S.F.W. (1994)

Director:

Jefery Levy

Writers (WGA):

Andrew Wellman (novel)
Danny Rubin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 January 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Fate made them hostages. The media made them stars.

Plot:

An alienated and misanthropic teenager gains sudden and unwanted celebrity status after he's taken hostage by terrorists where his indifference to their threats to kill him makes news headlines.

Plot Keywords:

Teenager | Siege | Wine | Brother Sister Relationship | Profanity In Title

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 22	3:05 AM	SHOW
Thur. Nov. 26	2:40 AM	SHOW

Cast

Stephen Dorff	...	Cliff Spab
Reese Witherspoon	...	Wendy Pfister
Jake Busey	...	Morrow Streeter
Joey Lauren Adams	...	Monica Dice
Pamela Gidley	...	Janet Streeter
David Barry Gray	...	Scott Spab
Jack Noseworthy	...	Joe Dice
Richard Portnow	...	Gerald Parsley
Edward Wiley	...	Mr. Spab
Lela Ivey	...	Mrs. Spab
Natasha Gregson Wagner	...	Kristen
Annie McEnroe	...	Dolly
Virgil Frye	...	Earl
Francesca P. Roberts	...	Kim Martin
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Milt Morris (as Soon Teck Oh)

Also Known As:

So Fucking What? (USA) (long title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong language, scenes of brutal violence, constant drug and alcohol use and some sexuality.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

A&M Films

Trivia:

Assuming Bill Murray's character married Andie MacDowell's character from Groundhog Day (1993), we meet Phil and Rita Connors in the elevator.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the last flashback, Spab is seen pulling out an Uzi that he had never acquired.

Quotes:

[Cliff is trying to comfort Wendy]
Cliff Spab, Wendy Pfister: [singing together] As long as we have each other...

Soundtrack:

Also Sprach Zarathustra

S.F.W. ....well I liked it!

I watched this film not knowing what to expect; what I got was one of the coolest, most original films I've seen. It is ostensibly a hostage-drama set in a Fun-Stop convenience store, but rapidly reveals itself as more; a biting attack on the media circus and the hype machine, a revealing portrayal of suburban life in America, and a comment on the nature of heroes. The leads are played effortlessly by Stephen Dorff (who seems to not be acting at all)and Reece Witherspoon, with excellent support from B-movie stalwarts Joey Lauren Adams and Jack Noseworthy. All the characters are unlike those you see in most films... they are the sort of people you've met, but never expected to see on screen. Characters the hero Spab (Dorff) meets along the way are delightfully unattractive and random, from the hippie Earl and his militant partner to the receptionist in a neck brace at a posh hotel. Richard Portnow's FBI agent has some wonderfully quotable lines, and Mr and Mrs Spab soon reveal themselves to be far from the perfect parents. The arrangement of the story (flashbacks are employed heavily) lets you build up a rounded picture of the events that made Spab a hero, not revealing the true account of what happened in the store until near the end. Up to this point the events are clouded by the media and gossip surrounding the "Fun-Stop Hostage Crisis" and although we are led to believe Spab did something spectacular, the later flashbacks reveal why he is unwilling to assume the mantle of hero and why he seems to be in a bad mood most of the time!. A great film that depicts a classic anti-hero with more than adequate back-up from the script and cast. Watch it soon!.