The Jimmy Show

Last updated

The Jimmy Show
Directed by Frank Whaley
Written byFrank Whaley
Based onVeins and Thumbtacks
by Jonathan Marc Sherman
Produced byBeni Tadd Atoori
Mary Jane Skalski
StarringFrank Whaley
Carla Gugino
Ethan Hawke
CinematographyMichael Mayers
Edited byMiran Miosic
Music byGeorg Brandl Egloff
Distributed by First Look Studios
Release dates
  • September 13, 2001 (2001-09-13)(Toronto International Film Festival)
  • December 13, 2002 (2002-12-13)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Jimmy Show is a 2001 drama written and directed by Frank Whaley, based on the Off-Broadway play Veins and Thumbtacks by Jonathan Marc Sherman. [1] The film stars Whaley, Carla Gugino, and Ethan Hawke. The film premiered at the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival and also screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. [2]

Contents

Synopsis

The film centers on the life of Jimmy O'Brien (Frank Whaley), a warehouse clerk by day and a standup comedian by night. He is also a failure as an inventor. He lives with his wife (Carla Gugino), daughter, and a disabled grandmother. Jimmy's aspiration to succeed contrasts sharply with the numbness of his pothead friend Ray (Ethan Hawke), who is just trying to get by. When performing, Jimmy contradicts the role of a comedian and instead uses the stand-up form to relate the tragedies in his life, which causes indifferent to hostile reactions from the audience; however, he also provokes members of the audience. Eventually Jimmy is fired from his day job for stealing beer, which he abuses, and his wife leaves him. He winds up working at a Middle-Eastern fast-food restaurant. At the end of the film, Jimmy runs seemingly aimlessly in different directions in what appears to be him either on the verge of nervous breakdown or spiritual awakening.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Staten Island, the same location used by Frank Whaley in his 1999 drama Joe the King . [3] [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethan Hawke</span> American actor and film director (born 1970)

Ethan Green Hawke is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for numerous accolades including four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a documentary. He has also written three novels and one graphic novel. He made his film debut in Explorers (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in Dead Poets Society (1989). Hawke starred alongside Julie Delpy in Richard Linklater's Before trilogy: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004), and Before Midnight (2013). Hawke has received four Academy Award nominations, two for Best Supporting Actor for Training Day (2001) and Boyhood (2014) and the other two for Best Adapted Screenplay for co-writing Before Sunset and Before Midnight with Linklater and Delpy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent D'Onofrio</span> American actor and filmmaker

Vincent Philip D'Onofrio is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Gugino</span> American actress

Carla Gugino is an American actress. After appearing in Troop Beverly Hills (1989) and This Boy's Life (1993), she received recognition for her starring roles as Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids trilogy (2001–2003), Rebecca Hutman in Night at the Museum (2006), Laurie Roberts in American Gangster (2007), Det. Karen Corelli in Righteous Kill (2008), Dr. Alex Friedman in Race to Witch Mountain (2009), Sally Jupiter in Watchmen (2009), Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch (2011), Amanda Popper in Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), Emma Gaines in San Andreas (2015), and Jessie Burlingame in Gerald's Game (2017).

Frank Joseph Whaley is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and comedian. His roles include Brett in Pulp Fiction, Robby Krieger in The Doors, young Archie "Moonlight" Graham in Field of Dreams, and Guy in Swimming With Sharks. He has also appeared in films and TV series such as Born on the Fourth of July, The Freshman, A Midnight Clear, Swing Kids, Broken Arrow, Luke Cage, and World Trade Center.

Jonathan Marc Sherman is a contemporary American playwright, poet, and actor. He submitted plays for several years to Young Playwrights Inc.'s National Playwrights Competition before they did a staged reading of his one-act, Serendipity and Serenity in 1987, followed by a full production of his next play, Women and Wallace (1988).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Dano</span> American actor (born 1984)

Paul Franklin Dano is an American actor and musician. He began his career on Broadway. He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in L.I.E. (2001) and gained wider recognition for playing a troubled teenager in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). For playing identical twins in Paul Thomas Anderson's period drama There Will Be Blood (2007), he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Stephen Belber is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. His plays have been produced on Broadway and in over 50 countries. He directed the film adaptation of his Broadway play, Match, starring Patrick Stewart,. He also wrote and directed the film Management, starring Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn and Woody Harrelson and wrote the HBO film O.G., starring Jeffrey Wright, Theothus Carter, and William Fichtner. Belber was an actor and associate writer on The Laramie Project,, as well as a co-writer of The Laramie Project, Ten Years Later.

