Stay Cool (2009)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Michael Polish

Writer (WGA):

Mark Polish (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

An author who returns to his hometown to deliver a commencement address to a class of graduating high school students has to deal with his feelings for an old flame as well as the advances of a student who has the hots for him.

Cast

Mark Polish	...	Henry McCarthy
Winona Ryder	...	Scarlet Smith
Hilary Duff	...	Shasta O'Neil
Sean Astin	...	Big Girl
Josh Holloway
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ashley Bell	...	Ashley - Valedictorian
Catherine Black	...	Raven Goth
Marc Blucas	...	Brad Nelson
Scott Michael Campbell	...	Officer Johnson
Joanna Cassidy
Chevy Chase	...	Principal Marshall
Andrew Coffing	...	Mike Smith
Frances Conroy	...	Mrs. Looch
Jon Cryer	...	Javier
Noah Greenwood	...	Basketball Player
Michael Gross	...	Mr. McCarthy
Emily Happe	...	WR TV Host
Brandon G. Holley	...	Skater kid #2
Jessica Schatz	...	Mrs. O'Neil
David Shackelford	...	John John
Jenn Shagrin	...	Jungle Journalist #1
Jessica St. Clair	...	Darcy
Josh Sussman	...	Jungle Journalist #2
Silver Tree	...	Angie
Karmyn Tyler	...	Beauty Shop Receptionist
Dee Wallace	...	Mrs. Mccarthy
Troy Williams	...	Jock
Matthew Woodward	...	The Skater Kid
Brad Benedict	...	Senior Stud (uncredited)
Erin Calahan	...	Bea - high school student (uncredited)
Imia Fleur Edwards	...	Graduating student (uncredited)
Michael Justice	...	Senior (uncredited)
Clifford Lee	...	Prom Dancer (uncredited)
Seda Melkoni	...	Autograph Girl (uncredited)
Kayla Gwyneth Morrisey	...	Girl Pushed Into Pool (uncredited)
Ashleigh Pannell	...	Party Girl (uncredited)
Jack Salvatore Jr.	...	Student in the Hallway (uncredited)
Nick Thurston	...	Student (uncredited)
Max Tsarev	...	Wild Prom Boy (uncredited)
Jobeth Wagner	...	Goth Girl (uncredited)
Kelly Wagner	...	Nurse (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Polish

Writing credits (WGA)
Mark Polish		(written by)

Produced by
Vassal Benford	....	executive producer
Nick Byassee	....	executive producer
Janet DuBois	....	producer
Ken Johnson	....	producer
Mark Polish	....	producer
Michael Polish	....	producer
Jonathan Sheldon	....	producer
Donald Taylor	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Kubilay Uner

Cinematography by
M. David Mullen

Casting by
Kelly Wagner

Production Design by
Clark Hunter

Set Decoration by
Peggy Paola

Costume Design by
Christie Wittenborn

Makeup Department
Thom Cammer	....	key hair stylist
Kim Collea	....	makeup department head
De'Ann Power	....	hair department head
Rick Stratton	....	tattoos

Production Management
David E. Hall	....	post-production supervisor
Amy Jarvela	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lillian Awa	....	second second assistant director
Andrew Coffing	....	first assistant director
Katey Wheelhouse	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Manuel Baca	....	assistant property master
Camellia Cox	....	graphic designer
Renee Heimann	....	assistant props
Becky Herron	....	art department coordinator
Alex Hunter	....	art department
John A. Keim	....	property master
Erik Payne	....	propmaker

Sound Department
David W. Barr	....	adr mixer
Tara Blume	....	foley artist
Jason Brennan	....	sound re-recording mixer
James Dehr	....	utility sound
Daniel Douglass	....	sound engineer
Mark Ettel	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Fairlamb	....	foley mixer
Yagmur Kaplan	....	first assistant sound editor
Sang Jun Kim	....	assistant dialogue editor
Matthew Nicolay	....	production sound mixer
Sarah Payan	....	dialogue editor
Christopher Sheldon	....	supervising sound editor
Edward M. Steidele	....	foley artist
Stacey A. Washer	....	boom operator

Visual Effects by
Andrew Lewitin	....	visual effects
Ken Locsmandi	....	executive producer

Stunts
Scott Leva	....	stunt coordinator
Darrin Prescott	....	stunt double
Darrin Prescott	....	stunt double: Brad
Bridgett Riley	....	stunt double
Chuck Waters	....	stunt double

