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 in hospital on the day of his release, the white sheet on the bed slips down and then is magically back up again. This happens several times.

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Quotes

Rose: Do you have any party tricks?
Allen Brewer: Oof. I don't know if it counts, but I never forget people's numbers. Um... I tend to memorize numbers.
Rose: What are my numbers?
Allen Brewer: Well... you have 18 years. 216 months. 864 weeks. 5,920 days. 311,040 hours. You came to our doorstep on 8-14-2008 at 4:30 pm. Your due date is 2-12-2009. Which leaves 119 more days. 2,136 hours. 128,160 minutes. And you have two heartbeats.

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Soundtracks

"House of Lies"
Performed by The Broken West

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.