The Rebound

Last updated

The Rebound
The Rebound Poster 2010.PNG
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Bart Freundlich
Written byBart Freundlich
Produced byBart Freundlich
Mark Gill
Robert Katz
Tim Perrell
Starring Catherine Zeta-Jones
Justin Bartha
Cinematography Jonathan Freeman
Edited by Christopher Tellefsen
Music by Clint Mansell
Distributed by The Film Department
Release dates
  • 16 September 2009 (2009-09-16)(Mexico)
  • 7 February 2012 (2012-02-07)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes
97 minutes (European Film Market)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$21,790,414 (worldwide) [1]

The Rebound is a 2009 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Bart Freundlich, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha. It was released in theaters in several countries in late 2009. It was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on 25 December 2010, but was cancelled due to the film's distributor shutting down. [2] It ended up going direct-to-DVD in the United States on 7 February 2012. [3]

Contents

Plot

A housewife and mother of two, Sandy (Catherine Zeta-Jones), discovers that her husband has been unfaithful. After a hasty divorce, she moves to New York City with her young son and daughter. There, they begin a new life.

Sandy rents an apartment above a coffee house and befriends one of the baristas, Aram Finklestein (Justin Bartha). At age 25, Aram is not sure what he wants to do with his life having just separated (his wife was a French woman who married him for a green card). Despite having a college degree, he is aimless and gets a job at a women's center.

During a self-defense class at the women's center where Aram plays the perpetrator, Sandy unleashes an "ocean of anger" on him. The next day, she goes to the coffeeshop to apologize to him and asks him to babysit her kids. He becomes a full-time nanny for the family and develops a close-knit relationship with the children; and a chemistry starts to brew between Aram and Sandy, ensuing in an awkward sexual encounter that the children come to know about.

Notwithstanding, they start to date; and, after two months, they seem perfect together. One day, Sandy feels nauseated and suspects she is pregnant. Aram is thrilled and looks forward to raising a child with her. A doctor confirms that Sandy is pregnant, but it is an ectopic pregnancy and will result in a miscarriage.

As they leave the doctor, a fight breaks out between Aram and Sandy, with the latter confirming that she thinks it's ludicrous that the two of them, with an age difference of 15 years, would ever be happy together. After the break up, Aram decides to travel the world and to experience new things. Sandy is promoted at her sports news job to anchor.

After five years, the two meet again in a chance encounter at a Chinese restaurant. Aram reveals he has adopted a young boy from Bangladesh and is still single. Sandy, who is celebrating another promotion with her children and a colleague, invites Aram and his family to join them.

The film ends as the two hold hands underneath the table whilst their children start to bond implying that they went on to rekindle their relationship.

Cast

This was Alice Playten's last role before her death in 2011.

Reception

Critical response

The Rebound received generally negative reviews from film critics. [4] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 42% based on reviews from 24 critics, with 10 positive reviews and 14 negative. [5]

Jon Frosch, said: "Saddling two game actors with a tone-deaf, charmless script, the film makes recent J.Lo vehicle The Back-up Plan look like Billy Wilder in comparison." Alex Zane said: "These are characters who seem very real. It's their imperfections, not contrived plot points, that drive the story."[ citation needed ]

Box office

The film grossed $21,790,414 worldwide. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Zeta-Jones</span> Welsh actress

Catherine Zeta-Jones is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her film and humanitarian work.

<i>Entrapment</i> (film) 1999 film by Jon Amiel

Entrapment is a 1999 caper film directed by Jon Amiel and written by Ronald Bass. It stars Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones and includes Will Patton, Ving Rhames and Maury Chaykin. The film focuses on the relationship between investigator Virginia "Gin" Baker and professional thief Robert "Mac" MacDougal as they attempt a heist at the turn of the New Millennium. Simon West and Antoine Fuqua were both in talks to direct before Amiel was hired.

<i>Oceans Twelve</i> 2004 film directed by Steven Soderbergh

Ocean's Twelve is a 2004 American heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The second installment of the Ocean's franchise and the sequel to Ocean's Eleven (2001), the film stars an ensemble cast consisting of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy García, Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle, and Bernie Mac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Bartha</span> American actor

Justin Lee Bartha is an American actor, known for his roles as Riley Poole in the National Treasure film series, Doug Billings in The Hangover trilogy, and David Sawyer in the NBC comedy series The New Normal. He starred as Colin Morrello in the CBS All Access legal and political drama The Good Fight.

<i>I.Q.</i> (film) 1994 film by Fred Schepisi

I.Q. is a 1994 American romantic comedy film directed by Fred Schepisi and starring Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan, and Walter Matthau. The original music score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith. The film centers on a mechanic and a Princeton doctoral candidate who fall in love, thanks to the candidate's uncle, Albert Einstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Playten</span> American actress

Alice Playten was an American actress known for her high-pitched, child-like voice.

<i>Catherine the Great</i> (1995 film)

Catherine the Great is a 1995 television movie based on the life of Catherine II of Russia. It stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as Catherine, Jeanne Moreau as Empress Elizabeth and Omar Sharif as Alexis Razumovsky.

Kelly Victoria Gould is an American former child actress. She is known for her role as Shannon Clemens on the Lifetime original comedy series Rita Rocks, and as Lucy on the HBO sitcom Lucky Louie. Gould appeared in many television series along with three feature-length movies: Blades of Glory, The Rebound and 16 Love.

