Blue Car (2002)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Karen Moncrieff

Writer (WGA):

Karen Moncrieff (written by)

Release Date:

2 May 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Ready or not... the future comes just the same.

Plot:

A troubled young woman is encouraged by a teacher to enter a poetry contest.

Plot Keywords:

Poetry | Contest | Tie | Church | School

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

David Strathairn	...	Auster
Agnes Bruckner	...	Megan Denning (Meg)
Margaret Colin	...	Diane
Frances Fisher	...	Delia
A.J. Buckley	...	Pat
Regan Arnold	...	Lily
Sarah Buehler	...	Georgia
Dustin Sterling	...	Rob
Michael Joseph Thomas Ward	...	Dad (as Mike Ward)
Wayne Armstrong	...	Don
Aftab Pureval	...	Boy in Class
Wendy Lardin	...	Georgia's Mom
Jenn O'nofrio	...	Blonde Girl
Greg Miller	...	Priest
Michael Raysses	...	Mr. Kastran
Amy Benedict	...	Diner Waitress
Jaime Scheingross	...	Girl in the Yellow Dress
Julie Schuster	...	Bank Teller
Jane Mowder	...	Nurse
David Carroll	...	Department Store Manager
Jacqueline Childs	...	Pharmacist
Daniel Buran	...	Cop (as Dan Buran)
Jeff Gage	...	Pawn Shop Owner
Kristan Andrews	...	Florida Oasis Cocktail Waitress
Peer J. Oppenheimer	...	Diner Customer

Directed by
Karen Moncrieff

Writing credits (WGA)
Karen Moncrieff		(written by)

Produced by
Don Daniel	....	associate producer
Eric Karten	....	co-producer
John Mays	....	associate producer
Peer J. Oppenheimer	....	producer
Karri O'Reilly	....	line producer
Kelly Simpson	....	associate producer
Amy Sommer	....	producer
Gene Viglione	....	co-producer
David Waters	....	producer

Original Music by
Adam Gorgoni

Cinematography by
Rob Sweeney

Film Editing by
Toby Yates

Casting by
Wendy Weidman

Production Design by
Kristan Andrews

Costume Design by
Kristan Andrews

Makeup Department
Keri Clemmons	....	hair stylist
Keri Clemmons	....	makeup artist
Deleah Emery	....	hair stylist: Los Angeles
Deleah Emery	....	makeup artist: Los Angeles
Josh McEwon	....	special makeup effects artist
Tammy Mount	....	assistant hair stylist
Tammy Mount	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
John Goodwill	....	production supervisor
Karri O'Reilly	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jeremy Burks	....	second second assistant director
Matt Corrado	....	first assistant director
Deleah Emery	....	second assistant director: Los Angeles
Adeeb Hammoudi	....	second assistant director: Los Angeles
Ivan Kraljevic	....	assistant director: Los Angeles
Mike Snyder	....	first assistant director: Los Angeles
Jasmine Waters	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Lori Anne Agricola	....	swing gang
Michele Lockert	....	on-set dresser: Los Angeles
Beth O'Brien	....	on-set props
Mike O'Neill	....	on-set dresser
Johnny Ramos	....	swing gang
Merje Veski	....	property master

Sound Department
Chris Bittner	....	adr editor
Chris Bittner	....	foley editor
Chris Bittner	....	foley mixer
Nancy Cabrera	....	foley artist
Ryan Collison	....	foley engineer
Gerald Donlan	....	additional sound editor
Mark Ferrell	....	production sound mixer
David Ho	....	post-production sound supervisor
David Ho	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ryan Holmes	....	sound mixer: Los Angeles
Jake Keslo	....	boom operator: Los Angeles
Mick Mahan	....	additional sound editor
Mario Manti-Gualtiero	....	adr editor
Mario Manti-Gualtiero	....	dialogue editor
Mario Manti-Gualtiero	....	foley editor
Mario Manti-Gualtiero	....	sound re-recording mixer
Craig Ng	....	foley artist
Ton Patamasing	....	additional sound editor
Harry Peck Bolles	....	additional sound editor (as Harry Bowles)
Reilly Steele	....	sound re-recording mixer
Leonard Suwalski	....	boom operator
Peter Waggoner	....	sound re-recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Erik Anderson	....	animation camera
Toby Anderson	....	animation camera
Brian Midkiff	....	optical camera

Camera and Electrical Department
Ken Armstrong	....	clapper loader: Los Angeles
Ian Axilrod	....	key second assistant camera
Chris Cochran	....	electrician
Russ Faust	....	best boy electric
Danny Flores	....	electrician: Los Angeles
Kevin Jones	....	best boy grip
Scott Lipez	....	grip
Joanna Maier	....	third electrician
Frankie Martinez	....	best boy grip: Los Angeles
Kevin Martt	....	electrician
John Mays	....	key grip
Skip McCraw	....	gaffer
Caleb Nelson	....	key grip: Los Angeles
Justin Painter	....	second assistant camera: Los Angeles
Mel O. Scott	....	third grip
Melanie Smith	....	camera loader
Cesar Toledo	....	best boy electric: Los Angeles
Kelly Uchimura	....	first assistant camera
Andrew Waruszewski	....	grip

