Stag (film)

Last updated
Stag
Stag 1997.jpg
Directed byGavin Wilding
Screenplay by
  • Pat Bermel
  • Evan Tylor
Story byJason Schombing
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Maryse Alberti
Edited byMark Sanders
Music by Paul Zaza
Production
companies
Release date
  • June 27, 1997 (1997-06-27)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3,000,000 [1]

Stag is a 1997 American thriller film, directed by Gavin Wilding, made for HBO and later released theatrically after drawing large ratings. Stag features an ensemble cast headed by Mario Van Peebles, Andrew McCarthy, Kevin Dillon, Taylor Dayne, John Stockwell, William McNamara, John Henson, Jerry Stiller and Ben Gazzara. It was produced by Lions Gate Entertainment.

Contents

Plot

At Ken's bachelor party, a group of men are partying with two stripper sisters named Serena (Taylor Dayne) and Kelly (Jenny McShane). Serena steals one of the men and makes love to him, while a group of men party with her sister Kelly. Kelly accidentally falls onto the stone floor and dies. Another person, her bodyguard, also dies in an accident. Arriving and witnessing the accidental deaths of Kelly and her bodyguard, Serena begins crying and confronts a group of men, who give a weak apology.

Two of the men then kidnap Serena and hold her hostage upstairs. A group of men cover their tracks and eliminate the bodies of the two deceased people. A rescuer frees Serena, but he and Serena are kidnapped by their captors. He and Serena are later rescued. Grabbing the two guns in her hands, Serena shoots and murders her kidnappers.

The reason the wild party began was to turn the tables on Ken, who had always made others the subject of his pranks.

Cast

Release

Stag premiered on HBO in June 1997. [2]

Reception

Brendan Kelly of Variety called it "an efficient psychological thriller" that "becomes a tad predictable". [2] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club called it "stagey, badly written, and mind-numbingly predictable". [3] TV Guide rated it 2/4 stars and called it "a sometimes gripping, sometimes frustrating suspense drama". [4] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "relentlessly obvious and tedious". [5]

It has been compared to 1998's Very Bad Things , a film which also revolves around the death of a stripper at a bachelor party. [6] The producers of Very Bad Things were not aware of Stag while the movie was being written. By the time Very Bad Things began being financed, the producers had found out about Stag, and changes were made to the script to make it less similar. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Carlin</span> American stand-up comedian (1937–2008)

George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of counterculture comedians". He was known for his black comedy and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and taboo subjects. His "seven dirty words" routine was central to the 1978 United States Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government's power to censor indecent material on public airwaves.

<i>Buffalo 66</i> 1998 American film

Buffalo '66 is a 1998 American crime comedy-drama film written and directed by Vincent Gallo, starring Gallo, Christina Ricci, Ben Gazzara and Anjelica Huston. The plot revolves around Billy Brown (Gallo), a man who kidnaps a young tap dancer named Layla (Ricci) and forces her to pretend to be his wife to impress his parents after he gets released from prison.

<i>Wild Things</i> (film) 1998 US neo-noir erotic crime thriller film by John McNaughton

Wild Things is a 1998 American neo-noir thriller film directed by John McNaughton and starring Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, Theresa Russell, Robert Wagner, and Bill Murray. It follows a high school guidance counselor in south Florida who is accused of rape by two female students and a series of subsequent revelations after a police officer begins investigating the alleged crimes.

<i>Big Daddy</i> (1999 film) 1999 film directed by Dennis Dugan

Big Daddy is a 1999 American comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler based on a story by Franks, and starring Adam Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Stewart, Rob Schneider, Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, and Leslie Mann with supporting roles done by Allen Covert and Josh Mostel. The plot follows a 32-year-old man who gets dumped by his girlfriend for not accepting responsibility and then tries to be responsible by adopting a five-year-old boy named Julian who appears on his doorstep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bachelor party</span> Party held by a man who is about to get married

A bachelor party, also known as a stag weekend, stag do or stag party, or a buck's night, is a party held/arranged by the man who is shortly to enter marriage.

<i>All the Kings Men</i> (2006 film) 2006 film by Steven Zaillian

All the King's Men is a 2006 American political drama film written, directed and produced by Steven Zaillian based on the 1946 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of the same name by Robert Penn Warren. All the King's Men had previously been adapted into a Best Picture Oscar–winning film by writer-director Robert Rossen in 1949. The film narrates the rise to power and demise of the Governor Willie Stark, taking his office in the American South. The fictional character is loosely based on the life of Louisiana governor Huey Long, in office between 1928 through 1932. Elected as a U.S. senator, he was assassinated in 1935. The film co-stars Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley and Frederic Forrest in his final film appearance.

<i>Snake Eyes</i> (1998 film) 1998 film by Brian De Palma

Snake Eyes is a 1998 American mystery suspense-thriller film directed and produced by Brian De Palma. The film stars Nicolas Cage as a detective investigating a political assassination at a boxing match in Atlantic City, with supporting roles played by Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino, John Heard, Stan Shaw, Kevin Dunn, Joel Fabiani and Luis Guzmán. De Palma also co-wrote the story with David Koepp, who wrote the screenplay. The musical score was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto.

