Patti Rocks

Last updated

Patti Rocks
Film poster Patti Rocks.jpg
Film poster
Directed byDavid Burton Morris
Written byJohn Jenkins
Karen Landry
David Burton Morris
Chris Mulkey
Produced by
  • Gregory M. Cummins
  • Gwen Field
StarringJohn Jenkins
Karen Landry
Chris Mulkey
CinematographyGregory M. Cummins
Edited byGregory M. Cummins
Music byDoug Maynard
Production
company
FilmDallas Pictures
Distributed byFilmDallas Pictures
Release date
  • January 15, 1988 (1988-01-15)
Running time
86 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$350,000

Patti Rocks is a 1988 comedy film directed by David Burton Morris starring John Jenkins, Karen Landry, and Chris Mulkey. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

In Minneapolis just before Christmas, fortysomething Billy persuades his old friend Eddie, who he has not seen for six months, to listen to his story. While working on barges between the Twin Cities and La Crosse, Wisconsin, Billy met and slept with Patti, who now says she is pregnant. As she refuses to talk on the phone with him, Billy wants a friend to accompany him on a visit to her La Crosse home to explain that as a married man and a father of two, he would prefer she not have the child. The pair drive through the night, drinking beer and talking crudely about women. At a stop, when an older woman challenges Billy to have sex with her, his machismo is revealed as immature bluster.

Arriving at Patti's apartment after midnight, Eddie is surprised to see Patti is actually a strong-willed, fiercely independent woman, and nothing how Billy described her. Patti tells Billy she will go ahead and have the baby and wants nothing from him. She then shuts herself in her bedroom. Billy begs Eddie to speak to her and she lets him in. After talking about each other's lonely lives, he divorced and she preferring freedom, tenderly they make love. Billy looks in and sees he is no longer wanted. As he prepares to drive Eddie home, Patti takes a photograph of him to give to the child one day. When Eddie asks, Patti says he can call again.

Cast

Production

Patti Rocks was written as a sequel to the 1975 film Loose Ends, which was the directorial debut of husband-and-wife pair David Burton Morris and Victoria Wozniak. [1] Loose Ends also starred Chris Mulkey and John Jenkins, both of whom would reprise their roles in Patti Rocks. The actors created approximately twenty hours of improvised dialogue, though Morris maintained to the press that the film was completely scripted. [1]

The film was shot in two weeks [5] in March 1987, [1] in and around Minneapolis–Saint Paul, including such locations as the Rock Island Swing Bridge. [6]

The film was made for a budget of $350,000 (equivalent to $940,000in 2023). [1]

Reception

Release

Patti Rocks premiered on January 15, 1988. It was also shown at the 1988 Sundance Film Festival where it competed for the Grand Jury Prize. [7]

Ratings controversy

The film was initially given an X rating by the MPAA on the basis of its profanities rather than its sexual content. [1] Morris and producer Sam Grogg of FilmDallas Pictures appealed the rating multiple times. Grogg made his case by comparing the number of times the f-word appears in Patti Rocks to that of other R-rated Hollywood productions, such as 1983's Scarface, with Grogg arguing Patti Rocks contained the f-word seventy-three times, in contrast to 206 instances in Scarface. [1] The X rating was then overturned and the film was released with an R rating. As a result of the controversy, the film received publicity and gained visibility. [8]

Filmmaker Kirby Dick, who had worked on Patti Rocks as a first assistant director, would later go on to make the 2006 documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated , which explores the MPAA and its impact on independent films. [1]

Critical response

Patti Rocks received positive reviews from critics who praised its examination of male chauvinism and unapologetic female sexuality. [2] [9] [10] [11] Others found the male characters' sexual dialogue to be "needlessly profane." [4] Fred Lutz of The Toledo Blade called it "one of the most comically devastating sex satires since Carnal Knowledge in 1971. It is also just as revealing about the adolescent attitudes some American men have about women and sex, and it is just as explicit and vulgar, if not more so." [12] Rita Kempley of The Washington Post wrote, "Patti Rocks may be an acquired taste. You could think of it as the antithesis of Fatal Attraction . Patti Rocks would thank Michael Douglas for the memories, and get herself a good obstetrician." [2]

Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times noted that while the film's "gutter lingo with harsh verisimilitude...opens up some private pain [and] confronts [the audience] with something flawed, but human", the male characters are ultimately absolved with "too automatic a comeuppance." [13] Janet Maslin of The New York Times was more critical, writing, "The film is interesting in its ambitions to the extent that it tries to contrast and exemplify so many sexual stereotypes and preconceptions. But its style is hopelessly ordinary without being particularly frank, and the level of insight displayed is hardly more engaging." [3] She added, "not until Miss Landry appears is it possible to glimpse what Patti Rocks has been after. Though her character is hackneyed and improbable, Miss Landry projects the subtlety and the furious energy that is so lacking in the story's earlier sections. Patti Rocks is most notable for its exceptional earnestness and for what it might have been. " [3]

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat of Spirituality & Practice opined, "Karen Landry's portrait of Patti is the best thing about this film. Independent and confident, she decides to have the baby regardless of Billy. With sensitivity, she proves to the burnt-out and self-denigrating Eddie that he is still lovable. As another report on the battle of the sexes, Patti Rocks proves that immature men will always be losers." [14]

Patti Rocks holds an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on five reviews. [15]

Accolades

At the 4th Independent Spirit Awards, Patti Rocks was nominated for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor (for Mulkey). [16]

Related Research Articles

The Motion Picture Associationfilm rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures are the responsibility of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), previously known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 1945 to 2019. The MPA rating system is a voluntary scheme that is not enforced by law; films can be exhibited without a rating, although most theaters refuse to exhibit non-rated or NC-17 rated films. Non-members of the MPA may also submit films for rating. Other media, such as television programs, music and video games, are rated by other entities such as the TV Parental Guidelines, the RIAA and the ESRB, respectively.

<i>An Unmarried Woman</i> 1978 film by Paul Mazursky

An Unmarried Woman is a 1978 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Jill Clayburgh, Alan Bates, Michael Murphy, and Cliff Gorman. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress (Clayburgh).

<i>Sling Blade</i> 1996 US drama film by Billy Bob Thornton

Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film written, directed by and starring Billy Bob Thornton. Set in Arkansas, it is the story of intellectually challenged Karl Childers and the friendship he develops with a boy and his mother. Karl was released from a psychiatric hospital where he had grown up due to having killed his mother and her lover when he was 12 years old. It also stars Dwight Yoakam, J. T. Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday, James Hampton, and Robert Duvall.

<i>The Hot Chick</i> 2002 film by Tom Brady

The Hot Chick is a 2002 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tom Brady, from a screenplay by Brady and Rob Schneider, and starring Schneider, Anna Faris, Matthew Lawrence, Eric Christian Olsen, and Rachel McAdams in her film debut. The film follows Jessica Spencer (McAdams), a mean-spirited cheerleader who switches bodies with incompetent criminal Clive Maxtone (Schneider). When Jessica discovers that the switch was caused by a pair of enchanted earrings she had stolen, one of which accidentally ended up in Clive's possession, she enlists the help of her friends to get the earrings back together before the switch becomes permanent.

<i>Bound</i> (1996 film) 1996 American film by the Wachowskis

Bound is a 1996 American neo-noir erotic crime thriller film written and directed by the Wachowskis in their feature film directorial debut. It stars Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon and Joe Pantoliano. The film centers on Violet (Tilly), a gun moll who longs to escape her relationship with her mobster boyfriend Caesar (Pantoliano), enters into a clandestine affair with alluring ex-con Corky (Gershon), and the two women hatch a scheme to steal $2 million of Mafia money.

