Dopamine (2003)

Director:

Mark Decena

Writers:

Timothy Breitbach (writer)
Mark Decena (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A San Franciscan computer programmer falls in love with one his creations in the days after the dot.com boom.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Artificial Intelligence | Adoption | Independent Film | Title Spoken By Character

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

John Livingston	...	Rand
Sabrina Lloyd	...	Sarah McCaulley
Bruno Campos	...	Winston
Rueben Grundy	...	Johnson
Kathleen Antonia	...	Tammy
Nicole Wilder	...	Machiko
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ian Berzon	...	Moving man
Timothy Breitbach	...	Mike the bartender
Ivan Kraljevic	...	Sleazy Guy
Wanda McCaddon	...	Margie
William Windom	...	Rand's father
Dennis Yen	...	Toru

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexuality and brief drug use.

Runtime:

79 min | 85 min (Sundance Channel Library Print) (dvd release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | Canada:14A (Ontario) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bay Area, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Kontent Films

Quotes:

Rand: These are my fat pills actually, I grew up fat. Seriously, my parents they never stopped me from having a second helping of whatever so I kind of blew up from there.
Rand: The doctor diagnosed me with hyperthyroidis, prescribed this drug Syntac. Right after I started taking it, I started feeling like I had more energy, I started swimming and stuff,by Junior year in high school I was pretty much normal.
Sarah McCaulley: I've read somewhere lately that they've been doing a lot of placebo work with thyroid problems?
Rand: This is definitely not a placebo.
[...]

Soundtrack:

Lightning

Really Enjoyed It

It's a wonderful movie. The premise is clever. All of the acting is well done. The character, Sarah (Sabrina Lloyd) really caries this movie, as Rand (John Livingston) is a likable underdog type that you instantly root for, but Sarah, while likable, has a darker side and if the audience doesn't care about her then the movie falls apart. A less charismatic and talented actress could not have pulled this part off, but Sabrina Lloyd seems to handle it with a natural charm that makes it look easy. I have no doubt that she will have many opportunities thrown her way based upon her work here.

This is a great movie, however a few minor details could have made it better. At just over 80 minutes, they really could have filled out the movie a little more. I can't help but feel that there is a lot of story left untold and some of the scenes feel a little disjointed. With it being an independent feature, I'm sure a lot of this has to do with budget and time (trying to get into Sundance.) I also would have enjoyed a few more light moments between characters.

I think one of the reasons some people haven't taken to it is the mistaken idea that it is a romantic comedy. It really isn't. There are a few light moments (don't know if I would even call them comedic moments), but this is definitely a drama. The issues and material are serious, so anyone waiting for Sandra Bullock type goofiness, Meg Ryan over sentiment or Three's Company sexual innuendo miscommunication are going to be disappointed.