The Good Life (2007)

Director:

Stephen Berra

Writer:

Stephen Berra (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A story about a mostly normal young man who makes the most out of fitting in when he obviously doesn't.

Plot:

A young man (Webber) is encouraged by a new friend (Deschanel) to cope with living in a town where he doesn't necessarily fit in. |

Plot Keywords:

Young Man | Gas Station Attendant | Friendship | Movie Theater | Bullying

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mark Webber	...	Jason Prayer
Zooey Deschanel	...	Frances
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Gus
Bill Paxton	...	Robbie
Chris Klein	...	Tad Tokas
Patrick Fugit	...	Andrew
Drea de Matteo	...	Dana (as Drea De Matteo)
Bruce McGill	...	Frank Jones
Donal Logue	...	Daryll
Deborah Rush	...	Diane
Chris Basher	...	Bus Passenger
Michael Baxter	...	Fred
Michelle Boulet	...	Friend #1
Cory Cassidy	...	Tad's Friend
Sarah Constible	...	Terry
Darcy Fehr	...	Friend #2
Ernesto Griffith	...	Security Guard
Alicia Johnston	...	Anne
Robert Kostyra	...	Bus Driver (as Robert Kostrya)
Andrew Krivanek	...	Red Face Man
Manfred Maretzki	...	Priest
Ross McMillan	...	Police Officer (as Ross McMillian)
Curtis Moore	...	Gary Turner
Monique Perro	...	Friend #3
Kristen Sawatzky	...	Friend #4
Dino Schiavone	...	TV Store Owner
Candace Smith	...	Power Company Woman
Will Woytowich	...	John Mackelroy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brad Abrell	...	Football Color Commentator (voice) (uncredited)
Ferrone Gavriel	...	Football Fan (uncredited)
Melissa LeClaire	...	Football Fan (uncredited)
Alanais Moar	...	Football Fan (uncredited)
Michael O'Higgins	...	Tad's Friend #2 (uncredited)

Directed by
Stephen Berra		(as Steve Berra)

Writing credits
Stephen Berra		(written by) (as Steve Berra)

Produced by
Gary Berwin	....	associate producer
James Henrie	....	co-producer
Phyllis Laing	....	co-producer
Patrick Markey	....	producer
Mike McBride	....	co-producer (as Mike Mcbride)
Bill Paxton	....	executive producer
Devin Sloane	....	producer
Lance Sloane	....	producer

Original Music by
Don Davis
Joel Peterson		(as Joel Petersen)

Cinematography by
Patrice Lucien Cochet		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Sean Hubbert

Casting by
Justine Baddeley

Production Design by
Gordon Wilding		(as Gord Wilding)

Art Direction by
Scott Rossell

Set Decoration by
Robert Kestler		(as Robert Keslter)

Costume Design by
Darena Snowe

Makeup Department
Susan Lachowich	....	first assistant hair stylist
Jennifer Machnee	....	first assistant makeup artist
Doug Morrow	....	key makeup artist
Pina Robinson	....	key hair stylist
Brenda Rocchio	....	hair trainee: FTM
Lori Caputi	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Brenda Magalas	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Brad Arensman	....	post-production supervisor
Anastasia Geras	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Danielle Dumesnil	....	second assistant director
Richard O'Brien-Moran	....	first assistant director
Karla Trujillo Villon	....	third assistant director trainee (as Karla Trujillo-Villon)
Colleen Wowchuk	....	third assistant director (as Colleen Wowchuck)

Art Department
Gary Barringer	....	graphic artist
Steve Benson	....	set dresser
Nick Burns	....	storyboard artist (as Nicholas Burns)
Jim Cebrowski	....	lead carpenter
Bruce Cook	....	set dresser
Clarence Giesbrecht	....	construction coordinator
Don Greenberg	....	assistant property master
Mary Esther Griffith	....	key scenic artist
Gerry Gyles	....	sets buyer
Joey Jakob	....	art department intern: FTM
Donna Jenkyns	....	art department assistant
Ken Knight	....	drafts person
Alexis Labra	....	on-set dresser (as Alexis Lebra)
David Macvicar	....	property master (as David MacVicar)
Van McLean	....	scenic carpenter (as Van McClean)
Holly Moore	....	art department coordinator
Robb Paraskevopoulos	....	lead dresser (as Rob Paraskevopoulas)
Brent Poole	....	on-set carpenter
Carla Schroeder	....	lead painter (as Carla Shroeder)
Shane Clements	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jeremy Balko	....	adr mixer
Russ Dyck	....	production sound mixer
Brent Findley	....	sound effects editor
Jason Gaya	....	assistant sound editor (as Jason 'Frenchie' Gaya)
Scott Hinkley	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Hughes	....	assistant sound editor
Spencer Johnson	....	sound effects editor
Cody King	....	foley editor
Richard Kitting	....	sound recordist
Andrew Morgado	....	adr mixer
Andrew Morgado	....	foley mixer
Vic Radulich	....	adr editor
Vic Radulich	....	dialogue editor
Sacha Rosen	....	cable puller
Dino Schiavone	....	boom operator
Daniel Tripoli	....	adr editor
Daniel Tripoli	....	dialogue editor
Vicki Vandegrift	....	foley artist (as Vicki O'Reilly Vandegrift)
Jonathan Wales	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jacob Weinstein	....	assistant sound editor
Scott Wolf	....	sound designer
Scott Wolf	....	supervising sound editor

