Dedication (2007)

The romantic comedy follows a misogynistic children's book author who is forced to work closely with a female illustrator instead of his long-time collaborator and only friend.

Director:

Justin Theroux

Writer:

David Bromberg

Stars:

Tom Wilkinson, Billy Crudup, Christine Taylor

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Wilkinson	...	Rudy Holt
Billy Crudup	...	Henry Roth
Christine Taylor	...	Allison
Bob Balaban	...	Arthur Planck
Catherine Lloyd Burns	...	Mother in Bookstore
Amy Sedaris	...	Cassidy's Mom
Cassidy Hinkle	...	Cassidy
Mandy Moore	...	Lucy Reilly
Jeremy Shamos	...	Matthew
Christopher Fitzgerald	...	Robin (as Chris Fitzgerald)
Dianne Wiest	...	Carol
Jicky Schnee	...	Mandy the Waitress
John Ellison Conlee	...	Man at Lucy's
Martin Freeman	...	Jeremy
Christopher Grey Misa	...	Abused Kid (as Chris Misa)

Storyline

Henry Roth: obsessive-compulsive, somewhat misanthropic, a writer of children's books. His illustrator and only friend, Rudy, dies after a fabulously successful collaboration on "Marty, the Beaver." Henry is under contract to produce another Marty book for Christmas sales. His publisher, Arthur Planck, assigns penniless, lovelorn illustrator Lucy Reilly to work with Henry. She's sought by her ex-boyfriend Jeremy, who dumped her two years ago but shows up apologetic, having dedicated his new book to her. She and Henry go to a house on the shore to work. Will love bloom amid the rocks, or is Henry a bump on Lucy's road to Jeremy? Rudy's voice, from the grave, gives Henry counsel.

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Plot Keywords:

book | illustrator | children's book | friend | love | 

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Taglines:

With each moment we write our story

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

The Weinstein Company [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 2008 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Afosiosi

Filming Locations:

Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$23,832 (USA) (24 August 2007)

Gross:

$91,169 (USA) (5 October 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Look International, Hart-Lunsford Pictures, Plum Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Justin Theroux:  The lawyer on the phone.

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Quotes

Henry: Life is nothing but the echo of joy disappearing into the great chasm of misery.
Rudy Holt: ...You've had better.
Henry: Life is nothing but the occasional burst of laughter rising above the interminable wail of grief.
Rudy Holt: That's my favorite.
Henry: It lives in truth, that's why.

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Crazy Credits

"No corporations were harmed in the making of this movie"

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Connections

References A Tight Delight (1985)

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Soundtracks

"Sound The Alarm"
Written by John Dieterich, Satomi Matsuzaki, and Greg Saunier
Performed by Deerhoof
Courtesy of Kill Rock Stars

User Reviews

Great Flick, artsy, funny, good story, it has it all....

I just saw this at Sundance and it's probably the best Sundance I've ever seen. The Director Justin Theroux was at the showing and answered some questions and he said some interesting things. First the whole movie was done on a 1M dollar budget and they shot it in 23 days.

As for the movie, it was a very different movie from the music to the cinematography with a fresh taste to it. The main character Henry Roth played by Billy Crudup was an amazing role. I wouldn't be surprised to hear awards galore for Crudup. Equally as impressive was Mandy Moore, I expected very little out of Moore but she delivered an amazing performance that will surprise many and officially launch her acting career, and establish her as a top talent.

It's a story of mental disorders and people falling in love in unlikely circumstances. At times it can get scary as the writer does an amazing job of keeping you guessing. It's without an amazing movie and I'd recommend it to anybody.