Thank You, Good Night (2001)

It's April 1994. The Handy Kaufmans are New Jersey's foremost underachieving rock band. Kurt Cobain has just committed suicide, and this band full of slackers is about to embark on one ... See full summary »

Director:

D. Charles Griffith

Writers:

Chris Provenzano (screenplay), Robert Zimmer Jr. (screenplay),

Stars:

John Paul Pitoc, Christian Campbell, Jay Leggett

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Paul Pitoc	...	Donnie (as J.P. Pitoc)
Christian Campbell	...	Lee
Jay Leggett	...	Big Frank
Scott Burkhardt	...	Mike
Matthew Bordofsky	...	Record Shop Clerk (as Matt Bordofsky)
Brien Blakely	...	TV Host
Roger Callard	...	TV Carpenter
Bret Domrose	...	Jim
Sally Kirkland	...	Doreen
Mark Hamill	...	Karl, Lee's Father
Edward Singletary	...	Elliott (as Eddie Singletary)
Roberto Raad	...	Nick
Lara Wickes	...	Trixie (as Lara Boyd Rhodes)
Gedde Watanabe	...	Cafe Owner
Sam Scarber	...	Shitty Hotel Clerk

Storyline

It's April 1994. The Handy Kaufmans are New Jersey's foremost underachieving rock band. Kurt Cobain has just committed suicide, and this band full of slackers is about to embark on one final tour. They've been at it for four years. Either they make it big this time they grab the brass ring of a record contract or they resign themselves to a life of nine-to-five mediocrity. Lee, the band leader and drummer, is a control freak who also never finishes what he starts. Mike, the chief songwriter, tries to emulate the tortured-artist lifestyle of the rock-and-roll icons he idolizes, like Cobain. Donnie, lead singer and compulsive womanizer, and Big Frank, the incompetent but golden-hearted manager, round out the band personnel. (Their bassist, Jim, electrocutes himself in a drunken pissing contest.) The Kaufmans are joined by last-minute replacement Trixie, a wild rock-and-roll beauty and bassist who sparks up Lee's dormant romantic instincts. What will this tour across the Midwest and New ...

---

Plot Keywords:

new jersey | 1990s | new york city | rock 'n' roll | independent film

---

Taglines:

...when the show ends, life begins.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

---

Details

Official Sites:

Chuck Griffith

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2001 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Burkhardt/Griffith Productions, Deeper Magic Communications, Roaring Leo Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original script by Chris Provenzano was entitled "Roadkill" prior to Chuck Griffith optioning it. He gave it the new title based on the infamous line in the script after the bassist blows up the stage.

---

Quotes

Lee: The hole in the birdhouse isn't getting any bigger guys.
Donnie: What the fuck does that mean?

---

Crazy Credits

Spiritual Advisor to Robert Zimmer, Jr

---

Soundtracks

"DIRECTION"
Written by Rob "Buck" Hingley and Matt Mailles
Published by Skamming Music (BMI)
Performed by The Toasters
Courtesy of Moon Ska Records

User Reviews

Worthwhile

This movie probably won't change your life.

It won't make you all teary-eyed or queasy-stomached. It won't make you quit your job and join a band, or call up your parents and apologize for all your teenage angst. What it will do, though, is keep you entertained--which, to be perfectly honest, is no small feat in and of itself. The characters are likable and dynamic enough to make you root for the happy ending, while the plot is suspenseful enough that that the ending--whether or not it's a happy one is another story altogether--is far from foretold. When you've got a lazy Friday night, when all you really want is an hour and a half's worth of early-90s escapism, when you're in the mood to have someone tell you a story--Thank You, Good Night fits the bill. Besides--it has Mark Hamill in it. What's not to love?