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

Susan Sarandon was initially reluctant to tackle the role of the grieving mother in the film as she's played similar parts in recent years, most notably in Moonlight Mile and In the Valley of Elah. She was impressed with writer-director Shana Feste's eccentric script, and the fact that the film would shoot close to her New York City-area home on a quick 28-day schedule was also appealing. Still, it took a phone call from Pierce Brosnan (who had just signed on to co-star) to finally convince her to commit to the film.

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Goofs

In the scene where Allen is looking for Rose, he stops his vehicle and hops out while the windshield wipers are still going and shuts the vehicle off with the wipers in the 'up' position. In the next shot, the wipers are down.

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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

"Key Largo"
Performed by Bertie Higgins

User Reviews

Treasure your family before its too late

This film is about a family who grief over the loss of their son in a traffic accident. This process is complicated by the unexpected arrival of a teenage girl who claims to have their son's unborn child.

"The Greatest" is powerful and touching. The mother, played by the amazing Susan Sarandon, is relentless in knowing the truth about her son's final moments. She gives such a moving performance that anyone gets saddened by her tragic loss. Carey Mulligan also deserves mention, as she displays a spectrum of convincing emotions effortlessly. Judging by the stream of great movies she is in, she will be a big star and Hollywood knows it.

"The Greatest" is a powerful story that moves anyone easily. As Susan Sarandon's character says, once your child is born, a woman knows that her child is the greatest. It is easy to relate to this statement, and yet everyone seems to be forgetting to celebrate this fact. As this film shows, you never know what you have got until its gone. "The Greatest" is a powerful reminder that you should treasure your family before its too late.