Stunts
Rick Skene	....	stunt coordinator
Rick Skene	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mark Beauchamp	....	second assistant camera (as Mark Beaucamp)
Michel Bernier	....	first assistant camera
Meredith Budgen-Starnes	....	second assistant camera (as Meredith Starnes)
James Chrysler	....	electrician
Roger Finlay	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Conroy Finnegan	....	grip
Bryan Forde	....	gaffer
Terence Fuller	....	grip (as Terrence Fuller)
Sean Gilles	....	lead grip (as Sean Gillies)
John Gilmore	....	best boy electric
Doug Kiddell	....	electric
Doug Kiddell	....	rigging gaffer
Hans Kooij	....	video coordinator: 24 frame
Steve Madden	....	dolly grip
Laurence Mardon	....	gaffer
Jim McNulty	....	generator operator
W. James Meagher	....	electrician (as James Meagher)
Joseph Micomonaco	....	first assistant camera (as Joe Micomonaco)
William Mills	....	key grip (as Bill Mills)
Christophe Nachtigall	....	best boy grip (as Christopher Nachtigall)
Daniel Quesnel	....	loader
Rebecca Sandulak	....	still photographer
Daniel Suave	....	Steadicam operator
Daniel Suave	....	camera operator
Amy Vincent	....	additional photographer
Michael Kelly	....	lighting technician (uncredited)
Reil Munro	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Betty Ann Conard	....	casting: Montana
Eleanor Erum	....	extras casting: Winnipeg (as Leah Erum)
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Jim Heber	....	casting: Canada
Kari Rieger	....	extras casting: Winnipeg, Kari Casting
Joey Ritche	....	casting assistant: Canada (as Joey Ritchie)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Michelle Boulet	....	set costume designer
Devora Brown	....	truck costumer
Maureen Petkau	....	assistant costume designer
Sandra Soke	....	costume assistant
Lauren D. Martin	....	daily costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Anthony Bozanich	....	assistant editor
Daphne Dentz	....	digital intermediate supervisor
John Dietrick	....	first assistant editor
Mark Dinicola	....	digital intermediate colorist
Rob Evans	....	colorist
Christopher Gillaspie	....	digital intermediate scan manager
Mato	....	color timer
Carol Wenaus	....	assistant editor: Winnipeg

Music Department
Nico Abondolo	....	musician: contrabass
Christine Bergren	....	music clearance
Belinda Broughton	....	musician: violin
Denyse Buffum	....	musician: viola
Rebecca Bunnell	....	musician: violin
Tom Calderaro	....	music preparation
Gloria Cheng	....	musician: paino
Paul Cohen	....	musician: cello
Don Davis	....	conductor
Don Davis	....	orchestration
Bruce Dukov	....	musician: violin
Julie Eidsvoog	....	music preparation (as Julia Eidsvoog)
William Francis	....	music preparation
Brenda Heins	....	assistant music editor
Tiffany Hu	....	musician: violin (as Tiffany Yi-Hu)
Dennis Karmazyn	....	musician: cello
Janet Lakatos	....	musician: viola
Ana Landauer	....	musician: violin (as Anna Landauer)
Sungil Lee	....	musician: violin (as Sunhil Lee)
Michael Markman	....	musician: violin
Bruce Morganthaler	....	musician: contrabass
Bob O'Donnell	....	orchestra contractor
Melissa Phelps	....	musician: violin (as Melissa Phelps-Beckstead)
Tim Pierce	....	musician: guitar
Kazi Pitelka	....	musician: viola
Rafael Rishik	....	musician: violin
David Rosen	....	musician: cello
David Sherr	....	orchestra contractor
Haim Shtrum	....	musician: violin
Nicole Simone	....	soundtrack
David Speltz	....	musician: cello
Armin Steiner	....	music scoring mixer
Junko Tamura	....	music preparation
Damon Tedesco	....	mixing engineer
David Walther	....	musician: viola
Miwako Watanabe	....	musician: violin
Gefang Yang	....	musician: violin

