Rocket Science (2007)

Looking for answers to life's big questions, a stuttering boy joins his high school debate team.

Director:

Jeffrey Blitz

Writer:

Jeffrey Blitz

Stars:

Nicholas D'Agosto, Anna Kendrick, Utkarsh Ambudkar

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicholas D'Agosto	...	Ben Wekselbaum
Anna Kendrick	...	Ginny Ryerson
Utkarsh Ambudkar	...	Ram
Candace Scholz	...	Townsend Prep Debater (as Candace Burr Scholz)
Margo Martindale	...	Coach Lumbly
Reece Thompson	...	Hal Hefner (as Reece Daniel Thompson)
Vincent Piazza	...	Earl Hefner
Denis O'Hare	...	Doyle Hefner
Lisbeth Bartlett	...	Juliet Hefner
Aaron Yoo	...	Heston
Virginia House	...	English Teacher (as Virginia Frank)
Marilyn Yoblick	...	Plainsboro Lunch Lady
Maury Ginsberg	...	Mr. Lewinsky
Emily Ginnona	...	Honoria
Dionne Audain	...	Abraham Lincoln

Storyline

Coming of age in Plainsboro, New Jersey. High school student Hal Hefner stutters. On the evening his parents stop arguing and separate, 43 miles away at the state tournament, his school's legendary debater, Ben Wekselbaum, goes blank mid-sentence, Ben's teammate Ginny Ryerson doesn't get a first-place trophy, and the world changes. That fall, to Hal's amazement, Ginny recruits him for the debate team, mentors him, and will be his partner. He still has his stutter, but he works hard and he falls in love with Ginny. On the day of the first debate of the season, the world changes again. From then until the day of the state tournament, Hal has a lot to sort out. Is love rocket science?

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Plot Keywords:

debate | high school | love | plainsboro new jersey | debate team | 

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Taglines:

Life is easier done than said.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 2007 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Ciência Espacial

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$58,536 (USA) (10 August 2007)

Gross:

$712,391 (USA) (19 October 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

B&W Films, Duly Noted, HBO Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

After Ginny first speaks with Hal on the school bus, we are show a shot of Hal looking out the window at her, the bus pulls off and we notice that the first window behind him is a emergency exit and the next holds a wheelchair lift. When we cut back to an internal shot of the bus, we can see there is no wheelchair lift on the bus.

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Quotes

Townsend Secretary: Are you her little brother? You look like you could be her little brother.
Hal Hefner: I'm... her ex-lover.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Episode #7.19 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Blister In The Sun"
Written by Gordon Gano
Performed by Violent Femmes

User Reviews

good message, plenty of laughs, anyone can watch this and enjoy it!

I saw this movie earlier this year at a preview screening. The cool thing was that I had no Idea what it was about, I didn't even look it up for a plot outline. I was extremely pleasantly surprised. It was a very good movie, definitely worth seeing. The soundtrack was extremely fitting to the theme of the film as well. It turns out from some of the comments I have read here, some people just do not like this film. I cannot find a reason for that. I have noticed that with the younger crowd, this movie seems to not be as popular as others. This movie is very linear when it comes to how things really are. You can relate to several main characters and their struggles in life. If you are expecting a slapstick, non realistic comedy with tons of shock value, go and watch Wedding Crashers (which I love by the way). If you want to see a movie with intelligent dialogue with a good message and great acting, go and see Rocket Science. My rating 10.