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:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Hal first enters the Luis Dry Cleaners in "Trenton," a Baltimore City Police van drives past behind him.

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Quotes

Ben Wekselbaum: It's all so pointless. That's the realization I came to at States last year. Life is nothing but repetition, the same thing over and over. Somebody might give you a trophy and that's supposed to mean you're making progress but there's no such thing. The fights you fight today are the fights you fight untill you die.
Hal Hefner: Yeah, be that as it may.
Ben Wekselbaum: Sure, be that as it may...
Hal Hefner: Wait! It is not some college application bullshit that is, that is like the driving force here or any bullshit.
Ben Wekselbaum: I'm sure.

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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

A Movie Set During That Oft-Overlooked Period In Life

Rocket Science is essentially a movie about a boy who discovers his worth and abilities throughout his furious campaign for his dreams. The film's mood pushes the limit of tongue- in-cheek, and it is certainly felt as a comedy because after all, the premise is a stuttering boy joining a debate team, but despite all the hilarious non sequiturs and plot-driven laughs, I take that essential theme to heart. Hal Heffner is an innocently gawky young high school kid, portrayed in a should-be career-making performance by Reece Thompson, who has a severe stuttering problem and experiences a change of events that he finds to have had a tempestuous emotional effect on him that I'm just dying to give away but won't. From this point on, we share those emotions, because it's nearly impossible not to throw in all your chips for this kid. The reason is because growing up, frankly, is hard. Once one has done it, one doesn't feel like it was as hard as it was, but at the time, it most definitely was. Watching this film, we watch this naive stuttering boy crippled by inhibitions and shyness mature, reaching the extremes of anger, confusion, love, intellectual growth, and introspection.

There are plenty of movies about high school, and they're full of comeuppance, humor targeted for that age, discovery of sex, et cetera, but there is very very rarely a movie like Rocket Science, a movie about that particular time in your life when you were just growing into yourself and you didn't even know it, and you hardly look back at that time because of the unawareness of self at that point and, hopefully, the growth since then. This is an important little film that, though it isn't receiving the attention I feel it would and should get with a wider and longer release, time will be kind to, with great hope.