Dream Boy (2008)

Chronicles the relationship between two gay teenagers in the rural south in the late 70's.

Director:

James Bolton

Writers:

James Bolton, Jim Grimsley (novel)

Stars:

Stephan Bender, Maximillian Roeg, Thomas Jay Ryan

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Stephan Bender	...	Nathan
Maximillian Roeg	...	Roy (as Max Roeg)
Thomas Jay Ryan	...	Harland Davies
Diana Scarwid	...	Vivian Davies
Randy Wayne	...	Burke
Owen Beckman	...	Randy
Tom Gilroy	...	Preacher John
Rooney Mara	...	Evelyn (as Tricia Mara)
Rickie Lee Jones	...	Roy's Mother
Nick Ericson	...	Brother Will

Storyline

Chronicles the relationship between two gay teenagers in the rural south in the late 70's.

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Plot Keywords:

gay | religion | bus driver | barn | closeted gay man | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, and some violence including a rape - involving teens

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 December 2008 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Kluk snu

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,243 (USA) (26 March 2010)

Gross:

$6,319 (USA) (25 June 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dream Boy The Movie, Dream Boy, Garbus Kroupa Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, expressed interest in investing in the film.

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Goofs

The story is set in the 1970s, but the car shown in the opening scenes is a Buick Roadmaster station wagon, which was produced from 1991 to 1996. Also, the refrigerator shown is a modern model, not one from the 70s.

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Soundtracks

"Moment"
Written and performed by Richard Buckner
Vocals by Patty Griffin
Additional recording by Craig Ross
Mixed by Jon Marshall Smith
Published by Richard Buckner (BMI) administered by Bug
Patty Griffin appears courtesy of ATO Records

User Reviews

Glass Menagerie meets Stand by Me

Unfortunately, just before I watched this movie, I read a review here stating that the story was based on a "thin-as-paper, muddled plot." With that in mind and the somewhat awkward, uncomfortable interactions between the actors at the start, I almost gave it up. The timid, brittle interactions, however, were very true to the decidedly dysfunctional family of the main character rather than tentative acting.

Yes, the plot may have been overly ambitious in all that it attempted to include. Some of what takes place was a bit formulaic and stereotypical, but the events were still integral to the story development and it felt totally realistic if not ground-breaking. There is, after all, a fair amount of shared common experience in the coming-of-age saga of most young gay men. In fact, many of us are drawn to films like this because reliving some of those common experiences, distressing as they may have been when we were young, now contribute to a comforting feeling of connection to others.

The distant, confused, tender-brutal, hateful-loving relationship between father and son, I suspect, drove a great deal of this story although it wasn't the central focus. That tension and force was very effectively accomplished without belaboring the obvious.

The movie has its rough edges as quite often happens when a complex plot is carried from book to movie. Still, I found it well worth watching.