The Late Bloomer

Last updated
The Late Bloomer
The Late Bloomer poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kevin Pollak
Screenplay by
  • Joe Nussbaum
  • Paul A. Kaplan
  • Mark Torgove
  • Kyle Cooper
  • Austyn Jeffs
Story by
  • Joe Nussbaum
  • Gary Rosen
Based onMan Made: A Memoir of My Body
by Ken Baker
Produced by
  • Heidi Jo Markel
  • Raphael Kryszek
  • Jesse Israel
Starring
CinematographyAkis Konstantakopoulos
Edited byAdam Beamer
Music by Walter Murphy
Production
companies
Distributed by Momentum Pictures
Release dates
  • September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)(SDFF)
  • October 7, 2016 (2016-10-07)(United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Late Bloomer is a 2016 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Kevin Pollak and written by Gary Rosen, Joe Nussbaum, Paul A. Kaplan & Mark Torgove, and Kyle Cooper & Austyn Jeffs. The film stars Johnny Simmons, Maria Bello, Brittany Snow, Jane Lynch, J. K. Simmons, Kumail Nanjiani, Beck Bennett, and Paul Wesley, and is based on journalist Ken Baker's autobiography Man Made: A Memoir of My Body, in which he detailed experiencing puberty for the first time at age 27. [1]

Contents

The film received its world premiere at the San Diego Film Festival, where it won Best Comedy. [2] [3] It opened with both a limited release theatrically and through video on demand on October 7, 2016, released by Momentum Pictures. [4] The film received generally negative reviews.

Plot

Dr. Peter Newmans is a thirty-year-old sex therapist who has written a best selling book about how sex can be a distraction from success. His friends and family question why he has never had a romantic relationship and is completely uninterested in sexual desires. Peter has developed a close relationship with his neighbor, Michelle. When Michelle breaks up with her workaholic boyfriend, Peter comforts her and Michelle kisses him. Peter panics and begins to suffer from a migraine, a problem he has been experiencing with increasing frequency.

The next morning he plays basketball with his friends; he is hit in the groin and falls unconscious. During his examination, the hospital staff poke fun at Peter's under-developed testicles. Medical imaging tests confirm he has a long-term benign brain tumor pressed against his pituitary gland. This caused him never to experience puberty.

Elated to learn he can possibly fix the issue, Peter insists that a procedure be undertaken immediately to remove the tumor. After a successful excision, he stays with his parents to recover. Peter becomes frustrated as time passes with no changes; his friends hire a stripper to arouse him but this also has no effect. Peter does finally obtain an erection, and begins to experience the side-effects of puberty.

Peter experiences excessive libido, mood swings, voice changes, and severe acne. After Michelle leaves for a cooking retreat, his symptoms become progressively more severe. During a FaceTime call with her, he lashes out because of his unfamiliar feelings of jealousy. He confides in his teenage neighbor, who suggests he engage in casual sex. Peter begins using Tinder and has sex with many different women.

When Michelle returns, she accepts a date with Peter. Peter acts rude and conceited, causing Michelle to become upset. Having ostracized his friends and now Michelle, Peter becomes depressed. When he tries to receive oral sex from one of his patients, he is caught by his boss and subsequently fired. Forced to come to terms with his situation, and has a heart-to-heart with his father.

Reflecting on his book, Peter concludes that a person should have all the consensual adult sex possible, and society should cease to sex-shame individuals. Peter apologizes to his friends and eventually to Michelle. They enter into a relationship and she becomes pregnant with his child. Peter writes a book for teenage boys about how to become proper men, and he and Michelle live happily ever after.

Cast

Production

Alcon Entertainment acquired the film rights to the journalist Ken Baker's autobiographical book Man Made: A Memoir of My Body in 2008, with a script set to be written by Gary Rosen. The film would be based on the true story of Baker, who went through his puberty in three weeks at the age of 27. The delaying of his puberty and normal development was caused by a benign tumor in his brain. [5] The film's titling as The Late Bloomer was first announced in January 2010, as Alcon was developing the film. [5] At the time, Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson were attached as producers, and the studio was re-imagining the idea into a comedy by hiring Joe Nussbaum to write a new draft of the script. [5]

In October 2012, it was announced that the film was to be directed by Randall Einhorn and would star Elijah Wood. [6] The script had been written by Nussbaum, and rewritten by Paul A. Kaplan & Mark Torgove. The film was set to be produced by Jesse Israel of Ineffable Pictures and Brent Emery of Coup d'Etat Films, with financing by Dignity Film Finance. [6]

In May 2015, it was announced that the film would now be directed by Kevin Pollak, making his narrative debut. [7] Raphael Kryszek and Israel would produce the film for Ineffable, along with Heidi Jo Markel for Eclectic. [7] In August 2015, a new cast was announced, including Johnny Simmons in the lead role of sex therapist Dr. Peter Newmans, whose experiences mirror those of Baker in real life. [8] Jane Lynch would play Caroline, head of the office where he works, Maria Bello and J. K. Simmons his parents, Brittany Snow the woman he pursues, and Beck Bennett, Kumail Nanjiani, and Blake Cooper his friends. [8] Other cast members include Paul Wesley, Ken Marino, Illeana Douglas, Charlotte McKinney, Vanessa Ragland, and Lenora Crichlow. [9] The latest draft of the film was revealed to have been written by Kyle Cooper and Austyn Jeffs, and Conor Charles was announced as co-producer. [9]

