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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Myles Berkowitz (writer)
Release Date:
26 February 1999 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Comedy | Reality-TV | Romance more
Tagline:
All Myles Berkowitz wanted was a chance to save his career and his love life. What he got was... 20 Dates more
Plot:
A documentary type film about the dates Myles has gone on as he tries to find out how to find love in the future. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
User Comments:
Quirky mockumentary more (83 total)
Cast
(Credited cast) | Myles Berkowitz | ... | Myles |
| Elisabeth Wagner | ... | Elisabeth |
| Richard Arlook | ... | The Agent |
 | Tia Carrere | ... | Herself |
 | Robert McKee | ... | Himself |
| Elie Samaha | ... | Voice of the Producer (voice) |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
 | Tom Ardavany | ... | Jealous Boyfriend |
| Emily Arlook | ... | Emily |
| Rachel Arlook | ... | Rachel |
 | Barbara Cameron | ... | Herself |
| Signy Coleman | ... | Herself |
 | Letitia Fox | ... | Herself |
| Greg Kita | ... | Himself - the sound man |
| Michelle Madden | ... | Herself |
| Stephanie Magid | ... | Date #2 |
| Julie McCullough | ... | Herself - Date #17 |
 | Dominic Renda | ... | Himself, Malibu Waiter |
 | Sharon Saks | ... | Herself |
| Stacy Sanches | ... | Herself |
| Tava Smiley | ... | Herself |
| Shal Verini | ... | Shalimar (Date #3) |
| Elizabeth Wagner | ||
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for pervasive language and brief sexual images.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
87 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Argentina:13 | France:U | Germany:12 | Spain:7 | UK:15 | USA:R
Company:
Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: The date that Myles first attempts to take to Drai's, then Spago's for dinner is wearing what appears to be an engagement ring. more
Movie Connections:
Features The Making of 'Speed' (1994) (TV) more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (83 total)
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Biography section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
The summary is a bit redundant: Mockumentaries, as a genre, are fairly quirky.
In this case, recently divorced Myles, also a wannabe filmmaker, decides to make a documentary about trying to find true love in L.A. He commits to going on 20 dates and recording the results. Unfortunately, halfway through, he falls in love with one of his dates and now has to figure out how to complete the project without alienating his new love.
What makes this different from standard mockumentaries -- and what some of the other IMDB reviewers seem to be missing -- is that, while it's clear that the final film isn't a true account of the events (some of the dates are obviously faked, and Elie the villainous producer can't really be THAT evil), it isn't so clear whether Myles Berkowitz (credited as writer and director, as well as star) started out with a serious intent to make a documentary, or whether it was meant to be fiction from the outset.
Most of the evidence points to Berkowitz' initial sincerity. This *is* his only film (except for a bit part in "No Small Affair," 16 years before this movie), and Elie *is* listed as Executive Producer. The official budget *is* the stated $60K. Most of the early dates seem real -- it's only the later ones that start to feel scripted, especially the feminist ballerina.
One thing that gives this movie its charm, then, is that while Myles (the character) fumes about the way in which his original vision for the movie is eroding away from pressure from Elie, Berkowitz (the filmmaker) seems to be going through the same genuine quandary for a different reason -- it didn't take his full 20 dates to find love, and NOW what's he supposed to do?
The cover job is both charming and disorienting: He goes back over the old footage and edits it so it looks like it could have been a mockumentary from the start, but plays it from the hip so it looks like a mockumentary pretending to be a documentary.
Wouldn't Robert McKee be proud?
Others might not have the same sense of pride. The film will come off as either a clever if ham-fisted attempt to make lemon footage into lemonade, or a pretentious and annoying trip into the avenues of Independent Film by a blind drunkard.
Viewer's choice, and it seems to depend on what the viewer thinks of Myles: Is he annoying, or is he cute?
I thought he was cute, and while the film is hardly a classic, it's worth a try. Look for it on cable (that's where I found it), and if you're sick of it after half an hour, turn it off and not much lost.