Sal (film)

Last updated
Sal
Sal (film).jpg
Film poster
Directed by James Franco
Screenplay by Stacey Miller
Story byJames Franco
Produced byJames Franco
Vince Jolivette
Michael Lannan
Travis Mathews
Iris Torres
Starring Val Lauren
James Franco
Jim Parrack
Stacey Miller
Cinematography Christina Voros
Music by Neil Benezra
Distributed by Tribeca Film
Spotlight Pictures
Release date
  • September 3, 2011 (2011-09-03)(Venice Film Festival)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Sal is a 2011 biographical film depicting the last few hours of the life of Sal Mineo, one of the first major film actors in Hollywood to publicly acknowledge their own bisexuality or homosexuality. Mineo was murdered on February 12, 1976. The film, directed by James Franco, stars Val Lauren in the title role, [1] and is based in part on Michael Gregg Michaud's book Sal Mineo: A Biography. The film also stars Jim Parrack, James Franco and Vince Jolivette in supporting roles.

Contents

Franco optioned the film in 2010, [2] and shooting began during the summer of 2011. The film premiered at the 2011 Venice Film Festival and was set for theatrical release in November 2013. [3]

Plot

Cast

Reception

Sal has an approval rating of 50% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews, and an average rating of 4.1/10. [4] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sal Mineo</span> American actor (1939–1976)

Salvatore Mineo Jr. was an American actor. He was best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film Rebel Without a Cause (1955), which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at age 17, making him the fifth-youngest nominee in the category.

<i>The Color of Time</i> 2012 American film

The Color of Time is a 2012 American independent biographical drama film written and directed by twelve New York University film students whose teacher was James Franco. The film stars James Franco, Mila Kunis, Jessica Chastain, Zach Braff, and Henry Hopper.

<i>Child of God</i> (film) 2013 film

Child of God is a 2013 American crime drama film co-written and directed by James Franco, and starring Scott Haze, based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. It was selected to be screened in the official competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival and was an official selection of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The film made its United States premiere at the 51st New York Film Festival and then was screened at the 2013 Austin Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Franco filmography</span>

James Franco is an American actor, filmmaker, and college instructor. He began acting on television, guest-starring in Pacific Blue (1997). He landed his breakthrough role in the comedy-drama television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000). After his film debut in Never Been Kissed (1999), Franco won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film and was nominated for Screen Actors Guild Award and Primetime Emmy Award in the same categories for playing the eponymous actor in the 2001 television biopic James Dean. He went on to play Harry Osborn in the superhero film Spider-Man (2002), and reprised the role in its sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). For the last of the three, he garnered a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. His only screen appearance of 2003 was in the ballet film The Company. Franco directed and starred in the comedy The Ape (2005).

<i>The Ape</i> (2005 film) 2005 American film

The Ape is a 2005 American comedy film directed by James Franco in his directorial debut. Franco also starred in, wrote, and served as executive producer of the film.

<i>I Am Michael</i> 2015 film by Justin Kelly

I Am Michael is a 2015 American biographical drama film written and directed by Justin Kelly. Based on the journalist Benoit Denizet-Lewis' New York Times Magazine article "My Ex-Gay Friend", the film stars James Franco, Zachary Quinto, Emma Roberts, and Charlie Carver. Franco plays Michael Glatze, a gay activist who renounces homosexuality and becomes a Christian pastor. Filming ran in New York City from August 11 to August 30, 2014.

<i>The Founder</i> 2016 film by John Lee Hancock

The Founder is a 2016 American biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Robert Siegel. Starring Michael Keaton as businessman Ray Kroc, the film depicts the story of his creation of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain, which eventually involved forcing out the company's original founders to take control with conniving ruthlessness. Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch co-star as McDonald's founders Richard and Maurice McDonald, alongside Linda Cardellini as Ray Kroc's third wife Joan Smith, and B. J. Novak as McDonald's president and chief executive Harry J. Sonneborn.

Rabbit Bandini Productions is a film and television production company founded in 2003 by actors/filmmakers James Franco and Vince Jolivette. The name comes from combining the titular hero from John Updike's Rabbit tetralogy with the hero of John Fante's Ask the Dust, Arturo Bandini.

<i>The Deuce</i> (TV series) American drama television series

The Deuce is an American drama television series created by David Simon and George Pelecanos, set in New York City during the 1970s and 1980s. It is broadcast by HBO in the United States and premiered on September 10, 2017. HBO made the pilot available through its streaming services and affiliates on August 25, 2017.

