The Brown Bunny (2003)

Professional motorcycle racer Bud Clay heads from New Hampshire to California to race again. Along the way he meets various needy women who provide him with the cure to his own loneliness, but only a certain woman from his past will truly satisfy him.

Director:

Vincent Gallo

Writer:

Vincent Gallo

Stars:

Vincent Gallo, Chloë Sevigny, Cheryl Tiegs

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vincent Gallo	...	Bud Clay
Chloë Sevigny	...	Daisy (as Chloe Sevigny)
Cheryl Tiegs	...	Lilly
Elizabeth Blake	...	Rose
Anna Vareschi	...	Violet
Mary Morasky	...	Mrs. Lemon

Storyline

It's the story of one man. His name's Bud Clay, and he races motorcycles. He rides in the 250cc Formula II class of road racing. Around and around he goes, repeating laps over and over until the race is over. The story begins with Bud racing in New Hampshire. His next race is in California in five days, and so his cross-country journey begins. Every day, Bud is haunted by the same memories of the last time he saw his true love. He will do anything to make those memories disappear, and every day he tries to find a new love, making outrageous requests of women to come with him on his trip and then leaving them behind after they've agreed. He can't replace Daisy, the only woman he's ever loved and the only woman he will ever love, but every day he tries

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Plot Keywords:

california | new hampshire | motorcycle | love | memory | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA Japan France

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

A barna nyúl

Filming Locations:

Best Western Inn - 6141 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$50,601 (USA) (27 August 2004)

Gross:

$365,734 (USA) (3 December 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kinetique, Vincent Gallo Productions, Wild Bunch

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 90 min 119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chloë Sevigny claimed in interviews that the fellatio scene was not simulated.

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Goofs

When Bud speaks to Daisy's mother, a glass on the table appears and then disappears between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Bud walks up to a young woman, working behind the counter in a gas station store]
Bud Clay: Hi.
Violet: Hello... Did you just come from the race track?
Bud Clay: Mmhm.
Violet: Did you win?
Bud Clay: No.
Violet: Oh.
Bud Clay: How much is this?
Violet: $2... Will you be racing again?
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 28 August 2004 (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Come Wander with Me"
Written and Composed by Jeff Alexander
Courtesy of CBS Broadcasting

User Reviews

Worked for me.

I saw Buffalo 66 long before I started posting reviews at imdb, so I haven't written about that film but I loved it, I give it a 10, and after seeing The Brown Bunny at the Nuart on Saturday evening, I am here to report that I give Gallo's second feature film the same rating.

A lot of people seem to be misunderstanding this movie, or just not appreciating it, or perhaps both. There are many reasons for this, none of them valid in my estimation. The biggest protests, from what I've been reading, seem to be in the 'lack of plot' and 'vanity project' areas.

I can understand how the film would be a little slow for a lot of people, since it's basically an internal study, with none of the 'usual' mainstream (or even indy film) tactics. And in fact that's what I loved the most about the movie - how Gallo has the artistic wherewithal to be true to HIS vision of what a film can be, to how a plot of a film (and there IS a plot) can be played out in a different, less recognizable way, which leads to one of the reasons I think people are calling this a vanity project (aside from the infamous scene toward the end -- which I have to say is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to the film, once you find out what's really going on with our sick puppy Bud Clay) : because the movie doesn't follow a 'typical' set-up, requiring a bit more patience on the part of the viewer, a lot of people feel more comfortable dismissing this unbelievably profound piece of work as a 'vanity project'. In reality, I believe the opposite is true: Gallo is giving his audience more credit than they perhaps deserve, in presenting such a stark, uncompromising character study. The fact that a lot of this audience chooses not to accept him on his terms does not diminish his power and the power of this movie. Can't wait for the next one, Vincent.