Transportation Department
Boris Danyliuk	....	driver
Dave Perich	....	driver: cast (as David Perich)
Brent Rimmer	....	honeywagon operator
Scott Sullivan	....	picture vehicle coordinator
Garry 'Diesel' Trosky	....	transportation coordinator (as Diesel Trosky)
Ralph Walker	....	transport captain
David Wharry	....	driver
Jeff Zaporzan	....	honeywagon operator
Julia Diana Cereceda	....	unit driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Neal Baksh	....	on-set assistant location manager
Kelly Boulay	....	stand-in: Zooey Deschanel
Tony Braga	....	security coordinator
Will Brewster	....	location scout
Emma Cooper	....	publicist: Los Angeles
Colette Desjardins	....	post-production accountant
James Durham	....	stand-in: Bill Paxton
Cathie J. Edgar	....	location manager (as Cathie Edgar)
Adeline Elias	....	production accountant
Jay Ellison	....	production assistant: L.A.
Wayne Glesby	....	security captain
Crystal Grooms	....	production assistant: L.A.
Cindy Harrison	....	craft service
Cindy Harrison	....	first aid
David Henri	....	production assistant: L.A.
Paul Hurst	....	assistant production coordinator
Ashley Kravitz	....	clearances
Sean Madden	....	assistant: Patrick Markey
Lisa Manchulenko	....	assistant: first aid/craft service
Chris Mangano	....	production assistant: L.A.
Manfred Maretzki	....	stand-in: Harry Dean Stanton
Lynn Marlow	....	craft service assistant
Tamara Mauthe	....	production coordinator
Caitlin McGinn	....	office production assistant
Conor McGoey	....	set production assistant
Alexandra Menzie	....	key location production assistant: off-set
Alanna Mills	....	script supervisor
Cody Moore	....	assistant: Steve Berra
Wyatt Nelson	....	production associate
Becky Pelto	....	first assistant accountant
Ashley Perkins	....	assistant: Lance Sloane
Marcel Perro	....	stand-in: Mark Webber
Monique Perro	....	assistant: Patrick Markey
Rick Plaseski	....	stand-in: Bruce McGill
Dave Priestly	....	key location production assistant: on-set
Johanna Robin	....	post production accountant
Jonathan Royal	....	sous chef
RoseAnna Schick	....	electronic press kit (as Roseanna Schick)
RoseAnna Schick	....	publicist (as Roseanna Schick)
Matthew Schimnowski	....	stand-in: Chris Klein
Andy Shaw	....	caterer
R. Morgan Slade	....	stand-in: Patrick Fugit (as Morgan Slade)
Kehly Sloane	....	production associate
Ryder Sloane	....	electronic press kit
Ryder Sloane	....	production assistant: L.A.
Ryder Sloane	....	publicist
Karla Trujillo Villon	....	set production assistant (as Karla Trujillo-Villon)
Kevin Uddenberg	....	assistant: Steve Berra
Shelly Anthis	....	extras wrangler (uncredited)
Gary Barringer	....	location scout (uncredited)
Dave Brown	....	firearms safety coordinator (uncredited)
Ryan DeLong	....	extras wrangler (uncredited)
Andrew Gallinger	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Ross Ikeda	....	post-production accounting (uncredited)
Allan McGowan	....	security officer (uncredited)
Benjamin R. Reder	....	production legal counsel (uncredited)
Steve St. Louis	....	location scout (uncredited)

Thanks
Genico Aiello	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of: SK8 Skates Shop
Gary Belz	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Gary Berwin	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Doug Block	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Kenny Boyce	....	acknowledgment: the filmmakers would especially like to extend our gratitude to, Special Liaison To The Mayor of Winnipeg
Mario Candiani	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Tom Celani	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Michael Costigan	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Boots Del Biaggio	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Blase Dillingham	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of: Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Neil Grayson	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of: The Dactyl Foundation For The Arts And Humanities - New York City
Jim Greco	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Craig Hagen	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
James Keeley	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Ron Kinnear	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of: The Thirsty Ear, Bozeman, MT
Andy Kroot	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Jeff Lapour	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Bob Lundstedt	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
David McBride	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Ezri Namvar	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Bill Pullman	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Luc Robitaille	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Stuart Rosenthal	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of: Bloom, Hergott, Diemer, Rosenthal, La Violette, and Feldman LLP
Paul Schrage	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Dave Shein	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Jim Shockley	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of (as James Shockley)
Darren Tappen	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Kevin Tsujihara	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Carole Vivier	....	acknowledgment: the filmmakers would especially like to extend our gratitude to, Manitoba Film And Sound (as Carol Vivier)
Shane Wallace	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of: Active Mailorder
Bill Warden	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of: Sound Pro, Bozeman, MT
Cartney Wearn	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Tom Wright	....	producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of

