The Lather Effect (2006)

On the eve of selling her mother's house, a thirty-something housewife wakes up to a hangover surrounded by her best friends from high school, who were used to partying in the house in an ... See full summary »

Director:

Sarah Kelly

Writers:

Sarah Kelly, Tim Talbott

Stars:

Connie Britton, Sarah Clarke, Tate Donovan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Connie Britton	...	Valinda
Sarah Clarke	...	Claire
Tate Donovan	...	Will
Peter Facinelli	...	Danny
David Herman	...	Corey
Caitlin Keats	...	Katrina
William Mapother	...	Jack
Ione Skye	...	Zoey
Eric Stoltz	...	Mickey
Alex Irvine	...	Passed Out Top Gun Guy
Steve Prough	...	Home Inspector / Passed Out Spicoli
Adrienne Salick	...	Passed Out Pat Benetar
Kevin Heffernan	...	Pink Panty Dude (as Kevin Heffernen)
Larry Bishop	...	Dom at the Door
Monica Keena	...	Warm Leatherette Babe #1

Storyline

On the eve of selling her mother's house, a thirty-something housewife wakes up to a hangover surrounded by her best friends from high school, who were used to partying in the house in an earlier era, and stirring memories of old teenage games and truths revealed about loves lost.

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Plot Keywords:

title spoken by character

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Taglines:

Sometimes the only way to get over your past is to re-live it.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 June 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

One More Night

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lather Films, Rachel Rothman Films, Tycoon Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 95 min (TV)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Valinda (Connie Britton) is down in her brother Danny's (Peter Facinelli) bunker there are flashes of graffiti on the walls. One of the scenes shows "Joe Lies When He Cries" which is a reference to Say Anything..., which Ione Skye starred in. Eric Stoltz also made a cameo in Say Anything....

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Soundtracks

"If You Don't Know Me By Now"
Performed by Simply Red
Courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd.
Written by Kenny Gamble (as K. Gamble) & Leon Huff (as L. Huff)
Administered by Warner Tamerlane Publishing Corp. & Mijac Music (BMI)

User Reviews

A "Big Chill" for Generation X

This movie inevitably will be compared with The Big Chill, and that's okay. The Lather Effect is funny and poignant, and explores a lot of themes that are common to most people in their thirties regardless of when they grew up. I saw it when it played at South by Southwest, where it was well-received by the audience, who laughed and cheered in all the right places.

Valinda (Friday Night Light's Connie Britton) throws one last "rager" at her parents' house on the weekend before it is to be sold. The party's theme was "Come As You Were," so everyone was dressed in Eighties costumes, but along with their memories they also brought their unresolved issues from their teen years, as well as their adult fears about the future. On the morning after the party, the house is a huge mess that Valinda and her circle of friends have to clean up. In the process, long-buried secrets are revealed and old wounds are opened. The characters begin to come to terms with how their pasts affected the present, and contemplate the future.

The cast is excellent. Connie Britton carries the movie well, and Eric Stoltz steals many scenes as the slightly-older guy who used to crash every party when they were teens, in what feels like a reprisal of his cameo in Say Anything (minus the chicken suit). The soundtrack is great as well -- when can I buy the CD?