L.I.E. (2001)

A 15-year-old Long Island boy loses everything and everyone he knows, soon becoming involved in a relationship with a much older man.

Director:

Michael Cuesta

Writers:

Stephen M. Ryder, Michael Cuesta

Stars:

Brian Cox, Paul Dano, Bruce Altman

20 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Dano	...	Howie Blitzer (as Paul Franklin Dano)
Bruce Altman	...	Marty Blitzer
Billy Kay	...	Gary
James Costa	...	Kevin Cole
Tony Michael Donnelly	...	Brian (as Tony Donnelly)
Michelle Carano	...	Newscaster
Tatiana Burgos	...	Marty's Girlfriend
Brian Cox	...	Big John Harrigan
B. Constance Barry	...	Anne Harrigan
Walter Masterson	...	Scott
Brad Silnutzer	...	Henry
Bob Gerardi	...	Clifford
Adam LeFevre	...	Elliot
Frank Rivers	...	Man with Pizza (as Frank G. Rivers)
Anthony F. Peragine	...	Tough Kid #1

Storyline

Fifteen-year-old Howie loses just about everything and everyone in the space of a single week, but ends up finding himself in the process. His mother has just died. His father, a building contractor, can barely keep tabs on his young girlfriend, let alone his own son. Thusly, the teen must navigate his adolescence virtually unsupervised. Floating towards an ill-behaved existence, Howie and his crowd begin robbing houses in the middle-class neighborhoods off the Long Island Expressway. Together, he and his best friend Gary break into a place belonging to an old guy named Big John, a local man who is a respected pillar of the community. When Big John fingers Gary for the crime, Howie learns that his pal has been leading a secret, dangerous but also alluring double life. Subsequently, we also discover that Big John has secrets of his own.

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Plot Keywords:

ephebophile | shaving | playing hooky | pedophilia | pederasty | 

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Taglines:

On the Long Island Expressway there are lanes going east, lanes going west, and lanes going straight to hell.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for some explicit sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 2003 (France)

Also Known As:

L.I.E. Long Island Expressway

Filming Locations:

217 Broadway, Amityville, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$82,530 (USA) (7 September 2001)

Gross:

$1,141,829 (USA) (22 February 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alter Ego Entertainment, Belladonna Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The distributor, Lot 47, appealed against the NC-17 rating at the same time as launching a publicity campaign about how arbitrary the rating system was. Both failed.

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Goofs

When Big John is slowly pulling his car alongside Howie (just before Howie accepts the offer of getting to drive the car), a crew member is seen on the right pushing the car.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Howie: L.I.E. Long Island Expressway. You got the lanes going east, and you got the lanes going west. And you also got the lanes going straight to hell. Lot of people died on it. Harry Chapin, Alan Pakula, the movie director. You probably heard of them. But you never heard of Sylvia Blitzer, my mom. She died on a crash on Exit 52. I really miss her. It's taken a lot of people and I hope it doesn't get me.

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Connections

Featured in The 2002 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2002)

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Soundtracks

Danny Boy
Traditional tune ("Londonderry Air") and lyrics by Frederick Edward Weatherly
Performed by Brian Cox

User Reviews

A Film About Consequences

This is a great little film about consequences. Howie is a typically confused but bright middle class kid with a one dimensional father and lug-nuts for friends. This film explores the soft underbelly of middle class Long Island, as well as the consequences that are borne as a result. Howie's explorations for attention lead him dangerously close to a pedophile who is more than willing to play "dad" to the affection starved teen. The low-budget aspects of this movie are not distracting, and though the subject matter is raw, the scenes are handled with taste. The film is kept honest through some thoughtful provocation, and the audience is kept honest as well. This film should be seen by parents of teens, and especially seen by anyone who is a father.