Good Chemistry (2008)

Director:

Kristopher Hardy

Writer:

Lance Lee Davis (writer)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

No good deed goes unpunished.

Plot:

Toby, a gifted chemist slumming as a high school teacher, stops on a quiet stretch of Ozark highway...

Plot Keywords:

Heroin | Murder | Drug | Chemistry | Kidnapping

Cast

Lance Lee Davis	...	Tobey
Dawn Balkin	...	Annette
Lawrence Turner	...	Jeff
Mike L. Thomas	...	Judge Bass
Brooke Anderson	...	Laurie
Carlos Antonio	...	Lady El's man (voice)
Barbara DeMarais	...	Lady El

Directed by
Kristopher Hardy

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lance Lee Davis		writer

Produced by
Lance Lee Davis	....	executive producer
Will Hess	....	associate producer (as William Lawrence Hess)
David Hunt	....	associate producer
Kelly Andrea Rubin	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Jason Frederick
Jason Reimer

Cinematography by
Gabriel Pfeiffer		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joshua Duncan

Casting by
Elizabeth Barnes

Production Design by
C. Michelle Woods

Makeup Department
Yoko Nobushi	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
J. Alan Hall	....	production manager: second unit
Mike Hill	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mark 'Saleem' Beasly	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Thomas Curley	....	sound mixer
Josh Eckberg	....	sound editor
Josh Eckberg	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sean Fahimian	....	adr recordist
Erich Gann	....	supervising sound editor
Patricio A. Libenson	....	foley supervisor
Patricio A. Libenson	....	supervising sound editor
Travis MacKay	....	sound re-recording mixer
Martin Schloemer	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric Meisner	....	gaffer

Music Department
Jeff Johns	....	executive soundtrack producer

Other crew
Charlotte Franklin	....	script supervisor
Mark E. McCann	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Luxfarm Pictures
• Epinephrine Filmworks

Distributors

• Warner Brothers (2007) (USA) (video)
• Quantum Releasing (2007) (non-USA) (all media)
• Tavix Pictures (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Westlake Entertainment Group (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

USA:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Filming Locations:

Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

Company:

Luxfarm Pictures

Trivia:

The film was financed on credit cards and bank loans by actor/writer, Lance Lee Davis.

Quotes:

Tobey:[narration] The forces that bring people together can be described, but never understood. And the resulting chemistry, whether good, bad, or indifferent, is never predictable.

Draws you in, carries you along - weak ending

We've all seen too much CSI to buy into the final scene, but this one pulls you in right from the start, and keeps unfolding, both in plot and character development. Each turn provides just enough so that you're left contemplating: what would *I* do, and on both sides of the good vs evil equation. It's just too bad that the finish was so anticlimactic.

After all of the effective tension building, and with the story poised for an interesting completion, the nicely crafted parts start to tumble to the floor. The story just runs out of steam. As the conclusion draws near, you get the impression that the writer was pressed for time. Maybe the script was due in the morning, and he was out of ideas. So we go from visceral opening scenes that are increasing engaging, building to a point were we are speculating on numerous possible avenues, (what would *I* do in this situation), to closing scenes that feel artificial, and finally campy.

I recommend skipping the last 15 minutes. That way you'll be left with a more satisfying mystery.

Incidentally, Brooke Anderson, (Laurie), reminded me a of a younger Jody Foster - or rather an older version of some of her teenage characters, back in the day. Watch her dialog delivery.