Little Athens (2005)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Tom Zuber

Writers:

Jeff Zuber (writer)
Tom Zuber (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A whirlwind day in the hapless lives of small town youth.

Plot:

A day in Athens, Arizona, as teens and twenty-somethings navigate life without a compass. Jimmy has...

Plot Keywords:

Teen | Party | Violence | Arizona | Best Friend

Cast

John Patrick Amedori	...	Jimmy
Shawn Hatosy	...	Carter
Michelle Horn	...	Emily
Erica Leerhsen	...	Heather
Rachel Miner	...	Allison
Kenny Morrison	...	Aaron
Leonardo Nam	...	Kwon
Michael Peña	...	Carlos
DJ Qualls	...	Corey
Jorge Garcia	...	Pedro
Jill Ritchie	...	Jessica
Eric Szmanda	...	Derek
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Anthony	...	Drunk Partygoer #2
Jasmine Jessica Anthony	...	Katie Kinney
Robert Baker	...	Berubi
John David Conti	...	Pizza Pop
Jonathan Dankner	...	Matt
Molly the Dog	...	Poncho
Jeff Doucette	...	Mr. Carson
Megan Duffy	...	Barnes' Girlfriend
Nikko Estrada	...	Kid #1
Mitch Gavin	...	Ping Pong Player #1
Mary-Pat Green	...	Mrs. Carson
Jay Harik	...	Doctor Cook
Gina Marie Heekin	...	Female Partygoer #1
Tish Hicks	...	Jina
Aldis Hodge	...	Pitt
Michael Dean Jacobs	...	Harry
Tory Kittles	...	Sinjin
R.J. Knoll	...	Brad
Forrest Landis	...	Kevin
Josh Lawler	...	Police Officer #2
Fred Maske	...	Ping Pong Player #2
John Mead	...	Ron
Molly	...	Poncho the Dog
Joshua Moore	...	Drunk Partygoer #1 (as Joshua Arden)
Elizabeth Mulkey	...	Female Partygoer #2 (as Elizabeth Mulke)
Kelly A. O'Leary	...	Lifeguard
Esteban Powell	...	Troy
Paula Price	...	Megan
Victor Prince II	...	RJ
Jay Richardson	...	Jerry
Kyle Sabihy	...	Louie
Paul Shields	...	Pete
Justin Shilton	...	Barnes
Tait Smith	...	Mitch
Nate Torrence	...	Card Player
Elizabeth Uhl	...	Female Passenger
Jill Virnig	...	Female Partygoer #3
Nick von Esmarch	...	Juicehead Dave
D.W. Warren	...	Police Officer #1
Jason Weissbrod	...	Rob
Danny Wolske	...	Bobby Bales
Justin Zachary	...	Male Partygoer

MPAA:

Rated R for drug and sexual content, pervasive language and some violence.

Runtime:

Canada:103 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Legaci Pictures

Quotes:

Heather: Are you cheating on me?
Derek: Noooo
Heather: So you're not cheating on me?
Derek: You're starting to annoy me.

Movie Connections:

Features Asteroids (1979) (VG)

Soundtrack:

War on Gravity

Little Athens leaves much to be desired

Saw this movie tonight as part of the Indianapolis International Film Festival. Had been looking forward to this one, largely due to the cast and the fact that these types of stories usually are told more realistically by independent filmmakers.

Unfortunately, I found the acting to be almost embarrassingly bad, the characters had no depth and no redeeming qualities, and the running time of 109 minutes felt more like 3 hours. I kept waiting for something to happen, and waiting and waiting.

Now, there are 2 positives this film has going for it. The soundtrack is actually quite good, and includes songs by SuperTramp, Radiohead, Ima Robot, The Vacation and The Walkmen just to name a few.

The cast is definitely attractive and there are some new faces that definitely show some promise. I was surprised to see Shawn Hatosy (The Faculty) in yet another throwaway role. After The Faculty, I actually thought he would become one of the major young Hollywood players, but he keeps turning up in films that in my opinion are a waste of his talents.

I really wanted to like this film and then tell everyone I knew to go see it, but now all I can say is save your money and use that 109 minutes to do something else....you will never get them back.

Just a side note: There were about 50 people of mixed ages in the audience. Two separate couple got up and left within the first 10 minutes, I have no idea if it was the film or something else. The person that I went with, actually enjoyed the movie quite a bit, so it may just that it didn't appeal to me. Unlike other films during the festival, there was no applause after the film and only a handful of attendees stayed for the credits.