<i>Scarface</i> (1983 film) American crime drama film by Brian De Palma

Scarface is a 1983 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, and starring Al Pacino. It is a remake of the 1932 film of the same name, in turn based on the novel of the same name first published in 1930 by Armitage Trail. It tells the story of Cuban refugee Tony Montana (Pacino), who arrives penniless in Miami during the Mariel boatlift and becomes a powerful drug lord. The film co-stars Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia, Míriam Colón and F. Murray Abraham.

<i>Kids</i> (film) 1995 film by Larry Clark

Kids is a 1995 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Larry Clark in his directorial debut and written by Harmony Korine in his screenwriting debut. It stars Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, and Rosario Dawson, all in their film debuts. Fitzpatrick, Pierce, Sevigny, Dawson, and other newcomers portray a group of teenagers in New York City. They are characterized as hedonists, who engage in sexual acts and substance abuse, over the course of a single day.

<i>Flatliners</i> 1990 film by Joel Schumacher

Flatliners is a 1990 American science fiction psychological horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Michael Douglas and Rick Bieber, and written by Peter Filardi. It stars Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon. The film is about five medical students who attempt to find out what lies beyond death by conducting clandestine experiments that produce near-death experiences. The film was shot on the campus of Loyola University Chicago between October 1989 and January 1990, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing in 1990. The film was theatrically released on August 10, 1990, by Columbia Pictures. It grossed $61 million at the box office.

<i>Short Cuts</i> 1993 film by Robert Altman

Short Cuts is a 1993 American comedy-drama film, directed by Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay by Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver. The film has a Los Angeles setting, which is substituted for the Pacific Northwest backdrop of Carver's stories. Short Cuts traces the actions of 22 principal characters, both in parallel and at occasional loose points of connection.

<i>Summer of Sam</i> 1999 US crime-drama film directed by Spike Lee

Summer of Sam is a 1999 American crime thriller film about the 1977 David Berkowitz serial murders and their effect on a group of fictional residents of an Italian-American neighborhood in The Bronx in the late 1970s. It focuses on two young men from the neighborhood: Vinny, whose marriage is faltering due to his cheating, and Ritchie, Vinny's childhood friend who has embraced punk fashion and music.

<i>The Hand That Rocks the Cradle</i> (film) 1992 film by Curtis Hanson

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is a 1992 American psychological thriller film directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay, Matt McCoy, Ernie Hudson, and Julianne Moore. Its plot follows the pregnant wife of a Seattle obstetrician who kills himself after he is accused of sexual misconduct by his patients. The shock leads the wife to miscarry, after which she poses as a nanny for one of her husband's accusers, and slowly begins to infiltrate the family. The title is taken from an 1865 poem by William Ross Wallace and there are several nods to the comic opera The Pirates of Penzance.

<i>Eddie Murphy Raw</i> 1987 film by Robert Townsend

Eddie Murphy Raw is a 1987 American stand-up comedy film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Robert Townsend. It was Murphy's second feature stand-up comedy film, following Eddie Murphy Delirious. However, unlike Delirious, Raw received a wide theatrical release. The 90-minute show was filmed at the Felt Forum, a venue in the Madison Square Garden complex in New York City. The film was released in the United States on December 18, 1987. As of January 2022, it is the highest-grossing stand-up comedy concert film ever released, making $50.5 million in the United States and Canada.

<i>Mysterious Skin</i> 2004 film by Gregg Araki

Mysterious Skin is a 2004 coming-of-age drama film written, produced, and directed by Gregg Araki, adapted from Scott Heim's 1995 novel of the same name. The film tells the story of two pre-adolescent boys who both experienced sexual abuse as children, and how it affects their lives in different ways into their young adulthood. One boy becomes a reckless, sexually adventurous sex worker, while the other retreats into a reclusive fantasy of alien abduction.

