Ronnie (2002)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Christopher Haifley

Writers:

Matt Casado (writer)
Clayton Gardner (writer)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

Things go terribly wrong when a troubled young man who works in a mental institution sets out to seduce a patient who has accidentally escaped.

Plot Keywords:

Mental Institution | Accident | Female Nudity | Kidnapping | Hospital

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Adam Scott	...	Ronnie Schwann
Mark Pellegrino	...	Keith Schwann
Fini Goodman	...	Sara
Aimee Graham	...	Kelly
Jennifer Darling	...	Mamma
Matt Casado	...	Ratt
Brian Austin Green	...	Stanley
Marlow Wyatt	...	Margaret
Susan Han	...	Betty
Brian Card	...	Bob Dick
Danny Molina	...	Larry
Mickey Strasser	...	Officer Stricland
Brian Lally	...	Officer Irwin
Kenny Baldwin	...	Officer Reed
Julie Wallace	...	Cab Driver

Also Known As:

Mamma Tried (USA) (working title)
The Killer Next Door (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, drug use, violence and some nudity.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15

Company:

First Look International

Irony abounds in this very good movie

This extremely dark comedy is about a depressive, chain-smoking woman, her two equally troubled sons, and what happens at her house on the day she falls out of a moving taxi and has to be hospitalized.

One son, Ronnie, is basically a good-hearted, but thoroughly unmotivated and directionless guy who works at a halfway house for mentally challenged adults. He lives nearby in the shabby guest quarters behind his mom's rundown house.

At the halfway house, Ronnie, who doesn't have a girlfriend (and we suspect he has never had one), happens upon Sara, one of the resident women, who's standing naked in the bathroom.

She's muttering incoherently to herself. Nevertheless, Ronnie is intrigued, so much so that when he later sees her wandering down the street, he brings her to his room with romance on his mind.

Meanwhile, the other son, Keith, comes home from a stint in county jail with his girlfriend in tow. Soon he's joined by a couple of wild, druggy friends.

Ronnie's romantic interlude ends badly, not surprisingly. He ends up having to tie the very disturbed and helpless Sara to the bed to keep her quiet. He's frightened and confused, and he feels just awful about what he's done.

However, because Keith and his pals have decided to party all night in the house, Ronnie has a hard time correcting his mistake with Sara without being detected.

What happens next is a gruesomely amusing tale of bad decisions made by truly stupid people.

Great acting, great suspense -- and the ending is not to be missed. I heartily recommend this film!