Filming

Principal photography on the film began in late August 2015 in Los Angeles, and wrapped in Bulgaria on September 5, 2015. [8] [9]

Release and reception

In April 2016, Momentum Pictures acquired U.S distribution rights to the film. [10] It had its world premiere at the San Diego Film Festival on September 30, 2016, where it won Best Comedy. [11] [12] It was released in a theatrical limited release and through video on demand on October 7, 2016. [13]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 20% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5/10. [14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 34 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [15]

The Hollywood Reporter wrote that while Johnny Simmons fits his role perfectly, and secondary actors such as J.K. Simmons, Jane Lynch, Laraine Newman, Illeana Douglas, Maria Bello and Brian Doyle-Murray, have fun in their stereotypical scenes, J.K. Simmons and Maria Bello in particular seem overqualified for their roles. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illeana Douglas</span> American actress and filmmaker

Illeana Hesselberg, known professionally as Illeana Douglas, is an American actress and filmmaker. She appeared in three episodes of Six Feet Under, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series and won the Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series award from OFTA, the Online Film & Television Association, and in the TV series Action opposite Jay Mohr, for which she won a Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. As of 2015, she can be seen on Turner Classic Movies where she hosts specials focused on unheralded women directors from film history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Pollak</span> American actor, comedian (born 1957)

Kevin Elliot Pollak is an American actor, comedian, impressionist and podcast host. He has appeared in over 90 films; his roles include Sam Weinberg in Rob Reiner's A Few Good Men, Jacob Goldman in Grumpy Old Men and its sequel Grumpier Old Men; Todd Hockney in The Usual Suspects, Phillip Green in Martin Scorsese's Casino, and Bobby Chicago in End of Days.

<i>My Beautiful Laundrette</i> 1985 British film by Stephen Frears

My Beautiful Laundrette is a 1985 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi. The film was one of the first films released by Working Title Films. The film is set in London during the Thatcher years, as reflected in the complex, and often comical, relationships between members of the Pakistani and English communities. The story focuses on Omar, a young Pakistani man living in London, and his reunion and eventual romance with his childhood friend Johnny, now a street punk. The two become the caretakers and business managers of a launderette originally owned by Omar's uncle Nasser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Showalter</span> American comedian, actor, director, writer, and producer

Michael Showalter is an American comedian, actor, director, writer, and producer. He first came to recognition as a cast member on MTV's The State, which aired from 1993 to 1995. He and David Wain created the Wet Hot American Summer franchise, with Showalter co-writing and starring in Wet Hot American Summer (2001), and the Netflix series. Showalter wrote and directed The Baxter (2005), in which he starred with Michelle Williams, Justin Theroux, and Elizabeth Banks. Both films featured many of his co-stars from The State, and so do several of his other projects. Showalter is also a co-creator, co-producer, actor, and writer for the TV series Search Party. He directed the 2017 critically acclaimed feature film The Big Sick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenora Crichlow</span> British actress

Lenora Isabella Crichlow is a British actress. She became known for her starring roles as Maria "Sugar" Sweet in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series Sugar Rush, Annie Sawyer in the BBC Three supernatural drama series Being Human, and Shania Andrews in the 2012 sports drama film Fast Girls. In 2013, Crichlow portrayed Chen Sam in the television film Burton & Taylor and Victoria Skillane in the episode "White Bear" of the dystopian sci-fi series, Black Mirror. She has since had regular roles in the ABC sitcom Back in the Game and the NBC comedy series A to Z. Since 2020 she has been part of the main cast of the HBO/Sky One comedy series Avenue 5 playing second engineer Billie McEvoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Simmons</span> American actor

Johnny Simmons is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Dylan Baxter in Evan Almighty (2007), Chip Dove in Jennifer's Body (2009), "Young Neil" Nordegraf in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023), Brad Hayes in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), serial killer Adam "Balloon Man" Kemper in Elementary (2012), Peter Newmans in The Late Bloomer (2016), and Shane in Girlboss (2017).

Joseph Nussbaum is an American film director and screenwriter. Nussbaum got his break into the film industry by passing around Hollywood offices his short film George Lucas in Love. The success of the film eventually got him a deal with DreamWorks, and he has since directed films such as the 2004 production Sleepover, the 2006 film American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile and the 2007 film Sydney White starring Amanda Bynes. He has also co-written such screenplays as 2016's The Late Bloomer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonah Ray</span> American actor

Jonah Ray Rodrigues is an American actor, comedian and writer from Los Angeles. He stars as Jonah Heston, one of the primary hosts of Mystery Science Theater 3000. He is a former host of The Nerdist Podcast and was the co-host of Comedy Central's The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail.

