The Professor (2018 film)

Last updated
The Professor
The Professor.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWayne Roberts
Written byWayne Roberts
Produced by
  • Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
  • Greg Shapiro
  • Braden Aftergood
Starring
Cinematography Tim Orr
Edited bySabine Emiliani
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by Saban Films
Release dates
  • October 5, 2018 (2018-10-05)(Zurich)
  • May 17, 2019 (2019-05-17)(United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3.6 million [1]

The Professor (alternatively titled Richard Says Goodbye) is a 2018 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Wayne Roberts. The film stars Johnny Depp, Rosemarie DeWitt, Danny Huston, Zoey Deutch, Ron Livingston, Odessa Young and Paloma Kwiatkowski.

Contents

It had its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival on October 5, 2018. It was released on May 17, 2019, by Saban Films.

Plot

Richard Brown, an English professor at a New England college, is in the office of his doctor and is told that he has advanced stage 4 cancer of his lungs, which has spread throughout his body and is terminal. His life expectancy is set by the doctor as being six months without treatment, which might be extended to 12–18 months with cancer treatment. Richard is devastated by the news and breaks down.

Upon arrival at home for dinner, Richard decides to tell his wife Veronica and daughter Olivia, but Olivia interrupts and announces that she is a lesbian. Veronica dismisses this as a phase, which causes their daughter to storm out. Veronica then confesses that she is having an affair with Henry Wright, the dean of the college where Richard works. Stunned, Richard does not tell her the truth about his diagnosis.

The next day, Richard starts weeding out the students whom he feels are not truly dedicated to English and reading. He offers everyone a C if they walk out the class as being of no interest to them, leaving him with a small core group of students. He dismisses them saying he is going on a 72-hour bender.

At home Richard and his wife agree to live their lives as they please but discreetly to spare their daughter. Veronica asks to try his drugs thinking they are recreational prescription drugs rather than cancer medication. Olivia arrives home with her new girlfriend and is embarrassed to find both parents drunk and high.

Richard asks his friend, Peter Matthew, his department's chairman, to arrange for an immediate sabbatical. Peter tells him that it is impossible on such short notice but relents when Richard tells him of his terminal illness. Peter says he will try his best to get him the time off work.

Richard vents his frustration to his students and encourages them not to fall into the traps that he has. The students are highly responsive, with one of the students, Danny, later offering Richard some pot brownies and a sexual tryst in Richard's office.

Peter persuades Richard to go to a therapeutic group for people with terminal cancer but Richard walks out calling it a circle-jerk and wishing everyone well with their impending deaths. The two end up in a bar where Claire, one of his students arrives. She tells them she is the dean's niece. Peter goes home drunk but Richard stays with Claire and tells her he has cancer. She invites him to slow dance with her.

Richard's reliance on alcohol and recreational drugs becomes progressively worse. In one instance, he passes out and needs to be hospitalized because of his extreme intoxication. He is told to go to Henry's office, presumably for a verbal warning about his behaviour on campus, but he gets one over on Henry by saying he knows about his affair and that he has broken faculty rules by giving Veronica college funds for her sculptures. Soon afterwards, Richard is told he will get his sabbatical.

At a final seminar, Claire observes from her reading that love is a way to try and know another person. Richard likes this and gives his final words (and grades) to his students, he stresses the importance of seizing one's own existence, acknowledging the fact that we are all going to die, and appreciating the (little) time we have left.

At a faculty dinner, Richard is seated at a table at the back of the room, separate from his wife. Richard eloquently berates the dean, tells his wife that for what it’s worth he loves her, and announces to the whole faculty and families that he is dying, which mildly surprises his wife and the other guests.

At home, Olivia comes in crying since her girlfriend has cheated on her with a boy. Richard comforts her and tells her that he is proud of her, then says he is dying. He decides to leave his home and family for his sabbatical. In the final scene, Richard comes across a fork in the road but decides to take neither and creates an alternative, driving on across a field into the night, with his dog by his side.

Cast

Production

On May 8, 2017, it was announced that Johnny Depp would star in a comedy-drama film Richard Says Goodbye as a college professor in the titular role, to be written and directed by Wayne Roberts following his debut film Katie Says Goodbye , which IM Global would be fully financing. [2] Brian Kavanaugh Jones would produce the film through his Automatik Entertainment along with IM Global's Greg Shapiro. [2] On July 20, 2017, Zoey Deutch was cast in the film to play one of the students of the professor. [3] The rest of the main cast was announced on July 25, 2017, which included Danny Huston, Rosemarie DeWitt, Devon Terrell, and Odessa Young. [4] It was reported that the film would be co-financed by IM Global and Cirrina Studios, with an additional financing by Leeding Media. [4]

Principal photography on the film began on July 25, 2017 in Vancouver. [5] [6]

Release

It had its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival on October 5, 2018. [7] [8] Prior to that, Saban Films and DirecTV Cinema acquired distribution rights to the film. [9] It was released on May 17, 2019. [10]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 10% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A muddled story populated with thinly written characters and arranged around a misguided Johnny Depp performance, The Professor fails early and often." [11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 37 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [12]

Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com gave the film 2 out of 4, [13] while John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter said that "more an intriguing literary conceit than a credible drama". [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Depp</span> American actor (born 1963)

John Christopher Depp II is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and two BAFTA awards. His films, in which he has often played eccentric characters, have grossed over $8 billion worldwide, making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.

