When a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek revenge.When a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek revenge.When a teen is bullied, his brother and friends lure the bully into the woods to seek revenge.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 7 nominations
- Tom
- (as James W. Crawford)
- Lady at School
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the truth or dare scene, when asked about his fantasy, Rocky says he fantasized about a girl named Susan Johnson (at around 41 mins). One of the producers of the film is called Susan Johnson.
- GoofsWhen dropping Millie off at her house after returning from their misadventure, Millie exits the car with no socks and she is wearing her tennis shoes like clogs with her heels exposed (at around 1h 09 mins). When she enters her house and climbs the stairs, her socks are on and shoes cover her entire feet (at around 1h 09 mins).
- Quotes
George: [upon learning why the others brought him to the lake] You're a fuckin' lying son of a bitch, Sam! All right? And I hope you fuckin' go to hell.
Millie: Don't make things worse, George...
George: Shut the fuck up, Millie, you fucking stupid JAP cunt.
Clyde: Sit down, George, you're out of control.
George: Shut the fuck up, Clyde! You faggot! Fucking skinny butt-munching faggot. I hate you! You know that? I really do. 'Cause all you do is fuckin' prance around school talkin' about your fuckin' faggoty fairy fathers. I'll tell you what! I don't wanna hear about your fuckin' fathers and how their assholes work, all right? It makes me sick! And I - I - I fuckin' hope they fuckin' die of fag disease! Yeah.
[pause]
George: And, and speaking of... dead... fathers... I just remembered why bonehead white-trash fuckin' donkey-dick Marty got so fuckin' freaked when I started talkin' about his "daddy." His Neanderthal, drunk dad put a gun in his mouth and splattered his brains all over the wall.
[pause]
George: You know, I almost forgot that my mom told me that. She said, "His daddy splattered his brains all over the wall." I thought it was sad at first, but now? I like it.
[chanting]
George: His daddy splattered his brains. All over the wall. His daddy splattered his brains. All over the wall!...
- Crazy creditsHagai Shaham is credited as being the "handsome" police officer (he is also a producer of the movie)
- Alternate versionsThe TV version in the USA has the swearing edited out.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards (2005)
I have to admit, I almost teared up a little around the end of the movie, but managed to keep my composure. Then the movie ended... to dead silence! I was waiting for my friend to say something, and what he said shocked me: "What the hell was THAT?" After discussing the movie a bit, I came to the conclusion that his experiences growing up were so different than this that it was like showing a futuristic Sci Fi movie to a person living in rural Zimbabwe. In the Czech Republic, where he is from, you don't commonly have these kinds of problems. Kids get along amazingly well. You may find this hard to believe, but in the Czech Republic, grade school and high school teachers routinely take their classes to places all around Europe. They have no trouble with kids not getting along. No one has any whiny special requests, and no one refuses to share a room with someone.
Guess that explains why this movie made no sense to my friend.
However, if you are an American, as I am, this movie is deeply touching, and may even bring back unsettling childhood memories of bullies.
Scott Mechlowicz is certifiably great in this movie, as is Josh Peck, who plays George, the bully. I look back at movies from the 1970's. Child actors back then were hilariously amateurish compared to these people. In fact, movies increasingly are showcasing young actors whose talents are absolutely astounding. (unlike the kid who played opposite Lucille Ball as "Auntie Mame's grandson).
What makes this movie so compelling and memorable is that it is tragedy in the old Greek sense of the word: people bring about their own downfall. The bully George, as it turns out, has a good side, but he is socially inept, and so he lashes out in terrible ways. The kids are ready to like him and forgive him. Instead, George can't control his anger, and he verbally lashes out at everyone, until their newfound compassion (or at least pity) for him starts to evaporate.
The tragedy in this movie is that everything comes so close to working out fine for everyone.
I hope that will peak your interest. And speaking of interest, I have none in writing a "spoiler" review. This movie is best seen knowing as little as possible about the plot.
I think if I had to defend American movie making against all the criticism of how Hollywood depends on special effects, big name actors, and lurid story lines, I would choose this movie as proof that American movies are still the best in the world.
Addition added January 16, 2009: I have been writing reviews here for over three years. Sometimes years will go by without any indication someone read my review. So, please let me know if you read it. The thumbs up or thumbs down is entirely your choice. I'm just curious.
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $603,951
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $29,170
- Aug 22, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $802,948