Run This Town (film)

Last updated
Run This Town
Run This Town poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRicky Tollman
Screenplay byRicky Tollman
Produced byJonathan Bronfman
Randy Manis
Starring Ben Platt
Mena Massoud
Nina Dobrev
Scott Speedman
Gil Bellows
Jennifer Ehle
Damian Lewis
CinematographyNick Haight
Edited bySandy Pereira
Music by Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Adrian Younge
Production
companies
CounterNarrative Films
JoBro Productions & Film Finance
Manis Film
Distributed by
Release dates
  • March 9, 2019 (2019-03-09)(SXSW)
  • March 6, 2020 (2020-03-06)(Canada)
  • March 6, 2020 (2020-03-06)(United States)
Running time
99 minutes [1]
CountriesCanada
United States
LanguageEnglish

Run This Town is a 2019 drama film about Rob Ford's personal and work-related controversies during his final year as Toronto's mayor, written and directed by Ricky Tollman. It stars Ben Platt, Mena Massoud, Nina Dobrev, Scott Speedman, Gil Bellows, Jennifer Ehle, and Damian Lewis.

Contents

It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 9, 2019. It was released in the United States and Canada on March 6, 2020, by Oscilloscope and Elevation Pictures.

Premise

The film details the turbulent final year of Rob Ford's tenure as the mayor of Toronto.

Cast

Production

It was announced in March 2018 that Ben Platt, Nina Dobrev, Mena Massoud and Damian Lewis were cast in the film. [2] Filming began the next month in Toronto, along with the additions of Jennifer Ehle, Scott Speedman and Gil Bellows to the cast. Lewis, playing the role of Ford, was spotted on set in extensive makeup and donning a body suit. [3] [4]

Release

The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 9, 2019. [5] It was released commercially in the United States and Canada on March 6, 2020. [6] [7]

Criticism

The film faced some criticism for excising the role of investigative journalists Robyn Doolittle and Kevin Donovan in exposing the scandal, instead replacing them with a fictional novice male journalist. [8] [9] Donovan was critical of the film's portrayal of the media, particularly scenes depicting a reporter paying for the Rob Ford video. [9] Allison Smith stated that Doolittle's replacement with a male journalist was problematic, and the film "would have been more interesting if it had followed Doolittle". [9] She stated that Doolittle may have been replaced because her book Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story had been optioned for a film or television production. [9]

Joe Mihevc, formerly a councillor on Toronto City Council, stated that the film misrepresents Ford's character, portraying him as a mean-spirited individual and omitting the "humanness of Rob" and the traits that attracted those who voted for him. [9]

The film was also praised by Donovan for its correct portrayal of the backroom politics, and by Smith for the depiction of reporters reconstructing a timeline of Rob Ford's activities based on postings to his social media accounts. [9]

Awards

The film received three Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards, for Best Art Direction/Production Design (Chris Crane), Best Sound Editing (Nelson Ferreira, Dashen Naidoo, J.R. Fountain and Dustin Harris) and Best Makeup (Emily O'Quinn, Steve Newburn and Neil Morrill). [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Ehle</span> American-British actress (born 1969)

Jennifer Anne Ehle is an American actress. She gained recognition and acclaim for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC miniseries Pride and Prejudice (1995), for which she received the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. Known for her roles on Broadway and the West End she has won two Tony Awards as well as a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Ford</span> Canadian politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (1969–2016)

Robert Bruce Ford was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. Before and after his term as mayor, Ford was a city councillor representing Ward 2 Etobicoke North. He was first elected to Toronto City Council in the 2000 Toronto municipal election, and was re-elected to his council seat twice.

"A Whole New World" is the signature song from Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. A duet originally recorded by singers Brad Kane and Lea Salonga in their respective roles as the singing voices of the main characters Aladdin and Jasmine, the ballad serves as both the film's love and theme song. Lyrically, "A Whole New World" describes Aladdin showing the confined princess a life of freedom and the pair's acknowledgment of their love for each other while riding on a magic carpet.

<i>Miami Rhapsody</i> 1995 American film

Miami Rhapsody is a 1995 American romantic comedy film starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Gil Bellows, Antonio Banderas, Mia Farrow, Paul Mazursky, Kevin Pollak, Barbara Garrick, and Carla Gugino. It was written, co-produced and directed by David Frankel in his feature directorial debut, with music composed by Mark Isham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Dobrev</span> Canadian actress (born 1989)

Nina Kamenova Dobreva, credited professionally as Nina Dobrev, is a Canadian actress. She is known for portraying Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce in the CW's supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries (2009–2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rya Kihlstedt</span> American actress

Rya Kihlstedt is an American actress. She starred in the 1997 comedy film Home Alone 3 as Alice Ribbons. Kihlstedt would go on to appear in the films Deep Impact (1998), Women in Trouble (2009) and The Atticus Institute (2015). On television, she had a recurring roles as Dr. Michelle Ross in the Showtime crime drama Dexter and as Marilyn Rhodes in the ABC musical drama Nashville. In 2015, Kihlstedt starred in the NBC miniseries Heroes Reborn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscilloscope (company)</span> American home video distributor

Oscilloscope Laboratories is an independent film company, distributor, recording studio and production facility. It was founded by Adam Yauch and former TH!NKFilm executive David Fenkel. Fenkel left the company shortly after it was founded to co-found A24. He returned after Yauch's death in May 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Rob Ford crack video scandal</span>