Casting Department
Alison Maier	....	extras casting
Gail Ramsey	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Susanne Kern Downey	....	on-set costumer
Josh McEwen	....	costume supervisor
Heather Schmidt	....	on-set costumer
Alison Sideris	....	on-set costumer: Los Angeles

Editorial Department
John Breinholt	....	assistant editor
Dan Edelstein	....	editorial consultant
Chris Regan	....	color timer
Timothy Serda	....	technician: Final Cut Pro
Matt Solomon	....	assistant editor
Melissa Zaroff	....	additional editor

Music Department
Ted Blaisdell	....	score mixer
Stephen Coleman	....	music supervisor
Adam Gorgoni	....	original score producer
Eric Karten	....	original score producer
Steve Schwartz	....	music editor

Other crew
Noor Ahmed	....	assistant to producer
Dave Bogrees	....	set production assistant
David Bohnert	....	production assistant
Kevin Carr	....	key set production assistant
Don Daniel	....	production consultant
Karisa Darling	....	set production assistant
Cynthia Garfield	....	script supervisor
Brian Hall	....	location manager
Amy Holliday	....	script supervisor
Kevin Kramer	....	assistant production coordinator
John Mays	....	location manager
Kevin Myers	....	assistant: Karen Moncrieff
Lucille O'Reilly	....	craft service
Diana Scott	....	production assistant
Stephen Jeffries Smith	....	craft service: Los Angeles
Matthew Turner	....	production coordinator
Bradley Jay Valentine	....	assistant: Mr. Viglione
Bradley Jay Valentine	....	assistant: the co-producer
Domenica Vilhotti	....	set production assistant
Joy Walsh	....	set production assistant
Ben Wright	....	key set production assistant: Los Angeles

Thanks
Steven Bognar	....	special thanks
Julia Reichert	....	special thanks
Susan Tuan	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Peer Oppenheimer Production Inc.

Distributors

• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Miramax Films (2003) (USA)
• RCV Film Distribution (Belgium)
• RCV Film Distribution (Luxembourg)
• RCV Film Distribution (Netherlands)
• TFM Distribution

Other Companies

• Audio Post & Picture  sound re-recorded at
• Cinelease  grip equipment
• Entertainment Industries Group  editing system
• Entertainment Post  dailies
• Magic Film and Video Works  negative conforming
• Performance Lighting Rentals Inc.  grip equipment
• Sound One Corporation  sound re-recorded at
• T&T Optical Effects Company  titles and opticals

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content and language.

Runtime:

96 min | Canada:88 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Australia:MA | Germany:12 | New Zealand:M | UK:15 | USA:R | Italy:T | Canada:A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Colonel White High School - 501 Niagara Avenue, Dayton, Ohio, USA

Company:

Peer Oppenheimer Production Inc.

Trivia:

This film was edited on an Apple Macintosh Computer with "Final Cut Pro" and "Cinema Tools" software.

Goofs:

Continuity: The application form that Meg fills out for the poetry contest says her poem is entitled "Blue Car", although at that point she has not yet written the poem or given it a title.

Quotes:

[after looking over her poem]
Auster: Okay... you tell me.
Meg: I don't know.
Auster: Why not? Are you afraid I'm going to tell you your work stinks?
Meg: Does it?
Auster: What do you think?
Meg: Probably. I don't know.
Auster: Come back when you do.
[rises, starts to leave]
Meg: It doesn't stink. There's a line that I like.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 2004 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Harvest Moon

A true gem from the indie world:Bruckner is flawless

BLUE CAR (2003) **** David Strathairn, Agnes Bruckner, Margaret Colin, Frances Fisher, A.J. Buckley, Regan Arnold, Sarah Beuhler, Dustin Sterling, Mike Ward. Excellent indie festival hit about a teenage girl (Bruckner in a heartbreakingly raw turn) whose only solace from her crumbling domestic life is in her gift as a poet is mentored by her well-meaning but clearly coercive English teacher (Strathairn in one of his best performances) who goads her into a contest. First time filmmaker Karen Moncrieff delivers a truly audacious debut with a gift for character development and strong narrative as well as a shrewd cast (Colin gives her best turn too as Bruckner's downward spiraling mom and young Arnold as her baby sister is absolutely stunning) adds a lift above the norm in coming-of-age flicks that resonates with pitch-perfect depictions of a young woman coming into her own. One of the year's best films.