Touchy Feely

Last updated
Touchy Feely
Official Film Poster for Touchy Feely.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Lynn Shelton
Written byLynn Shelton
Produced bySteven Schardt
Starring Rosemarie DeWitt
Elliot Page
Allison Janney
Josh Pais
Scoot McNairy
Ron Livingston
CinematographyBenjamin Kasulke
Edited byLynn Shelton
Music byVince Smith
Distributed by Magnolia Pictures
Release dates
  • 19 January 2013 (2013-01-19)(Sundance)
  • 6 September 2013 (2013-09-06)(United States)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$36,128 [1]

Touchy Feely is a 2013 film directed by Lynn Shelton and stars Rosemarie DeWitt as a massage therapist who develops a phobia to touching skin. Other cast members include Allison Janney, Ron Livingston, Scoot McNairy, Elliot Page and Josh Pais. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic, [2] and was released on September 6, 2013. It gained a mixed critical reception, and grossed over $36,000 in the United States.

Contents

Plot

Abby, a massage therapist, develops an aversion to skin shortly after her boyfriend Jesse asks her to move in with him. She takes a temporary leave of absence from work. Her disgust begins to affect her relationship with Jesse, as she cannot bring herself to touch him or be touched. After Abby suggests to Jesse that they take some ecstasy she got from Bronwyn, she decides not to move in with Jesse.

Abby's brother Paul struggles financially as the family dentistry practice is dwindling and he refuses to advertise to attract new patients. When his daughter Jenny invites her friend Henry in for a routine teeth-cleaning, Paul is displeased. However, Paul manages to accidentally cure Henry's temporomandibular joint dysfunction and news of his healing powers begins to attract new clients. Inspired by the outpouring of enthusiasm from his patients, he visits Abby's friend Bronwyn in order to learn Reiki to better help his clients. After a disgruntled patient collapses in the waiting room while screaming that Paul is a fraud, his fortunes reverse and the other patients disappear. Upset at watching her father revert to his former self, Jenny runs out of the office crying.

Abby leaves Jesse a break-up note and moves in with her brother. She takes an ecstasy pill and wanders through a park. Her ex-boyfriend, Adrian sees her and takes her to his grandmother's home, while there she is able to touch him. Paul finds the remaining ecstasy tablet and he takes it while waiting for Jenny to return. He wanders through the city, eventually ending up at Bronwyn's home, where they kiss.

Jenny goes to Jesse's apartment and invites him to attend Henry's music concert with her. Afterwards, they go back to his apartment, where Jenny asks him to kiss her; he refuses, telling her he loves Abby. Jenny falls asleep at his home. The next morning they are awoken by a knock at the door from Abby, who is able to hug Jesse.

Cast

Production

Director Lynn Shelton's friend Megan Griffiths suggested the title after Shelton described her idea for the film over lunch. [3] Elliot Page joined the cast after Catherine Keener mentioned that Shelton was interested in working with Page. [4] According to Page, a large amount of the dialogue was improvised. [5]

Filming took place in the Seattle area. [6] [7]

Reception

According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 42% of 65 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Well-acted but overly quirky, Touchy Feely is a tonally uneven dramedy with some interesting ideas but a lack of follow-through." [8] Metacritic, another aggregator, calculated a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on 18 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sian Heder</span> American writer and filmmaker (born 1977)

Siân Heder is an American filmmaker who is best known for writing and directing the films Tallulah and CODA. CODA earned Heder an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur.

<i>An American Crime</i> 2007 American crime horror film

An American Crime is a 2007 American crime drama film directed by Tommy O'Haver and starring Elliot Page and Catherine Keener. The film is based on the true story of the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens by Indianapolis single mother Gertrude Baniszewski. It premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Hallway</span> US musical group

Grand Hallway is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Tomo Nakayama. Their sound is described variously as chamber pop, indie folk, and art rock.

<i>An Education</i> 2009 film directed by Lone Scherfig

An Education is a 2009 coming-of-age drama film based on a memoir of the same name by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby. It stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright schoolgirl, and Peter Sarsgaard as David, the charming conman who seduces her. The film was nominated for 3 Academy Awards in 2010: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay for Nick Hornby, and Best Actress for Carey Mulligan.

<i>Humpday</i> 2009 film by Lynn Shelton

Humpday is a 2009 American mumblecore comedy-drama film directed, produced, and written by Lynn Shelton and starring Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, and Alycia Delmore. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. International distribution rights were purchased by Magnolia Pictures for a mid-six figure sum. The film opened in New York City in a limited release on July 10, 2009. The story line follows two male heterosexual best friends, Ben and Andrew. The plot line centers around a "mutual dare" that is introduced at a party, which involves the two main characters engaging in a pornographic film together. The film was shot on-location in Washington state around Seattle from September 2008 to January 2009, and much of the dialogue for the film was improvised.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynn Shelton</span> American filmmaker (1965–2020)

Lynn Shelton was an American filmmaker, known for writing, directing, and producing such films as Humpday and Your Sister's Sister. She was associated with the mumblecore genre.

