Humboldt County (2008)

A disillusioned medical student is stranded for a summer in a remote community of counterculture pot farmers, the last place in the world he imagined he would discover himself.

Directors:

Darren Grodsky, Danny Jacobs

Writers:

Darren Grodsky, Danny Jacobs

Stars:

Jeremy Strong, Fairuza Balk, Peter Bogdanovich

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Strong	...	Peter
Fairuza Balk	...	Bogart
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Professor Hadley
Vicky Monroe	...	Sondra
Tarek Zohdy	...	Medical Student
Lawrence Bridges	...	Man in Bathroom
John Murdock	...	Jazz Club Bassist
Lenny Pettinelli	...	Jazz Club Pianist
B. Swislo	...	Jazz Club Drummer
Brad Dourif	...	Jack
Frances Conroy	...	Rosie
Madison Davenport	...	Charity
Chris Messina	...	Max
Geoffrey Robinson	...	Earl (as Geoffrey 'Lizard' Robinson)
Darren Grodsky	...	Bob

Storyline

Peter is burned out: finishing med school at UCLA, failing the bedside manner class his father teaches, no sleep in days. He spends the night with Bogart, a woman he's just met, and the next day, sleepily gets in her car. He wakes up in Arcata, where Bogart's foster family lives in the woods: Max, his daughter, mom, and step dad. They grow marijuana for their own consumption, except for Max, who has planted six hidden patches for one big score. Bogart hates pot farming - feds are on constant patrol - so she splits, leaving Peter to depend on Max for a ride to the bus. A day stretches into two, and Peter puts off leaving. A reckoning with his dad is inevitable: is Peter's rebirth possible?

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Plot Keywords:

medical student | student | pursuit | drug dealing | sex | 

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Taglines:

Where the grass is greener

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug content and language throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Costa Perdida

Filming Locations:

Arcata, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$25,933 (USA) (26 September 2008)

Gross:

$81,364 (USA) (31 October 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Embark Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"No Other Love But You"
Performed by Frances Conroy
Music by Paul Bessenbacher & Matt Bowen
Lyrics by Katrina Lenk

User Reviews

A Life Gone to Pot - and Back

HUMBOLDT COUNTY is a taste f the 60s and 70s drug culture when many disillusioned people, young and old, picked up and moved to the scenic wonder - and pot farms - of Humboldt County, California. Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs co-wrote and co-directed this little throw back in history and the result is a bit of nostalgia and some fine characterizations by a solid cast.

Jerry Hadley (Jeremy Strong) is a medical student trumped by his medical school professor father (Peter Bogdanovich) into failing medical school, and the only apparent way for the fairly clueless and disillusioned Jerry is to try the world outside. He begins with a strange relationship with Bogart (Fairuza Balk) and ends up headed to Humboldt County where he encounters folks living off the profits (both mentally and economically) of growing marijuana. He becomes friends with the free spirits Max (Chris Messina), Rosie (Frances Conroy), Jack (Brad Dourif) and in the midst of the atmosphere, Jerry 'inhales' and begins to figure out where his life should actually be headed.

The movie seems to be a bit of fluff, but written into the lines is a lot of wise philosophy - if you choose to take it that way. Good performances and a clever script make the movie a nice diversion.

Grady Harp