New York City Serenade (2007)

Director:

Frank Whaley

Writer:

Frank Whaley

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Good friends are hard to find.

Plot:

Two down on their luck childhood friends struggle to figure out their lives. Ray a drummer in a rock and roll band...

Cast

Freddie Prinze Jr.	...	Owen
Chris Klein	...	Ray
Jamie-Lynn Sigler	...	Lynn
Ben Schwartz	...	Russ
Christopher DeBlasio	...	Ben
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Todd Barry	...	Smark
Kate Bayley	...	Condiments Girl
Emma Bell	...	Melinda
George Bryant II	...	Limo driver
Heather Bucha	...	Mary
Alexander Chaplin	...	Terry
Joanna Chilcoat	...	Girl #1 (Dawn)
Chase Coleman	...	Jock 1
Raymond De Felitta	...	Chuck McGrady
Nada Despotovich	...	Miss Lormph
Abigail Forman	...	Becky
James Gale	...	Clerk
Diana Gettinger	...	Rachel
Nancy Jundi	...	Check in Clerk (voice)
Paul Lazar	...	Festival Chairman
Elizabeth Lundberg	...	Katy - Girl #2
Johnnie Mae	...	Lois
Emma Nettleton	...	Karen
Sophie Nyweide	...	Francie
Missy O'Reilly	...	Girl 2
Kat Pogo	...	Waitress
Melissa Rocco	...	Frat Party Girl
Sebastian Roché	...	Noam Broder
Wallace Shawn	...	Wallace Shawn
Jeff Skowron	...	Matt
Don Stitt	...	Peter John Muller
Jarret Sumers	...	Gate Attendant
Isa Thomas	...	Photo Customer
Leia Thompson	...	Tawny
Marty Weisse	...	Bertrand
John Wernke	...	Four Seasons Waiter
Frank Whaley	...	Les
Nicole Whealen	...	Girl 3
Stefanie Zadravec	...	Stewardess
Dennis Jay Funny	...	Bar Patron (uncredited)
Zoe Portanova	...	Girl in Airport (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank Whaley

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Frank Whaley

Produced by
Laird Adamson	....	executive producer
Lynn Appelle	....	co-producer
Lynn Appelle	....	line producer
Jimi Jones	....	executive producer (as James Koya Jones)
Jimi Jones	....	producer (as James Koya Jones)
Rachel Peters	....	producer
Rick Whealen	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ed Harcourt

Cinematography by
Ryan Samul

Film Editing by
Miran Miosic

Casting by
Sig De Miguel
Stephen Vincent

Production Design by
Dara Wishingrad

Art Direction by
Beth Kuhn

Set Decoration by
Shane Klein

Costume Design by
Virginia Cook

Makeup Department
Jill Astmann	....	assistant makeup artist
Rebecca Perkins	....	key makeup artist
Lora Scrignoli	....	assistant hair stylist
Taurance F. Williams	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Peter Bobrow	....	production manager
Paul Leonardo Jr.	....	post-production supervisor
Meredith Petty	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stephanie Bortis	....	second second assistant director
Scott Larkin	....	second assistant director
Michael A. Moffa	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Amanda Betz	....	assistant set decorator
Sarah Bricker	....	property master
Dominick Cocuzzo	....	construction coordinator
Kley Gilbuena	....	props assistant
Nadya Gurevich	....	buyer
Jonathan Hustad	....	set dresser
Dan Kajeckas	....	scenic artist
James Maher	....	set dresser
Michael Powsner	....	set dresser
Christian Reinhardsen	....	set dresser
Patrick T. Rousseau	....	on-set dresser
Adam Sober	....	set dresser
Boaz Tcherikover	....	art assistant
John Udell	....	leadman
Cathy Wassylenko	....	camera scenic artist
Ramona Wong	....	art assistant

Sound Department
Ilya Akiyoshi	....	boom operator
Ron Bedrosian	....	adr engineer
Zane D. Bruce	....	foley artist (as Zane Bruce)
Krissopher Chevannes	....	adr recordist (as Kris Chevannes)
Stuart Deutsch	....	sound mixer
Tammy Douglas	....	utility sound
Mark Filip	....	sound effects editor
Don Givens	....	foley mixer
Lewis Goldstein	....	supervising sound editor
Jeff Gunn	....	foley artist
Cate Montana	....	adr editor
Fred Rosenberg	....	supervising sound editor
Joseph T. Sabella	....	foley artist (as Joseph Sabella)
Paul Sacco	....	sound consultant: Dolby
Peter Waggoner	....	sound re-recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Jennifer Basnyat	....	visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Dave Baney	....	gaffer
Terrence C. Burke	....	camera operator
John Clifford	....	still photographer
Autumn Eakin	....	second assistant camera
Nicole Emmons	....	third grip
Rob Harrigan	....	electrician
Wesley Hodges	....	first assistant camera
Alec Jarnagin	....	Steadicam operator
Alexandra Kanal Matheson	....	second assistant camera (as Alexandra Kanal)
Mike Kirsch	....	best boy grip
Sean Monesson	....	electrician
Jeff Panessa	....	key grip
Aaron Randall	....	additional grip
Steve Siddell	....	best boy electric
Don Spiro	....	still photographer
Matt Staples	....	dolly grip
Andy Westbrook	....	dolly grip
Toshiro Yamaguchi	....	camera operator
Zenfeek	....	additional electrician