Pirates of the Caribbean is an American fantasy supernatural swashbuckler film series produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and based on Walt Disney's theme park attraction of the same name. The film series serves as a major component of the titular media franchise. Based on a fictionalized version of the Golden Age of Piracy, the films' plots are set primarily in the Caribbean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infinitum Nihil</span> American film production company

Infinitum Nihil is an American film production company, founded by Johnny Depp. The company is run by Depp's sister Christi Dembrowski. Depp founded the company in 2004 to develop projects where he will serve as actor and/or producer. The name means "Nothing infinite" in Latin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber Heard</span> American actress (born 1986)

Amber Laura Heard is an American actress. She had her first leading role in the horror film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006), and went on to star in films such as The Ward (2010), Drive Angry (2011), and London Fields (2018). She has also had supporting roles in films including Pineapple Express (2008), Never Back Down (2008), The Joneses (2009), The Rum Diary (2011), Paranoia (2013), Machete Kills (2013), 3 Days to Kill (2014), Magic Mike XXL (2015), and The Danish Girl (2015). From 2017 to 2023, Heard played Mera in the DC Extended Universe, including the films Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). She has also acted in television series such as The CW's teen drama Hidden Palms (2007) and the Paramount+ fantasy series The Stand (2020–2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoey Deutch</span> American actress and producer (born 1994)

Zoey Francis Chaya Thompson Deutch is an American actress and producer. The younger daughter of director Howard Deutch and actress-director Lea Thompson, Deutch made her acting debut in television during the early 2010s, with roles on Disney Channel's The Suite Life on Deck (2010–2011) and CW's Ringer (2011–2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Depp filmography</span>

Johnny Depp is an American actor, producer and musician. He has appeared in films, television series, and video games. He made his film debut in the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984. In the two following years, Depp appeared in the comedy Private Resort (1985), the war film Platoon (1986), and Slow Burn (1986). A year later, he started playing his recurring role as Officer Tom Hanson in the police procedural television series 21 Jump Street (1987–1990) which he played until the middle of season 4, and during this time, he experienced a rapid rise as a professional actor.

<i>Vampire Academy</i> (film) 2014 fantasy comedy horror film by Mark Waters

Vampire Academy is a 2014 American fantasy comedy horror film directed by Mark Waters from a screenplay by Daniel Waters, based on the first book of the novel series of the same name by Richelle Mead. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Zoey Deutch as Rose Hathaway, a Dhampir, and Lucy Fry as Lissa Dragomir, her Moroi best friend, and follows their return to the St Vladimir's Academy boarding school, after being on the run for one year.

<i>Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales</i> 2017 film by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a 2017 American swashbuckler fantasy film directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and written by Jeff Nathanson, with story credit given to both Nathanson and executive producer Terry Rossio. The fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, it follows At World's End (2007) and On Stranger Tides (2011) as a stand-alone sequel. The film stars Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, and Kevin McNally. The story follows Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) as he searches for the Trident of Poseidon to defeat Armando Salazar (Bardem), who is determined to kill every pirate at sea and take revenge on Sparrow for imprisoning him and his crew of ghosts in the Devil's Triangle. Jack is joined by Hector Barbossa (Rush), young sailor Henry Turner (Thwaites), young astronomer Carina Smyth (Scodelario), Jack's crewmen including first mate Joshamee Gibbs (McNally) and Scrum to defeat Salazar's ghostly crew.

<i>Everybody Wants Some!!</i> (film) 2016 film by Richard Linklater

Everybody Wants Some!! is a 2016 American comedy film written and directed by Richard Linklater, about college baseball players in 1980s Texas. The film stars Blake Jenner, Zoey Deutch, Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin, Glen Powell, Will Brittain, and Wyatt Russell. It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2016, and was theatrically released in the United States on March 30, 2016, by Paramount Pictures. The film grossed $5.4 million against a $10 million budget, making it a box-office bomb, but was critically acclaimed.

<i>Dirty Grandpa</i> 2016 film by Dan Mazer

Dirty Grandpa is a 2016 American comedy film about a lawyer who drives his grandfather to Florida during spring break. The film was directed by Dan Mazer and written by John Phillips. It stars Robert De Niro and Zac Efron in the leading roles, with Aubrey Plaza, Zoey Deutch, Julianne Hough and Dermot Mulroney in supporting roles. It was filmed on location in Atlanta from January 19 to May 9, 2015.

