Rocket Science (2007)

Director:

Jeffrey Blitz

Writer (WGA):

Jeffrey Blitz (written by)

Release Date:

28 September 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Window | Teen | Phone Call | Debate | Cruelty

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

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 Frank	...	English Teacher
Marilyn Yoblick	...	Plainsboro Lunch Lady
Maury Ginsberg	...	Mr. Lewinsky
Emily Ginnona	...	Honoria
Dionne Audain	...	Abraham Lincoln

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexual content and language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

B&W Films

Trivia:

The drink that Hal takes from his brothers' room and gets drunk on is Herradura Reposado tequila.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Quotes:

Hal Hefner: And all it got me was... was a cello through her wi... window.
Ben Wekselbaum: You threw a cello? Through her window?
Hal Hefner: Yeah.
Ben Wekselbaum: How big was it?
Hal Hefner: I... I think it was sta... standard sym... symphony size.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Rocket Science (#14.21)" (2007)

Smart Dialog, Sharp Performances

This has to be the best dialog in any film ever made with a stutterer as a central character.

I found the performances letter-perfect; not a false note anywhere. This is a movie where even the bit parts are played by well-cast actors, not producers' pretty boyfriends or girlfriends. I loved the girl in the washroom with the nosebleed, for example. Perfect.

Rushmore did not come to mind while I watched this film, nor did any of the other "quirky" films named here by other reviewers. But I did think of it as a companion piece to "Welcome to the Dollhouse." Both set in NJ, and both with central characters at the bottom of their school social ranking, and coping with their realities better than one would think.

I particularly liked the relationship between adults and kids in this film. The adults (parents and teachers) are wise about the kids, and the kids are just as wise about the adults. The tone was just right.

I'm surprised that this film elicits so many negative reviews here. I enjoyed reading the rant by the guy who spells cello "chello." I think that pretty much explains it. Literacy will be required to appreciate this movie.