The Tic Code (1999)

A 10 year old gifted boy wants to be a jazz pianist much to the chagrin of his more classical oriented piano instructor. With his mother's help, he is an underage regular at a local ... See full summary »

Director:

Gary Winick

Writer:

Polly Draper

Stars:

Chris Marquette, Polly Draper, Carol Kane

6 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Marquette	...	Miles (as Christopher George Marquette)
Polly Draper	...	Laura
Carol Kane	...	Miss Gimpole
Desmond Robertson	...	Todd
Robert Iler	...	Denny
Bill Nunn	...	Kingston
Tony Shalhoub	...	Phil
Ismail Bashey	...	Indian Man
Camryn Manheim	...	Mrs. Swensrut
Blair Swanson	...	Confident Girl (as Blair Ashlee Swanson)
Gregory Hines	...	Tyrone Pike
Carlos McKinney	...	Chester
John B. Williams	...	Sparky
Richard A. Berk	...	Tiny (as Dick Berk)
Fisher Stevens	...	Morris

Storyline

A 10 year old gifted boy wants to be a jazz pianist much to the chagrin of his more classical oriented piano instructor. With his mother's help, he is an underage regular at a local nightspot, where he is teamed up with a sax superstar. Both come to learn that each suffers from Tourette's Syndrome (thus the film title). The older man has developed mannerisms to cover up his own fallibilities and resents the boy and his mother's acceptance of the disease.

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Plot Keywords:

tourette's syndrome | jazz | pianist | interracial relationship | interracial romance | 

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Taglines:

Every family has something to hide.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Lions Gate / Jazz Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 2000 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Jelbeszéd

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$25,190 (USA) (4 August 2000)

Gross:

$203,849 (USA) (29 September 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gun for Hire Films, Jazz Films Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits, the following dialogue is heard: Miles: Mom, which would you rather? Flat fingers like Thelonious or flat fingers like Horowitz? Laura: Flat fingers like Miles. Tyrone: Flat, flat, flat. Miles: Mom, which you rather? Pennies facing heads, or pennies facing tails? Laura: Is this a trick question?

User Reviews

Still gives me the shivers . . . That good.

Which would you rather: Titanic or The Tic Code? They were both on at the same time, and I chose the latter, a made for premium cable movie, which means it will be available for rental sooner or later. If you like good acting and good jazz, this one's for you. The kid is amazing in his portrayal of a kid (go figure) with Tourette's. It's your typical 'freaks are people too' movie, but that doesn't mean it's not good. It's very well done. It intrigues me that maybe Thelonious Monk had Tourette's too. He's probably my favorite pianist. OK, take out the probably. But I saw that this is listed under the "children's" genre. Not that I'm saying it isn't good for kids, but it's also good for adults. By the way, watch all the way to the end of the credits. It's worth it.