Joe the King is a 1999 drama film, written and directed by Frank Whaley, based largely on his own childhood and the childhood of his brother. It stars Noah Fleiss, Val Kilmer, Karen Young, Ethan Hawke, John Leguizamo, Austin Pendleton, Camryn Manheim, Max Ligosh, and James Costa. The film premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.

Sebastián Gutiérrez is a Venezuelan film director, screenwriter and film producer. He wrote the screenplays to the films Gothika, Snakes on a Plane, The Eye and The Big Bounce, and wrote and directed two independent ensemble comedies, Women in Trouble and Elektra Luxx.

<i>Staten Island</i> (film) 2009 French film

Staten Island is a 2009 crime film written and directed by James DeMonaco in his directorial debut. It stars Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Seymour Cassel as three Staten Islanders whose lives intersect through a crime. Following a very limited theatrical run in New York City, it was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in December 2009.

<i>Faster</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by George Tillman, Jr.

Faster is a 2010 American action thriller film directed by George Tillman Jr. with Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton as a criminal seeking vengeance and the corrupt cop who pursues him, respectively. Tom Berenger, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Carla Gugino also appear. Faster was released on November 24, 2010, and grossed $35 million against production budget of $24 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tenderloins</span> Comedy troupe

The Tenderloins are an American comedy troupe composed of James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Sal Vulcano. The group stars in the television series Impractical Jokers, which premiered on December 15, 2011. The program airs on truTV in the U.S. and on Comedy Central in the UK, Ireland, and India.

<i>Every Day</i> (2010 film) 2010 American film

Every Day is a 2010 comedy-drama film written and directed by Richard Levine and starring Liev Schreiber, Helen Hunt, Carla Gugino, Eddie Izzard, Ezra Miller, and Brian Dennehy.

James DeMonaco is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He is best known for creating the Purge franchise, writing all five films in the series and directing the first three, The Purge (2013), Anarchy (2014), and Election Year (2016).

<i>Match</i> (film) 2014 American film

Match is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Stephen Belber, based on his 2004 play of the same name. The film stars Patrick Stewart, Carla Gugino and Matthew Lillard. The film was released on January 14, 2015, by IFC Films.

<i>The Phenom</i> (film) 2016 American film

The Phenom is a 2016 American sports drama film written and directed by Noah Buschel, starring Johnny Simmons, Paul Giamatti, and Ethan Hawke. The film was released on June 24, 2016, by RLJ Entertainment, and is loosely based on the early life and professional struggles of former Major League Baseball player Rick Ankiel.

<i>Wolves</i> (2016 film) 2016 American film

Wolves is a 2016 American sports drama film written and directed by Bart Freundlich and starring Michael Shannon, Carla Gugino, Taylor John Smith, Chris Bauer and John Douglas Thompson. The film was released on March 3, 2017, by IFC Films.

<i>The King of Staten Island</i> American comedy film by Judd Apatow

The King of Staten Island is a 2020 American comedy-drama film directed by Judd Apatow, from a screenplay by Apatow, Pete Davidson, and Dave Sirus. It stars Davidson, Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Bel Powley, Maude Apatow, and Steve Buscemi, and follows a young man who must get his life together after his mother starts dating a new man who, like his deceased father, is a firefighter.

<i>Tesla</i> (2020 film) 2020 film by Michael Almereyda

Tesla is a 2020 American biographical drama film written and directed by Michael Almereyda. It stars Ethan Hawke as Nikola Tesla. Eve Hewson, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Jim Gaffigan, and Kyle MacLachlan also star.

<i>Raymond & Ray</i> 2022 film

Raymond & Ray is a 2022 comedy-drama film written and directed by Rodrigo García. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Ethan Hawke, Maribel Verdú, and Sophie Okonedo.

References

  1. Stephen Holden (December 13, 2002). "A Small-Time Life Weighted With Big-Time Dreams". The New York Times . Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  2. "The Jimmy Show - Miscellaneous notes". Turner Classic Movie Database . Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  3. "Staten Island in Film". oldstatenisland.org. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  4. "17 Top Movies filmed in Staten Island (NY)". Next Level Pictures. June 8, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2022.