Casting Department
Lori Eastside	....	extras casting
Tina Kerr	....	extras casting: Los Angeles
Robert Oppel	....	extras casting assistant
Danielle Pretsfelder	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sonja Cizmazia	....	wardrobe supervisor
Rebecca Edmonston	....	key costumer
Abby O'Sullivan	....	costume design assistant

Editorial Department
Andrew Buckland	....	assistant editor
Sam Daley	....	colorist: high definition mastering
Kent McGrew	....	color timer
John Mullin	....	assistant editor
Stan Sztaba	....	negative matcher
Joe Violante	....	dailies advisor (as Joey Violante)

Music Department
Linda Cohen	....	music supervisor
Adam Moreno	....	composer: additional music

Other crew
Carolyn Albright	....	post-production accountant
Ronald Arceneaux	....	assistant location manager
E.J. Bradley III	....	location manager
Amy Carthew	....	location coordinator
Kenneth Chu	....	assistant production coordinator
Carol A. Compton	....	script clearance
Rachel Connors	....	script supervisor
Ralph Costanza	....	print manager
Luke Crawford	....	production assistant
Amy Dempsey	....	production coordinator
Kristyn DiPane	....	mastering project manager
Peter Flanigan	....	production counsel
Tom Glick	....	production assistant
D.G. Gonzalez	....	production assistant
Didi Gruenwald	....	lead stand-in
Shawn Hamilton	....	production accountant
Benjamin Logan	....	background production assistant (as Ben Logan)
Benjamin Logan	....	set production assistant
Marlon Mark	....	office production assistant
John Melville	....	drum double
Sarah Perlin	....	production assistant
Richie Roefaro	....	technical assistant
Harry Sando Jr.	....	production assistant
Kevin R. Wood	....	teamster captain
Teddy Yoon	....	location manager
Russell Zapata	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• Archer Entertainment
• IKM Productions

Distributors

• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Be Best in DVD (BBI-DVD) (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• TDM Entertainment (2010) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• IndieClear  script clearance
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment
• Mega Playground  video dailies
• Runway  post-production

Also Known As:

"NYC Serenade" - Europe (English title) (short title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, brief sexuality and drug use

Runtime:

Canada:103 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14A | USA:R | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Madison Square Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Archer Entertainment

Trivia:

The tag line reads "Good Friends Are Hard To Find" this is also the title to a track off of Composer/Songwriter Ed Harcourts latest album "A Beautiful Lie" and serves as the title/theme song for the film. Ed recently left California and headed pack to his native UK upon completion of the soundtrack and is currently on tour through Europe. At only 29yrs old and with four albums out this will be Ed Harcourts first Soundtrack venture and will add to his eclectic 300+ song catalog.

Movie Connections:

References My Dinner with Andre (1981)

Soundtrack:

Clarinet Bandleader

Underrated!!!

This is a fantastic movie. Frank Whaley, whom I love as an actor, wrote and directed this perfect little indie film and it is interesting and endearing from beginning to end. Chris Klein gives an amazing performance as the alcoholic best friend-bad influence, to a hapless lovelorn Freddie Prinz Jr. Theirs is a friendship based on nothing good and the fuse is lit. It's a familiar relationship. One of them takes everything seriously. The other takes nothing seriously. And both are prone to bad choices.

How the story is framed and delivered to the audience is what makes this film so special and that's where Frank Whaley comes in. He knows this story and knows how to tell it. Your heart can't help but go out to these two jerks bumbling their way through life and leaving a swath of misery and regret in their wake. Whaley chooses some interesting camera angles with the two leads. A couple times he has them in the frame, in two dimensional profile, in fairly serious scenes, delivering their lines in the, visually, flattest possible way. I didn't understand the choice, but I thought it was interesting, and it made an impression.

Frank Whaley has to be commended for a great script, deft directing, and a funny cameo as an overworked, and most likely underpaid, "limo" driver. However, Chris Klein steals the show as the drunk screwup with a huge personality. He has perfect pitch as an actor and it's on full display here.

I'm not sure why this movie flew so low under the radar. It's too good to have such a low rating here and deserves better. See it. You won't be sorry.