<i>Stealing Home</i> 1988 film by William Porter, Steven Kampmann

Stealing Home is a 1988 American coming of age romantic drama film written and directed by Steven Kampmann and William Porter. The film stars Mark Harmon, Blair Brown, Jonathan Silverman, Harold Ramis, William McNamara, and Jodie Foster. The movie focuses on a failed baseball player, Billy Wyatt, who discovers that his childhood sweetheart, Katie Chandler, has died by suicide. Billy must confront the past via reminiscence and nostalgia, while also dealing with grief, as he embarks on a journey to fulfill one of Katie's last wishes; that he spread her ashes.

<i>48 Hrs.</i> 1982 film by Walter Hill

48 Hrs. is a 1982 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-written by Walter Hill, co-written by Larry Gross, Steven E. de Souza and Roger Spottiswoode, and starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy as a cop and a convict, respectively, who team up to catch two hardened criminals. Titled after the amount of time the duo has to solve the crime, 48 Hrs. was Joel Silver's first title as a producer.

<i>Heartbreak Hotel</i> (film) 1988 film by Chris Columbus

Heartbreak Hotel is a 1988 American comedy film written and directed by Chris Columbus, and stars David Keith and Tuesday Weld. Set in 1972, the story deals with one of the many "legends" involving Elvis Presley (Keith) about his fictional kidnapping, and his subsequent redemption from decadence.

Chris Mulkey is an American film and television actor and blues and Americana singer-songwriter.

Caroline at Midnight is a 1993 erotic thriller film, written by Travis Rink and directed by Scott McGinnis. Rated R, it was released direct-to-video in December 1993. It aired on Cinemax in 1994 and the Showtime Network in 1995. In 1995 it was screened on The Movie Channel's Joe Bob's Drive-in Theater with producer Roger Corman discussing the making of the film with film critic Joe Bob Briggs. In reflecting on her career in a 2009 interview in the Los Angeles Times, Virginia Madsen described her role in this film as indicative of the low quality sex driven films which she was type cast in during the 1990s.

<i>Blue Valentine</i> (film) 2010 American romantic drama film by Derek Cianfrance

Blue Valentine is a 2010 American romantic drama film written and directed by Derek Cianfrance. Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne, and Joey Curtis wrote the film, and the band Grizzly Bear scored it. Blue Valentine depicts a married couple, played by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, shifting back and forth in time between their courtship and the dissolution of their marriage several years later.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Patti Rocks". AFI Catalog . Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Kempley, Rita (January 28, 1988). "'Patti Rocks' : (R)". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Maslin, Janet (January 15, 1988). "Film: Testing Poses in 'Patti Rocks'". The New York Times . Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Patti Rocks". TV Guide . Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  5. ↑ Gaspard 2006, p. 39.
  6. ↑ Arey, Richard (1995). Fred's Best Guide to Twin Cities Bicycling. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Outdoors Press. ISBN   0962091812.
  7. ↑ "Patti Rocks (1988) Awards & Festivals". MUBI . Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  8. ↑ Thompson, Anne (November 1987). "Marketing an X Rating: Controversy Sells". Premiere. p. 5.
  9. ↑ Uricchio, Marylynn (March 4, 1988). "'Patti Rocks' a lusty look at battle of sexes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Patti Rocks". Time Out . September 10, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Sex and the macho man". Maclean's . February 1, 1988. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  12. ↑ Lutz, Fred (May 14, 1988). "'Patti Rocks': Macho guy grows old, doesn't grow up". Toledo Blade . Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  13. ↑ Wilmington, Michael (January 15, 1988). "MOVIE REVIEW : Fire and Ice Fuel a Low-Budget, High-Intensity 'Patti Rocks'". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  14. ↑ Brussat, Frederic; Brussat, Mary Ann. "Patti Rocks". Spirituality & Practice. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Patti Rocks". Rotten Tomatoes .
  16. ↑ Gaspard 2006, p. 40.

Bibliography

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.