Glen Paul Roven was an American two-time Emmy winning composer, lyricist, conductor and producer. He composed the music to "The Hillary Speeches" setting two of Mrs. Clinton's speeches to music which streamed opposite Trump's inauguration and featured opera stars Patricia Racette, Isabel Leonard, Nathan Gunn, Lawrence Brownlee, Mathew Polenzani, Kyle Ketelson, and twenty-three others. Other notable Roven compositions include a violin concerto based on the children's book The Runaway Bunny which was recorded by Sony narrated by Brooke Shields and recorded by GPRrecords narrated by Catherine Zeta-Jones. Another notable composition is "Goodnight Moon, An Aria for Singer and Orchestra" which the National Chorale performed at Geffen Hall in 2016. It was subsequently performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Kimmel Center. His Symphony No. 2 premiered at Geffen Hall (2018) and he produced with Universal Music Hopes and Dreams, The Carnegie Hall Lullaby Project with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joyce DiDonato, Patti LuPone, Dianne Reeves, Fiona Apple, Natalie Merchant, Pretty Yende and more. The CD hit number one in both the Classical and Pop charts. He was creating the Poetry Curriculum for K-6 for the United States Public School System. He was working on a musical for Netflix written by and starring Dolly Parton. He was the Artist Director of Roven Records. On July 25, 2018, Roven died at the age of 61.

<i>National Treasure</i> (franchise) Film franchise

The National Treasure franchise consists of American historical fiction action-adventures, including two released theatrical films and a prequel book series, while future installments are in development. The plot centers around the Gates family - treasure hunters who search for and preserve lost valuables from the history of the United States of America.

<i>Hostel: Part III</i> 2011 American horror film directed by Scott Spiegel

Hostel: Part III is a 2011 American horror film directed by Scott Spiegel and the third and final installment of the Hostel trilogy. It was written by Michael D. Weiss. This is the only film in the series to not have Eli Roth involved in the production and is also the only one not to have a theatrical release. The film also relocates the Elite Hunting Club from Slovakia to Las Vegas.

<i>Playing for Keeps</i> (2012 film) 2012 film by Gabriele Muccino

Playing for Keeps is a 2012 American romantic comedy film directed by Gabriele Muccino, starring Gerard Butler with Jessica Biel, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dennis Quaid, Uma Thurman and Judy Greer in supporting roles. The film was released on December 7, 2012, in the United States and Canada by FilmDistrict. It received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing just $27.8 million on a $55 million budget.

<i>Red 2</i> (film) 2013 film directed by Dean Parisot

Red 2 is a 2013 American action comedy film and sequel to the 2010 film Red. It was based on the limited comic book series of the same name, created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage. The film stars Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lee Byung-hun, Anthony Hopkins, and Helen Mirren, with Dean Parisot directing a screenplay by Jon and Erich Hoeber. Red 2 was released on July 19, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saadet Aksoy</span> Turkish-born actress (born 1983)

Saadet Işıl Aksoy is a Turkish actress, who received critical acclaim with her portrayal of Aska, a red-haired punk trumpet player in Italian actor-director Sergio Castellitto's film Twice Born, in which she co-starred with Penélope Cruz and Emile Hirsch. Christy Lemire described her as "the striking Saadet Aksoy" in her Twice Born review, and film critic David Rooney stated, "Saadet Aksoy brings a subdued fieriness to her scenes as a Bosnian woman" in The Hollywood Reporter. In his article on Variety, Boyd Van Hoeij wrote, "Turkish thesp Saadet Aksoy impresses in a supporting role as a spunky Yugoslav local" about her performance in Twice Born.

<i>Dads Army</i> (2016 film) 2016 British film

Dad's Army is a 2016 British war comedy film, based on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army. It is directed by Oliver Parker and set in 1944, after the events depicted in the television series. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays an elegant German spy, posing as a journalist, reporting on the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon.

<i>How to Be Single</i> 2016 American film

How to Be Single is a 2016 American romantic comedy film directed by Christian Ditter and written by Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein and Dana Fox, based on the novel of the same name by Liz Tuccillo. It stars Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Damon Wayans Jr., Anders Holm, Alison Brie, Nicholas Braun, Jake Lacy, Jason Mantzoukas, and Leslie Mann, and follows a group of women in New York City who have different approaches on how to be single. The film was theatrically released in the United States on February 12, 2016, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It grossed $112 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Cocaine Godmother</i> 2017 American film

Cocaine Godmother is a 2017 American biographical crime drama film directed by Guillermo Navarro and written by David McKenna. The film stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as Griselda Blanco, who was known as the Cocaine Godmother. It premiered at the 2017 Camerimage in Poland and showed on Lifetime channel on January 20, 2018.

<i>Queen America</i> American web television series

Queen America is an American drama series that aired from November 18, 2018 to January 6, 2019 on Facebook Watch. It stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Belle Shouse, Teagle F. Bougere, Rana Roy, Molly Price, Isabella Amara and Megan West. The series follows a beauty pageant coach who suddenly finds herself backed into the position of training an untested contestant.

<i>National Treasure: Edge of History</i> Upcoming American streaming television series

National Treasure: Edge of History is an upcoming American action-adventure television series developed for the streaming service Disney+ based on, and a continuation of, the National Treasure film series. It is set to premiere on December 14, 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Rebound". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  2. "24 Frames". Los Angeles Times.
  3. Rebound, The (acq). "Rebound, The (acq): Andrew Cherry, Justin Bartha, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lynn Whitfield, Kelly Gould: Movies & TV". Amazon. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  4. Whitman, Howard. "Blu-ray Movie Review: The Rebound". Technologytell. technologytell.com. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  5. "The Rebound". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 October 2012.