<i>Easy</i> (TV series) 2016 television series by Joe Swanberg

Easy is an American comedy-drama anthology series written, directed, edited and produced by Joe Swanberg. It consists of 25 half-hour episodes. The series is set in Chicago.

<i>The Conjuring</i> Universe American horror media franchise

The Conjuring Universe is an American horror franchise and shared universe centered on a series of supernatural horror films. The franchise is produced by New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster, and The Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The films present a dramatization of the supposed real-life adventures of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent yet controversial cases of haunting. The main series follows their attempts to assist people who find themselves harassed by spirits, while the spin-off films focus on the origins of some of the entities the Warrens have encountered.

<i>Gotti</i> (2018 film) 2018 film by Kevin Connolly

Gotti is a 2018 American biographical crime film about New York City mobster John Gotti, directed by Kevin Connolly and written by Lem Dobbs and Leo Rossi. It stars John Travolta as Gotti, alongside his real-life wife Kelly Preston as Gotti's wife Victoria in her penultimate film.

<i>High School Lover</i> 2017 film

High School Lover is a 2017 American romantic thriller directed by Jerell Rosales in his theatrical directorial debut. The film stars Paulina Singer, François Arnaud, Lana Condor, Tyler Alvarez, Julia Jones, and James Franco. It premiered in Los Angeles on January of 20, 2017 and then went on to have a television premiere on Lifetime.

<i>Future World</i> (film) 2018 American film

Future World is a 2018 American direct-to-video science fiction action Western film, directed by James Franco and Bruce Thierry Cheung, from a screenplay by Cheung and Jay Davis. It stars James Franco, Suki Waterhouse, Jeffrey Wahlberg, Margarita Levieva, Snoop Dogg, Twin Shadow, Method Man, Lucy Liu and Milla Jovovich.

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

Trouble is a 2017 American independent comedy-drama film written and directed by Theresa Rebeck and starring Anjelica Huston, Bill Pullman and David Morse. Huston serves as one of the executive producers of the film.

<i>Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend</i> 2022 film by Robert Moresco

Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend is a 2022 American biographical drama film written and directed by Robert Moresco and starring Frank Grillo as Italian entrepreneur Ferruccio Lamborghini. It was released in select theaters in the United States on November 18, 2022, by Lionsgate.

<i>Sweet Magnolias</i> 2020 American romance drama streaming television series

Sweet Magnolias is an American romantic drama television series, developed by Sheryl J. Anderson and based on the Sweet Magnolias novels by Sherryl Woods. It stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott and Heather Headley. The series premiered on Netflix on May 19, 2020. In July 2020, the series was renewed for a second season. The 10-episode second season premiered on February 4, 2022. In May 2022, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered on July 20, 2023. In October 2023, the series was renewed for a fourth season.

<i>Zola</i> (film) 2021 American comedy film

Zola is a 2020 American black comedy crime film directed by Janicza Bravo and co-written by Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris. It is based on a viral Twitter thread from 2015 by Aziah "Zola" King and the resulting Rolling Stone article "Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted" by David Kushner. Starring Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun, and Colman Domingo, the film follows a part-time stripper who is convinced by her new friend to go on a roadtrip to Tampa, Florida to earn money dancing, only to get in over her head.

<i>The Pretenders</i> (2018 film) 2018 film directed by James Franco

The Pretenders is a 2018 American drama film directed by James Franco from a screenplay by Josh Boone. It stars Jack Kilmer, Jane Levy, Shameik Moore, Juno Temple, Brian Cox, Dennis Quaid and Franco.

<i>The Binge</i> 2020 American comedy film directed by Jeremy Garelick

The Binge is a 2020 American parody film directed by Jeremy Garelick and written by Jordan VanDina. A parody of The Purge, the film stars Skyler Gisondo, Eduardo Franco, Dexter Darden, Vince Vaughn, Grace Van Dien and Zainne Saleh.

References

  1. Daniel Miller (May 10, 2011). "James Franco Casts Lead in Sal Mineo Biopic (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  2. "EXCLUSIVE: James Franco Eyes Return to 'Rebel' with Sal Mineo Biopic". The Hollywood Reporter . 8 December 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  3. Team, The Deadline (1 October 2013). "Hot Trailer: James Franco's 'Sal'" . Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  4. "Sal | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes .
  5. "Sal". Metacritic .