Carlson, Gwen Watford, Don Henderson and Ian McCulloch. Francis made the film as a favour for his son, who produced it for Tyburn Film Productions.

Todd Kessler is an American film and television writer, producer and director. Among his credits are showrunner and co-creator of Nickelodeon's preschool series Blue's Clues and director and producer of the feature film Keith (2008).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parker's Back</span> Short story by Flannery OConnor

"Parker's Back" is a Southern gothic short story by American author Flannery O'Connor about the efforts of a worldly tattooed Southern man to demonstrate his love for a fundamentalist Christian woman whom he courts and marries but never understands why he stays with her. After a self-indulgent, disordered, and carefree life, the story's protagonist accepts God's grace and fulfills the meaning of his given name, Obadiah, but his wife with her Old Testament beliefs rejects grace in the form of Jesus Christ tattooed on her husband's back. The work was published in 1965, in her final short story collection, Everything That Rises Must Converge. André Bleikasten, a scholar who studied Southern American writers and their works, said "'Parker's Back' belongs with O'Connor's most explicitly religious stories" as well as “one of her most enigmatic and gripping texts”.

<i>Divorce Among Friends</i> 1930 film by Roy Del Ruth

Divorce Among Friends is a 1930 American Pre-Code comedy film. The film stars James Hall, Lew Cody and Natalie Moorhead. The film survives only in a 16mm copy made in the 1950s for television.

"Advanced Safety Features" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series Community, and the 104th episode of the series overall. It was released on Yahoo! Screen in the United States on April 21, 2015. The episode also features product placement by Honda throughout the episode.

Immortality (<i>CSI: Crime Scene Investigation</i>) Two-hour series finale of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"

"Immortality" is the two-hour series finale of the American procedural crime drama television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It was written by series creator Anthony E. Zuiker and directed by Louis Shaw Milito and originally aired in the United States on CBS on September 27, 2015.

<i>Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel</i> 2016 film by Kunihiko Yuyama

Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel, known in Japan as Pokémon the Movie XY&Z: Volcanion and the Exquisite Magearna is a 2016 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film, the 19th in the Pokémon film series produced by OLM, and the third and final film in the XY series. It was directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and written by Atsuhiro Tomioka. The film stars the voices of Rica Matsumoto, Ikue Ōtani, Mayuki Makiguchi, Yūki Kaji, Mariya Ise, Megumi Hayashibara, Shin-ichiro Miki, Inuko Inuyama, Somegoro Ichikawa, Yuka Terasaki, Kōichi Yamadera, Mayu Matsuoka, and Shoko Nakagawa. The film focuses on Councillor Alva of the Azoth Kingdom, who steals the "Soul-Heart" of the artificial Pokémon Magearna to power and control a flying fortress in the kingdom. The Mythical Pokémon Volcanion allies with the Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum and his friends, Pikachu, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie to recover Magearna's Soul-Heart.

<i>Ray Meets Helen</i> 2017 American film

Ray Meets Helen is a 2017 romantic drama film directed by Alan Rudolph. It is notable as Sondra Locke's last acting appearance before her death in 2018.

<i>Billy Summers</i> 2021 crime novel by Stephen King

Billy Summers is a crime novel written by American author Stephen King, published by Scribner on August 3, 2021.

References

  1. "Keith". IMDb . Archived from the original on 29 September 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  2. Nedd, Alexis (21 April 2015). "45 Hidden Gems You Should Already Be Watching On Netflix". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.