Adventures in Homeschooling (2004)

The story follows a year in the life of the Hemples, a family that takes home schooling to an extreme - and has for generations. When a vindictive Inspector from the Board of Education ... See full summary »

Director:

Adam Dooley

Writers:

Tony DeCarlo, Adam Dooley

Stars:

Dan Castellaneta, Mo Gaffney, Ruth Buzzi

Cast

Cast overview:
Dan Castellaneta	...	Gus Hemple
Mo Gaffney	...	Gloria Hemple
Ruth Buzzi	...	Gertie Hemple
Paul Dooley	...	Pop Hemple
Tony DeCarlo	...	Chip Hemple
Daniel Farber	...	Wally Hemple
Bianca Lanfield	...	Becca Hemple
Amir Talai	...	Baliotis
Brian Posehn	...	Eugene Drifke
Steve Bannos	...	Laszlo Getch
Frank Crim	...	Gardener
James Giordano	...	Ref (as Jim Giordano)
Cecil Odom	...	Behemoth
Tracy Farber	...	Cheerleader
Griffin Dooley	...	Debate Boy

Storyline

The story follows a year in the life of the Hemples, a family that takes home schooling to an extreme - and has for generations. When a vindictive Inspector from the Board of Education invades their paradise, promising to shut them down, the members of this eccentric and highly dysfunctional family somehow find a way to pull together and win the day.

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Genres:

Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2004 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

5K Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

26 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the dinner scene, no two Hemples have the same meal on their plate. Due to a sudden shift in the shooting schedule, the planned meal was not available when the scene was to be shot. Thinking quickly, the production team made use of the leftovers from lunch. The catch? There wasn't enough to go around. So, while one Hemple has garlic bread for dinner, another has green beans, a third has spaghetti, and so on.

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Connections

Referenced in Game Night (2012)

User Reviews

Tony's Character

Tony's version of Chip Hemple was like a human rendition of Garfield. The humor in the film was of an uncomfortable nature, taking cues from Dadaists and other Surrealists, particularly in the football scene where spectators line the backyard in "Fruit-of-the-Loom"-esque costumes. The direction, editing, and delivery of dialogue also took cues from Lynch and early John Waters, taking the interior life of a typical American family and turning it into an unpredictable jazz odyssey. I highly recommend this film to anyone who appreciates short films that are both intelligent and cohesive, but not necessarily glib and commercial. This film had a vital element that today's so-called "quirky black comedies," such as "The Royal Tannenbaums" or "Running With Scissors" utterly lacked: heart.