The Greatest (2009)

A drama that is centered around a troubled teenage girl and a family that is trying to get over the loss of their son.

Director:

Shana Feste

Writer:

Shana Feste

Stars:

Carey Mulligan, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Pierce Brosnan

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carey Mulligan	...	Rose
Aaron Taylor-Johnson	...	Bennett Brewer (as Aaron Johnson)
Pierce Brosnan	...	Allen Brewer
Susan Sarandon	...	Grace Brewer
Johnny Simmons	...	Ryan Brewer
Kevin Hagan	...	Priest
Amy Morton	...	Lydia
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Joyce
Miles Robbins	...	Sean Brewer
Cara Seymour	...	Janis
Ramsey Faragallah	...	Dr. Shamban
Jennifer Ehle	...	Joan
Colby Minifie	...	Latent
Maryann Urbano	...	Cheryl
Zoë Kravitz	...	Ashley

Storyline

Teenagers Rose and Bennett were in love, and then a car crash claimed Bennett's life. He left behind a grieving mother, father and younger brother, and Rose was left all alone. She has no family to turn to for support, so when she finds out she's pregnant, she winds up at the Brewer's door. She needs their help, and although they can't quite admit it, they each need her so they can begin to heal.

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Plot Keywords:

loss | car crash | flashback | male rear nudity | title directed by female | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexual content and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

The Greatest Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 2009 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Prueba de amor

Filming Locations:

Rockland, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$33,616 (USA) (2 April 2010)

Gross:

$115,862 (USA) (23 April 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Barbarian Films, Oceana Media Finance, Silverwood Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 99 min 96 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer-director Shana Feste wrote the script over three months while working as a nanny in Southern California.

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Goofs

When Allen is in the lecture theater, the writing on the blackboard behind him switches a few times from saying 'maths 220' to 'maths'.

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Quotes

Rose: I knew this boy... who was really wonderful to me. The first time I saw him was in freshman English. He wore a baseball hat on the first day of school, and our teacher made him take it off and his hair was all pasted on top of his head, and he smiled at me while he tried to fix it. We watched each other after that. And I started to feel like I knew him. I looked at his yearbook picture so often I knew his face by heart. Our senior year I took piano, and he had soccer, so we would pass each ...

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Soundtracks

"Tiger Mountain Peasant Song"
Performed by Fleet Foxes

User Reviews

Filled with depression and grief, "The Greatest" is still good

"The Greatest" appears to have a dichotomy between its title and subject matter. You may expect a love story or a happy exploration of self and family, but it is a drama, in the saddest sense of the word.

It is a depressing tale of loss when a young man dies, his family and pregnant girlfriend grieve. Each character grieves in their own way, often with brusque and coarse actions resulting in many feelings of solitary - for both them and the audience. It is a slow and sorrowful film to watch; however, if you can get past all the depression and despondency, "The Greatest" does eventually live up to its title and delivers on its promises of being uplifting with life-affirmations of love and family.

All the actors really are phenomenal including Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan and a new young actor I will be watching for, Johnny Simmons. For fans of loss and grieving films, "The Greatest" is good, but the great moments take a long time to form.