Ken Reid is an American standup comedian based in Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumail Nanjiani</span> Pakistani-American comedian and actor (born 1978)

Kumail Ali Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley (2014–2019) and for co-writing and starring in the romantic comedy film The Big Sick (2017). For co-writing the latter with his wife, Emily V. Gordon, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In 2018, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role in The Twilight Zone executive produced by Jordan Peele in 2019.

<i>Flock of Dudes</i> 2016 American film

Flock of Dudes is a 2016 American comedy film directed by Bob Castrone. The film premiered at the LA Film Festival on June 13, 2015, and stars Chris D'Elia, Hannah Simone and Hilary Duff. Flock of Dudes is loosely based upon the experiences of the script writers. It was released in the United States on September 30, 2016.

Nerdist Industries, LLC is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a network of podcasts, a premium content YouTube channel, a news division, and a television version of the original podcast produced by and aired on BBC America.

<i>Hello, My Name Is Doris</i> 2015 film by Michael Showalter

Hello, My Name Is Doris is a 2015 American coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Laura Terruso and Showalter, about a woman in her 60s who tries to act on her attraction to a younger co-worker. It stars Sally Field in the title role, alongside Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root, Elizabeth Reaser, Natasha Lyonne and Tyne Daly.

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

Dreamland is a 2016 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Robert Schwartzman in directorial debut, from a screenplay by Benjamin Font and Schwartzman. It stars Johnny Simmons, Amy Landecker, Jason Schwartzman, Noël Wells, Alan Ruck, Beverly D'Angelo, Talia Shire, Shay Mitchell, Frankie Shaw and Nick Thune.

<i>The Big Sick</i> 2017 film by Michael Showalter

The Big Sick is a 2017 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Michael Showalter and written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani. It stars Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Adeel Akhtar, and Anupam Kher. Gordon and Nanjiani wrote the film based on their relationship; it follows an interracial couple who must deal with cultural differences after Emily (Kazan) becomes ill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily V. Gordon</span> American writer, producer and podcast host

Emily V. Gordon is an American writer, producer and podcast host. She co-wrote the 2017 romantic comedy film The Big Sick, based on her relationship with her husband and frequent collaborator, comic Kumail Nanjiani. Gordon and Nanjiani won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for The Big Sick; they were also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, among many other nominations.

<i>Stuber</i> (film) 2019 film directed by Michael Dowse

Stuber is a 2019 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Michael Dowse and written by Tripper Clancy. Its plot follows a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu who picks up a passenger who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer. Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino, and Karen Gillan also star.

<i>Seth Rogens Hilarity for Charity</i> 2018 American film

Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity is a stand-up comedy special to raise awareness for Alzheimer's disease, that premiered on Netflix on April 6, 2018.

<i>The Lovebirds</i> (2020 film) 2020 film directed by Michael Showalter

The Lovebirds is a 2020 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Aaron Abrams and Brendan Gall, and a story by Abrams, Gall, and Martin Gero. The film stars Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, as well as Paul Sparks, Anna Camp, and Kyle Bornheimer, and follows a couple who go on the run after witnessing a murder.

References

  1. ↑ "MAN ALIVE / A life-threatening illness forced Mill Valley writer Ken Baker to come to grips with issues of his own masculinity". SFGate. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  2. ↑ "San Diego Film Festival Announces Full 2016 Lineup | San Diego International Film Festival". 30 August 2016. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  3. ↑ BWW News Desk. "2016 San Diego International Film Festival Announces Award Winners". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  4. ↑ Malkin, Marc (August 9, 2016). "Watch The Late Bloomer Trailer With Brittany Snow and Johnny Simmons". E! News . Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 McNary, Dave (January 21, 2010). "Alcon develops 'Late Bloomer'". Variety . Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Sneider, Jeff (October 1, 2012). "Elijah Wood is a 'Late Bloomer'". Variety . Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  7. 1 2 McNary, Dave (May 5, 2015). "Kevin Pollak to Direct Comedy 'The Late Bloomer' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 Sneider, Jeff (August 25, 2015). "Paul Wesley, Brittany Snow, Blake Cooper Join Comedy 'The Late Bloomer'". TheWrap . Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 Kilday, Gregg (August 25, 2015). "Johnny Simmons Starring in Kevin Pollak's 'The Late Bloomer'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  10. ↑ McNary, Dave (April 13, 2016). "Kevin Pollak's 'Late Bloomer' Bought by Momentum Pictures (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  11. ↑ Cavassuto, Maria (August 29, 2016). "San Diego Film Festival Announces Full 2016 Lineup". Variety . Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  12. ↑ admin (2016-09-22). "The party's on: San Diego International Film Festival set Sept. 28 to Oct. 2". The Star News. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  13. ↑ "The Late Bloomer — Trailer". The Movie Box. August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  14. ↑ "The Late Bloomer (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  15. ↑ "The Late Bloomer Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  16. ↑ Scheck, Frank (2016-10-12). "'The Late Bloomer': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
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.