In May 2013, the American website Gawker and the Toronto Star reported that they had viewed a cellphone video that showed then-Mayor of Toronto Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine and commenting on political issues. Gawker raised money to buy the video, but were unable to acquire it when the seller broke off contact. On October 31, 2013, the Toronto Police Service announced that they were in possession of the video, "and at least one other". The video was retrieved in the course of an investigation of drug gangs, entitled "Project Traveller". Ford's associate Alexander "Sandro" Lisi was charged with extortion for attempting to retrieve the video, in exchange for marijuana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Platt</span> American actor and singer (born 1993)

Benjamin Schiff Platt is an American actor and singer. The son of film and theater producer Marc Platt, he began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of The Sound of Music (2006) and The Book of Mormon (2012–2015), rising to prominence for originating the title role in the Broadway coming-of-age musical Dear Evan Hansen (2015–2017). His performance in the latter earned him multiple accolades, including the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, the youngest solo recipient of the award at the time, in addition to a Daytime Emmy, and Grammy Award. Platt reprised the role of Evan Hansen in the 2021 film adaptation of the musical, produced by his father. He then played Leo Frank in the 2022 New York City Center Gala production of Parade, which transferred to Broadway in 2023 and earned him another Tony and Grammy nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robyn Doolittle</span> Canadian journalist

Robyn Doolittle is a Canadian investigative reporter for The Globe and Mail.

<i>Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story</i> 2014 book by Robyn Doolittle

Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story is a 2014 biography by Robyn Doolittle concerning Toronto mayor Rob Ford and his 2013 scandal of a leaked video of him using drugs.

Oslo is a play by J. T. Rogers, recounting the true-life, previously secret, back-channel negotiations in the development of the pivotal 1990s Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The play premiered Off-Broadway in June 2016 and then transferred to Broadway in April 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mena Massoud</span> Canadian-Egyptian actor (born 1991)

Mena Mansour Massoud is an Egyptian-Canadian actor. He is known for playing the title character in the Disney fantasy film Aladdin (2019), which earned him nominations for a Teen Choice Award and two National Film & TV Awards.

<i>Aladdin</i> (2019 film) 2019 live-action film adaptation directed by Guy Ritchie

Aladdin is a 2019 American musical fantasy film directed by Guy Ritchie from a screenplay he co-wrote with John August. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Rideback, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1992 animated film Aladdin, itself based on "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp", a French addition to the Middle Eastern folktale collection One Thousand and One Nights. The film stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott with Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, and Billy Magnussen in supporting roles. The plot follows Aladdin, a street urchin, as he falls in love with Princess Jasmine, befriends a wish-granting genie, and battles the wicked sorcerer Jafar.

<i>Monster</i> (2018 film) 2018 film

Monster is a 2018 American legal drama film directed by Anthony Mandler, from a screenplay by Radha Blank, Cole Wiley, and Janece Shaffer, based on the novel of the same name by Walter Dean Myers. It stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., Jennifer Ehle, Tim Blake Nelson, Nas, ASAP Rocky, Paul Ben-Victor, John David Washington, Jennifer Hudson, and Jeffrey Wright. Wright, Nas, and John Legend also serve as executive producers on the film.

<i>Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark</i> (film) 2019 film by André Øvredal

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a 2019 supernatural horror film directed by André Øvredal, based on the book series of the same name by Alvin Schwartz. The screenplay was adapted by the Hageman Brothers, from a screen story by Guillermo del Toro, as well as Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. The film, an international co-production of the United States and Canada, stars Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Zajur, Natalie Ganzhorn, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, and Lorraine Toussaint.

<i>Warning</i> (2021 film) 2021 film by Agata Alexander

Warning is a 2021 science fiction thriller film directed by Agata Alexander in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Alexander, Jason Kaye and Rob Michaelson. It stars Alex Pettyfer, Alice Eve, Annabelle Wallis, Benedict Samuel, Charlotte Le Bon, Thomas Jane, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Rupert Everett, Tomasz Kot, Kylie Bunbury and Garance Marillier. The film premiered at the 2021 Sitges Film Festival.

<i>Aladdin</i> (2019 soundtrack) 2019 soundtrack album by various artists

Aladdin (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is a soundtrack for the film of the same name, released by Walt Disney Records on May 17, 2019. The soundtrack features a cover of "A Whole New World" by Zayn Malik and Zhavia Ward, songs from the original film, a new song written by the original film's composer, Alan Menken, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a score composed by Menken. The soundtrack was released on May 17, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Tollman</span> South African filmmaker

Ricky Tollman is a South African filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer.

References

  1. "Run this Town". South by Southwest . Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  2. N'Duka, Amanda (2018-03-26). "Ben Platt, Nina Dobrev, Mena Massoud & Damian Lewis To Star In 'Run This Town'". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  3. N'Duka, Amanda (2018-04-04). "Jennifer Ehle, Scott Speedman & Gil Bellows Board 'Run This Town'". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  4. "Damian Lewis Is Unrecognizable as Rob Ford on Run This Town Set". E! Online. April 24, 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  5. Kilday, Gregg (January 16, 2019). "SXSW: Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey to Premiere New Work". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  6. "Run this Town". Elevation Pictures . Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  7. Day-Ramos, Dino (January 23, 2020). "Oscilloscope Teams With Twitter For Innovative Release Of Ricky Tollman's 'Run This Town' Starring Ben Platt". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  8. Arnold, Amanda (April 10, 2018). "Female Reporter Slams Movie For 'Rewriting' History By Casting Male Actor". TheCut.com.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Glasner, Eli (2020-03-06). "What the Rob Ford movie Run This Town gets right — and what it gets wrong". cbc.ca. CBC News . Retrieved 2020-03-08.
  10. "Écrans canadiens : Song of Names, The Twentieth Century et Antigone en tête des nominations". Ici Radio-Canada, February 18, 2020.