Whitney Nees Able is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006) and Monsters (2010), and has been featured in Maxim magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scoot McNairy</span> American actor and producer (born 1977)

John Marcus "Scoot" McNairy is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles in Monsters, Argo, Killing Them Softly, 12 Years a Slave, Gone Girl, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Speak No Evil, and Nightbitch. In television, he starred in the AMC period drama Halt and Catch Fire, True Detective, Narcos: Mexico, and the Netflix western miniseries Godless.

<i>Liberal Arts</i> (film) 2012 American film

Liberal Arts is a 2012 American comedy-drama film, written and directed by Josh Radnor. It tells the story of 35-year-old Jesse (Radnor) who has a romantic relationship with Zibby, a 19-year-old college student. The film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in January 2012.

<i>Your Sisters Sister</i> 2011 film by Lynn Shelton

Your Sister's Sister is a 2011 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lynn Shelton and starring Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Mark Duplass. The film premiered on September 11, 2011, at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was released in the United States on June 15, 2012.

<i>A Night in the Woods</i> 2011 British film

A Night in the Woods is a 2011 British found footage horror film written and directed by Richard Parry. The film premiered at the United Kingdom film festival Fright Fest in August 2011. A Night in the Woods was produced by Vertigo Films and stars Anna Skellern, Scoot McNairy, and Andrew Hawley.

<i>Concussion</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

Concussion is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Stacie Passon and starring Robin Weigert. Although not autobiographical, the story was partially inspired by Passon herself suffering a mild concussion, in the same manner depicted in the film, shortly before she began writing the screenplay.

<i>Frank and Cindy</i> 2015 American film

Frank and Cindy is a 2015 comedy film written and directed by G.J. Echternkamp. The film stars Rene Russo, Oliver Platt, Johnny Simmons, Jane Levy, and Marc Maron and is based on the true story and the 2007 documentary of the same name.

<i>Laggies</i> 2014 film by Lynn Shelton

Laggies is a 2014 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lynn Shelton and written by Andrea Seigel. It stars Keira Knightley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sam Rockwell, Kaitlyn Dever, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, Mark Webber, and Daniel Zovatto. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 17, 2014, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 24, 2014, by A24.

<i>Frank</i> (film) 2014 independent black comedy film

Frank is a 2014 independent black comedy film directed by Lenny Abrahamson, produced by David Barron, Ed Guiney and Stevie Lee and written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan. It stars Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, and François Civil.

<i>Tallulah</i> (film) 2016 film directed by Sian Heder

Tallulah is a 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Sian Heder and starring Elliot Page, Allison Janney, and Tammy Blanchard. The film revolves around a young woman who unexpectedly takes a baby from her irresponsible mother and pretends the child is her own. Without a place to stay, the woman asks for help from her ex-boyfriend's mother, telling her the baby is her granddaughter.

<i>Joshy</i> 2016 film

Joshy is a 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Jeff Baena. It stars Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally, Alex Ross Perry, Nick Kroll, Brett Gelman, Jenny Slate and Lauren Graham. It was shown in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The film was released on August 12, 2016, by Lionsgate Premiere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Eslyn</span> American film producer

Mel Eslyn is an American film producer, director and writer. She works primarily in the Seattle independent film industry and has collaborated with Lynn Shelton and Mark and Jay Duplass on numerous films. She is best known for producing The One I Love (2014) and Lamb (2015), for which she won an Independent Spirit Award. She acts as the President of Duplass Brothers Productions.

<i>Landline</i> (film) 2017 American film

Landline is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Gillian Robespierre with a screenplay Robespierre by Elisabeth Holm from a story by Robespierre, Holm and Tom Bean. The film stars Jenny Slate, Edie Falco, Abby Quinn, John Turturro, Jay Duplass and Finn Wittrock, and follows sisters in 1990s New York City who think their father is having an affair.

Fairyland is a 2023 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Andrew Durham and produced by Sofia Coppola. It is based on Alysia Abbott's memoir Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father. The film stars Emilia Jones, Scoot McNairy, Geena Davis, Cody Fern, Adam Lambert and Maria Bakalova.

References

  1. ↑ "Touchy Feely". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  2. ↑ "U.S. Dramatic Competition - Festival Program". Sundance Film Festival . Sundance Institute. Archived from the original on September 5, 2013.
  3. ↑ Dean, Michelle (September 3, 2013). "Flavorwire Interview: 'Touchy Feely' Director Lynn Shelton on Making Movies in a Time of Mediocrity". Flavorwire. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  4. ↑ Bahr, Lindsey (September 7, 2013). "Ellen Page on her terror of improvising for new film 'Touchy Feely'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  5. ↑ Vineyard, Jennifer (September 6, 2013). "Ellen Page on Touchy Feely, Improv, and Kitty Pryde". Vulture. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Mohan, Marc (September 5, 2013). "That Northwest Touch: Seattle filmmaker Lynn Shelton keeps things local with her latest, 'Touchy Feely'". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Lynn Shelton indie film shoot underway around Hill, Central District". Capitol Hill Seattle News. April 16, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Touchy Feely (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Touchy Feely". Metacritic . Retrieved 4 March 2015.
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.