Production Companies

• FarFalla Films (presents)
• Buffalo Gal Pictures (in association with)
• Fostoria Films (in association with)
• The Good Life

Distributors

• Epic Pictures Group (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Gulf Film (2007) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Image Entertainment (2009) (USA) (all media)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (DVD)
• Ster-Kinekor Home Entertainment (2008) (South Africa) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Active Mailorder  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Alien Workshop  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA)  acknowledgment (as ACTRA)
• Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal Laviolette & Feldman  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of (as Bloom, Hergott, Diemer, Rosenthal, La Violette, and Feldman LLP)
• Canada  acknowledgment
• Capitol Recording Studios  music recorded at
• Cinetic Media  sales
• City of Winnipeg  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• DGC Ontario  acknowledgment (as DGC Directors Guild of Canada Ontario)
• DVS Shoe Company  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Dactyl Foundation for the Arts & Humanities  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Entertainment Partners Canada  payroll services provided by (as EP Canada)
• EverStudios  poster design
• Fairmont Hotel - Winnipeg, The  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Hotel Fort Garry, Winnipeg  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of (as Ten Spa at The Hotel Fort Garry - Winnipeg)
• I.A.T.S.E. Local 669  acknowledgment (as I.A.T.S.E. 669 International Photographers Canada)
• IATSE Local 856  acknowledgment (as I.A.T.S.E. 856 Motion Picture Technicians)
• Inn at The Forks  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.®)
• Kari Casting  extras casting: Winnipeg
• Kodak Canada  motion picture film (as Kodak)
• L.A. Digital Post  AVID provided by (as LA Digital Post)
• Ladd Family Partnership, The  courtesy of: "Drum Beat"
• MK2 Diffusion  courtesy of: "Great Dictator"
• Magic Film Works  negative cutting (as Magic Filmworks)
• Manatt, Phelps & Phillips  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Manitoba Film & Sound  acknowledgment
• Multimedia Risk Consultants and Insurance Brokers  production insurance by (as Multimedia Risk, Inc. Winnipeg)
• Oakley  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Pacific Title  opticals and titles
• Pantages Theatre - Winnipeg, The  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Paramount Pictures  courtesy of: "It's A Wonderful Life"
• Reder & Feig  legal services provided by: Los Angeles (as Reider and Feig)
• Royal Bank of Canada  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• SK8 Skates Shop  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Screen Actors Guild (SAG)  acknowledgment
• Skateboarding Community of Winnipeg  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Sonic Magic  sound post-production and mixing
• Sound Pro  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Taylor McCaffery  legal services provided by: Winnipeg
• Thirsty Ear, The  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Videostreams  music editorial
• Warner Bros  courtesy of: "Love Finds Andy Hardy" & "The Harvey Girls" (as Warner Bros.)
• Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging  digital intermediate by
• Warner Brothers  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of (as Warner Bros.)
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers Organization, The  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Winnipeg Police Services  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of
• Winnipeg Traffic Services  producers gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance of

MPAA:

Rated R for language

Runtime:

Germany:90 min (European Film Market)

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #43205) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Manitoba, Canada

Company:

FarFalla Films

Quotes:

Jason:My dad once told me that the people I meet will never care more about who I am than they will about what I look like. And because I look the way I do, people may never care about me at all.

Movie Connections:

References Easter Parade (1948)

Soundtrack:

The Conductor

This movie tries way too hard

I've seen this movie compared to Donnie Darko several times, most recently in another comment here on IMDb, however, they're nothing alike. Donnie Darko is a beautiful, thought-provoking film, while this movie just falls flat. It tries so very hard to be deep and depressing, that it ends up almost a parody of itself. The quasi-philosophical mumblings of the main character sound like they where stolen from a manga and none of the characters seem even remotely like actual people.

My advice, watch "The Go-Getter" instead. It too has a young man who's lost both a parent and his way, it too has Zooey Deschanel, and unlike The Good Life, it has humor and it doesn't try to be something it's not.