That's What I Am (2011)

A coming-of-age story set in 1965 that follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison), a bright student who, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict for fear of ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Pavone

Writer:

Michael Pavone

Stars:

Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ed Harris	...	Mr. Simon
Chase Ellison	...	Andy Nichol
Molly Parker	...	Sherri Nichol
Daniel Roebuck	...	Jim Nichol
Randy Orton	...	Ed Freel
Daniel Yelsky	...	Norman Grunmeyer
Alexander Walters	...	Big G
Mia Rose Frampton	...	Mary Clear
Amy Madigan	...	Principal Kelner
Camille E. Bourgeois III	...	Jason Freel (as Camille Bourgeois)
Renwick D. Scott II	...	Dan Rainier
Jordan Reynolds	...	Ricky Brown
Vanessa Cloke	...	Irene Freel
Sarah Celano	...	Karen 'Cootie' Connor
Dalton Mitchell	...	Sam Nolan (as Dalton Zachary Mitchell)

Storyline

A coming-of-age story set in 1965 that follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison), a bright student who, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict for fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his junior high school peers. Everyone's favorite teacher, Mr. Simon (Ed Harris), pairs Andy with the school's biggest outcast and social pariah, Stanley, aka "Big G" (Alexander Walters), on a critical term project. Sporting thick orange hair, a head too big for his body and ears too big for his head, "Big G" has been the object of ridicule since grade school. Before long, Andy will learn that there was truly a method behind Mr. Simon's madness as to why he teamed these two up. As the story unfolds, Mr. Simon finds himself the target of a malicious rumor after Principal Kelner (Amy Madigan) suspends a school bully for brutally beating up a female classmate whom he thinks has "cooties." When Andy watches "Big G" fearlessly confront the school bully, a ...

---

Plot Keywords:

school | bully | teacher | principal | junior high school | 

---

Taglines:

I'm a Teacher. I'm a Singer. I'm a Writer.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material throughout, language and some bullying

Details

Official Sites:

World Wrestling Entertainment [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Big Ginger

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Randy Orton's film debut.

---

Goofs

(at around 1h 30 mins) When Andy is headed to Mr. Simon's house, a white 90s Lincoln Town Car can been seen in the background.

---

Quotes

Norman Grunmeyer: Oh... my... God! Why not just buy a gun and let Ricky Brown shoot you in the eye?

---

Crazy Credits

During the credits photos from the Eagles yearbook are accompanied by a brief description of the future of the main characters.

---

Connections

Features Leave It to Beaver (1957)

User Reviews

Teaching tolerance and loving one's self in a realistic, mature way

Human Dignity + Compassion = PEACE. That's Mr. Simon's (Ed Harris) award-winning four-word solution to world peace. Unfortunately, children are cruel, and there isn't even peace in his 1965 junior high classroom. "That's What I Am" is narrated by an adult Andy Nichol, who, as an awkward 13 year-old is popular enough that he gets bypassed by the bullies but he wouldn't want to jeopardize that by socializing with the outcasts. This is just a coming-of-age story, but it's personal, based on a true story, and completely realistic that the lessons are meaningful, not corny. This isn't just about teenagers struggling with the awkward phases of life, or about playing up bullying for laughs, there are serious undertones to the maliciousness of kids. And it's all too real. Mr. Simon is the best teacher in the state of California (and there are awards to prove it). He does what he can to bring peace to the world. He pairs up Andy with Big G, the tall, skinny red-head who gets tormented each day. Big G, however, doesn't let that get to him. That doesn't deter the bullies, but Big G has an inner strength that allows him to stay true to himself. Andy is inspired by that. And so am I. It tries to teach tolerance and being true to one's self, but does so through a beautifully-told, coming-of-age story that is more adult in nature than juvenile. The events that occurred were real, and had serious implications to the well-being of society. It has taken society a lot longer to be tolerant than we would like; "That's What I Am" doesn't trivialize it but focuses on the personal, positive resolutions that the good characters come to. It's real, but we also get to see the Andys of the world get the girl. I like that kind of world.