<i>Why Him?</i> 2016 American film

Why Him? is a 2016 American romantic comedy film directed by John Hamburg, written by Hamburg and Ian Helfer based on a story by Jonah Hill, produced by Hill, Shawn Levy, and Ben Stiller, and stars James Franco and Bryan Cranston with Zoey Deutch, Megan Mullally, Griffin Gluck and Keegan-Michael Key in supporting roles. The film follows a father who tries to stop his daughter's immature tech-millionaire boyfriend from asking her to marry him.

<i>Rebel in the Rye</i> 2017 American film

Rebel in the Rye is a 2017 American biographical drama film directed and written by Danny Strong. It is based on the book J. D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski, about the life of writer J. D. Salinger during and after World War II. The film stars Nicholas Hoult, Zoey Deutch, Kevin Spacey, Sarah Paulson, Brian d'Arcy James, Victor Garber, Hope Davis, and Lucy Boynton.

<i>Before I Fall</i> (film) 2017 American teen drama film

Before I Fall is a 2017 American teen drama film directed by Ry Russo-Young and written by Maria Maggenti and Gina Prince-Bythewood, based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Lauren Oliver. The film stars Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley, Elena Kampouris, Diego Boneta and Jennifer Beals.

<i>Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore</i> 2022 film by David Yates

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is a 2022 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by J. K. Rowling and Steve Kloves, based on a screenplay by Rowling. The sequel to Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), it is the third and final instalment in the Fantastic Beasts film series and the eleventh overall in the Wizarding World franchise. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, Katherine Waterston, and Mads Mikkelsen. Set several years after the events of its predecessor, the film sees Albus Dumbledore tasking Newt Scamander and his allies with a mission that takes them into the heart of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald's army.

<i>Flower</i> (film) 2017 film by Max Winkler

Flower is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Max Winkler, from a screenplay by Alex McAulay, Winkler, and Matt Spicer. It stars Zoey Deutch, Kathryn Hahn, Tim Heidecker, Adam Scott, Joey Morgan, and Dylan Gelula.

<i>The Year of Spectacular Men</i> 2017 American film

The Year of Spectacular Men is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Lea Thompson in her feature film directorial debut. It stars Thompson's daughters Madelyn Deutch and Zoey Deutch. Thompson's husband Howard Deutch also served as a producer.

<i>Set It Up</i> 2018 American film

Set It Up is a 2018 American romantic comedy film directed by Claire Scanlon, written by Katie Silberman, and starring Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Taye Diggs, and Lucy Liu. The plot follows two overworked assistants who try to set up their demanding bosses on dates in New York City.

<i>Buffaloed</i> 2019 comedy film by Tanya Wexler

Buffaloed is a 2019 American crime comedy drama film directed by Tanya Wexler and written by Brian Sacca. It stars Zoey Deutch as a paroled convict who, in an effort to escape her hometown of Buffalo, New York, cons and hustles for money and becomes a debt collector, while battling debt herself. Judy Greer, Jermaine Fowler, Noah Reid, and Jai Courtney also appear in supporting roles.

<i>The Outfit</i> (2022 film) 2022 American film by Graham Moore

The Outfit is a 2022 American psychological crime drama thriller film directed by Graham Moore in his directorial debut from a screenplay by Moore and Johnathan McClain. The film stars Mark Rylance who leads an ensemble cast including Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O'Brien, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Simon Russell Beale. Rylance plays an English cutter who runs a tailor shop in Chicago, whose primary customers are a family of vicious gangsters. The film premiered at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival on February 14, 2022, and was released in the United States on March 18, 2022, by Focus Features, to positive reviews from critics.

References

  1. ↑ "The Professor". The-Numbers. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Lodderhose, Diana (May 8, 2017). "Johnny Depp To Star In Wayne Roberts' 'Richard Says Goodbye' For IM Global – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ Kroll, Justin (July 20, 2017). "Zoey Deutch to Co-Star With Johnny Depp in 'Richard Says Goodbye' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Lodderhose, Diana (July 25, 2017). "Danny Huston, Rosemarie Dewitt & More Join Johnny Depp In 'Richard Says Goodbye'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  5. ↑ Brown, Scott (June 30, 2017). "Johnny Depp to film Richard Says Goodbye in Vancouver". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Richard Says Goodbye Starts Filming with Johnny Depp". ComingSoon.net. July 25, 2017. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  7. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (September 12, 2018). "Johnny Depp's 'Richard Says Goodbye' to World Premiere at Zurich Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Richard Says Goodbye". Zurich Film Festival . Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  9. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 10, 2018). "Saban Films, DirecTV Land Johnny Depp-Starrer 'Richard Says Goodbye' For $3 Million: Toronto". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  10. ↑ Fernandez, Alexia (April 9, 2019). "Johnny Depp Plays a Man with Just Six Months to Live in First Trailer for The Professor". People . Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  11. ↑ "The Professor (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on 2021-08-07. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  12. ↑ "The Professor". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  13. ↑ Allen, Nick (May 17, 2019). "The Professor". RogerEbert.com . Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  14. ↑ DeFore, John (May 16, 2019). "The Professor': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
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.