The D Train

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The D Train
The D Train poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Written by
  • Jarrad Paul
  • Andrew Mogel
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Giles Nuttgens
Edited byTerel Gibson
Music by Andrew Dost
Production
companies
Distributed by IFC Films
Release dates
  • January 23, 2015 (2015-01-23)(Sundance)
  • May 8, 2015 (2015-05-08)(United States)
Running time
101 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.4 million [3]
Box office$774,780 [4]

The D Train (also known as Bad Bromance) [5] is a 2015 American black comedy film written and directed by Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel in their directorial debuts, and stars Jack Black and James Marsden. The film premiered at the 11th Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2015, and was released in the United States on May 8, 2015, by IFC Films.

Contents

Premise

Dan Landsman is the self-proclaimed chairman of his Pittsburgh high school's alumni committee. While planning the twenty-year reunion, Dan has the idea of convincing Oliver Lawless, the most popular guy in his graduating class (and now a TV-commercial celebrity) to return, thinking that this will make people want to attend.

Cast

Production

On February 10, 2014, it was announced that Jack Black and James Marsden would star in a comedy film, directing debut of Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel, which Black's Electric Dynamite produced with Mike White's RipCord Productions and Ben Latham-Jones and Barnaby Thompson of Ealing Studios. [7] [6]

Filming

According to a casting call, the shooting was set to begin on March 17, 2014, in Metairie, Louisiana. [8] Later on March 19, Jack Black was spotted during the filming of The D Train in New Orleans. [9] Due to Black's schedule, the film was shot in just 21 days. [10]

Music

In October 2014, Andrew Dost was hired to compose the music for the film. [11]

A Pittsburgh sports radio segment playing when Dan arrives at a sports bar includes an audio cameo by John-Paul "JP" Flaim, Eric "EB" Bickel, Johnny "Cakes" Auville and Jason "Lurch" Bishop, the titular hosts of The Sports Junkies in Washington. The Junkies also released audio of them reading their lines in studio. [12]

Release

The D Train premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2015. Shortly after, IFC Films acquired U.S. distribution rights for $3 million in a bidding war against studios including Lionsgate, Fox Searchlight, Broad Green Pictures and Alchemy. [13] The film was released theatrically in the United States on May 8, 2015, by IFC Films. [4]

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $447,524 from 1,009 theaters ($444 per theater), which is the 15th worst opening for a wide release film of all time. [14] In its second weekend, the film was pulled from 847 screens, and its weekend-to-weekend gross fell 96.5%, as it only earned $15,714 ($97 per theater). As of November 10, 2015, the film had grossed $771,317. [4]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 53% based on 134 reviews, with an average rating of 5.70/10. The site's consensus reads, "The D Train offers Jack Black a too-rare opportunity to showcase his range, but its story and characters are too sloppily conceived to hold together as a film." [15] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [16]

The New York Post described the film as "cute, breezy fun". [17]

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References

  1. ↑ Grierson, Tim (January 26, 2015). "The D Train". Screen International . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  2. ↑ "The D Train (15)". British Board of Film Classification . June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Initial Certification Search" (Type "Dtrain" in the search box). Fastlane NextGen. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "The D Train (2015)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Bad Bromance". Amazon UK.
  6. 1 2 3 Sneider, Jeff (February 10, 2014). "Jack Black, James Marsden to Star in High School Reunion Comedy The D Train". The Wrap. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  7. ↑ Kit, Borys (February 10, 2014). "Jack Black and James Marsden to Star in The D Train". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  8. ↑ P. King, Kevin (March 15, 2014). "Caucasian Male, height 5'6 or shorter, to work as a stand in for THE D TRAIN on Monday in Metairie, LA". The Southern Casting Call. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  9. ↑ "The D Train, starring Jack Black and James Marsden, filming underway in Louisiana". On Location Vacations. March 19, 2014. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  10. ↑ "'The D Train' writer/directors deliver a big twist in a movie that almost didn't get made". The Frame. May 6, 2015. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  11. ↑ "D-Train to Feature Music by Fun.'s Andrew Dost". Film Music Reporter. October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  12. ↑ "The Sports Junkies reading their D-Train lines". Play.it. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016.
  13. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr (January 25, 2016). "IFC Pays $3 Million For Jack Black Comedy 'The D Train' – Sundance". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Worst Wide Release Openings of All-Time". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  15. ↑ "The D Train (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  16. ↑ "The D Train reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  17. ↑ Smith, Kyle (January 24, 2015). "Rookie filmmakers hit the mark with charming D-Train". New York Post . Retrieved January 29, 2015.
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