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael S. Beckman	....	lighting technician
Greg Brezovec	....	lighting technician
Jenny Denton	....	best girl grip
Cooper Donaldson	....	rigging gaffer
Lewis Fowler	....	first assistant camera
Anne Marie Fox	....	still photographer
Jason Goodell	....	lighting technician
Josh Greer	....	assistant camera
Mitch Gulbin	....	dolly grip
Brad Heiner	....	key grip
Joe Hill	....	grip
Conrad Hunziker III	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Stephen James	....	grip
Dominic Mainl	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
BJ McDonnell	....	Steadicam operator
Dan Misner	....	grip
Keith Morgan	....	gaffer
Stephen R. Ohab	....	lighting technician
Jason Sachse	....	lighting technician
Richard J. Vialet	....	camera intern
William Rick Young	....	grip
Eric Yu	....	second assistant camera

Casting Department
Terri Douglas	....	adr voice casting
Chris Gehrt	....	casting assistant
Dominika Posserén	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nancy Au	....	costume department supervisor (as Nancy Capper)
Mairi Chisholm	....	set costumer
Melody Koerber	....	set costumer
Claire Sandrin	....	key costumer

Editorial Department
Michael Cioni	....	post-production consultant
Daphne Dentz	....	senior digital intermediate producer
Raymond Grabowski	....	senior digital intermediate colorist
Drew Kilcoin	....	first assistant editor
Adam Ohl	....	digital intermediate producer

Music Department
Michael K. Bauer	....	music editor
Gerry Cueller	....	music supervisor
Greg Danylyshyn	....	music supervisor
Sean Fernald	....	music consultant
Bruce Rabinowitz	....	music clearance

Transportation Department
L. Chip Crosby Jr.	....	transportation captain
J. Armin Garza II	....	driver: camera car
Alan Kaminsky	....	driver: generator
Jim Moores	....	transportation coordinator
Paul Veluzat	....	driver

Other crew
Lee D. Andrews	....	production assistant
Brenda Arson	....	assistant production coordinator
Evans Butterworth	....	post-prodution executive
Caryn Cheever	....	first assistant accountant
Ken Coon	....	layout board
Debra Egelhoff	....	assistant production coordinator
Chris Gehrt	....	production assistant
Reb Groh	....	assistant: Chevy Chase
Chris Gutierrez	....	additional location manager
Sierra Lisa	....	key office production assistant
Jean-Marc Madelon	....	payroll assistant
David Markus	....	adr loop group
Sean King O'Grady	....	production assistant
Danielle Probst	....	production coordinator
Adam Rehmeier	....	documentarian
Brian Scott Robinson	....	production secretary
Ashley Rose	....	ADR voice
Jennifer Stoefen	....	post -production assistant
Silver Tree	....	script supervisor
Daniel Veluzat	....	stage manager
Irwin M. Rappaport	....	production attorney (uncredited)
Daniel Veluzat	....	location liaison (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Prohibition Pictures

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Melody Ranch Studios  sound stages
• Movie Movers  office trailer
• National Bank of California  financing provided by
• PES Payroll  extras payroll
• Plastercity Digital Post  post-production
• Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging  digital intermediate services

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company:

Prohibition Pictures

17 Again in Reverse

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Can the high school geek who morphed into a best selling author finally bury his adolescent angst by retuning home to give the commencement address? And what about the cute cheerleader he was too shy to call after graduation - even though she asked him to? "Stay Cool" offers a fresh re-telling those familiar stories with a cast of quirky characters that will make you laugh and plenty of memorable lines that you'll long remember.

The film does its work by taking "17 Again" in reverse.

In "17 Again" high school king Zack Efron/Matthew Perry becomes a teen again to deal with issues he could not face as an adult. In "Stay Cool," former bottom feeder, Henry McCarthy (Mark Polish), is an adult, but remains trapped in a 20 year time warp because he never really grew up in the eyes of his hometown.

His parents tell him to eat his veggies and eavesdrop on his phone calls – while Principal Marshall (Chevy Chase) even goes as far as to suspend him from school.

Henry soon learns that to find peace he'll have to deal with issues he avoided long ago. The director-writer Polish brothers make Henry learn his lessons the hard way – from getting busted by the cops to attending the prom. At the Tribeca Film Festival premiere, director Michael Polish says he and his twin Mark crammed 20 years of dealing with high school pain into their movie. "Everything is there."

Complicating his quest is high school hottie Shasta O'Neil (Hillary Duff) who has a crush on Henry. And helping him are high crazy pals – gay hairdresser Big Girl and a butch tattoo artist played by "Lost's" John Holloway.

Of course the big unresolved issue is Henry's life is his high school crush Scarlet Smith (Winona Ryder). Weird, too, since the love interest in "17 Again" is also named Scarlett. As their reunion progresses, we learn, as Big Girl (Sean Austin) observes, that Henry "didn't come back to speak to a thousand people, he came back to speak to one."

And as Henry slowly finds his voice – and the words to his speech – he learns, as Scar told him long ago - how to "Stay Cool."