<i>Very Bad Things</i> 1998 American film

Very Bad Things is a 1998 American black comedy film written and directed by Peter Berg in his feature film directorial debut and starring Cameron Diaz, Jon Favreau, Daniel Stern, Jeremy Piven, Christian Slater, Leland Orser, Kobe Tai and Jeanne Tripplehorn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Dayne</span> American singer and actress (born 1962)

Taylor Dayne is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame in 1987 after her debut single "Tell It to My Heart". Dayne achieved six additional U.S. top-10 singles, including "Love Will Lead You Back", "With Every Beat of My Heart", "Prove Your Love", and "I'll Always Love You".

<i>The Killing of a Chinese Bookie</i> 1976 film by John Cassavetes

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a 1976 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring Ben Gazzara. A rough and gritty film, this is the second of their three collaborations, following Husbands and preceding Opening Night. Timothy Carey, Seymour Cassel, Morgan Woodward, Meade Roberts, and Azizi Johari appear in supporting roles.

<i>Overnight Delivery</i> 1998 film by Jason Bloom

Overnight Delivery is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Jason Bloom. It stars Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon as a college student and a stripper who take a road trip across America to retrieve a package that had been impulsively sent to a girlfriend. It was filmed on location in Minnesota in 1996. It was released direct-to-video in 1998.

<i>Fools Gold</i> (2008 film) 2008 American film

Fool's Gold is a 2008 American romantic action comedy film from Warner Bros. Pictures about a recently divorced couple who rekindle their romantic life while searching for a lost treasure. The film is directed by Andy Tennant and reunites the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days stars Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. It received negative reviews from critics and grossed $111 million worldwide.

<i>Striptease</i> (film) 1996 film by Andrew Bergman

Striptease is a 1996 American black comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Andrew Bergman, and starring Demi Moore, Armand Assante, Ving Rhames, Robert Patrick and Burt Reynolds. Based on Floridian crime writer Carl Hiaasen's 1993 best-selling novel of the same name, the film centers on an FBI secretary-turned-stripper who becomes involved in both a child-custody dispute and corrupt politics.

"Lecture Circuit" is a two-part episode of the American comedy television series The Office. They constituted the sixteenth and seventeenth episodes of the fifth season, and the 88th and 89th overall episodes of the series. The first episode originally aired on NBC on February 5, 2009, and the second on February 12.

<i>I Can Do Bad All by Myself</i> (film) 2009 American film

I Can Do Bad All by Myself is a 2009 American romantic musical comedy-drama film which was released on September 11, 2009. The film was directed, produced, and written by Tyler Perry, who also makes an appearance in the film as his signature character Madea. The rest of the cast consists of Taraji P. Henson, Adam Rodriguez, Brian White, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight, and Marvin L. Winans. Although the film and play share the same title, the film is not an adaptation of Perry's play of the same name; the two works have different storylines as this film tells the story of an alcoholic lounge singer who is persuaded to take the custody of her niece and nephews by Madea after she catches them breaking into her house and their grandmother has gone missing. Both are named for a lyric in the Changing Faces song "G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.". It is the fifth film in the Madea franchise.

"The Ones" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by co-executive producer Jack Burditt, and directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode aired in the United States on April 23, 2009, on NBC. Guest stars in this episode include Josh Casaubon, Salma Hayek, and Brian Williams.

The 2015 Billboard Music Awards ceremony was held on May 17, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It was aired live on ABC. The show was hosted by Ludacris and Chrissy Teigen.

<i>What Men Want</i> 2019 American film by Adam Shankman

What Men Want is a 2019 American romantic comedy film directed by Adam Shankman and starring Taraji P. Henson, Aldis Hodge, Josh Brener, Erykah Badu, Richard Roundtree and Tracy Morgan. The film is a loose remake of the 2000 film What Women Want. The plot follows a woman who – after drinking a potent concoction given by a shaman – gains the ability to hear men's inner thoughts. The screenplay was written by Jas Waters and Tina Gordon Chism.

<i>Crazy Six</i> 1998 film directed by Albert Pyun

Crazy Six is a 1998 American-Slovak gangster film starring Rob Lowe, Mario Van Peebles, Ice-T, and Burt Reynolds. It was directed by Albert Pyun.

References

  1. "B.C. Scene: New team will spend summer writing tax credit White Paper".
  2. 1 2 Kelly, Brendan (1997-06-15). "Review: 'Stag'". Variety . Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  3. Rabin, Nathan (2002-03-29). "Stag". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  4. "Stag". TV Guide . Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  5. Thomas, Kevin (1997-09-26). "When 'Stag' Goes Awry, It's No Party". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  6. Busch, Anita M. (1998-05-08). "This week in Hollywood". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  7. "Peter Berg". The A.V. Club . 18 November 1998.