Fat Kid Rules the World (2012)

Director:

Matthew Lillard

Writers (WGA):

Michael M.B. Galvin (screenplay) &
Peter Speakman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A dropout comes to the aid of a chubby and suicidal high-school kid by recruiting him as the drummer for his upstart punk-rock band. |

Plot Keywords:

Masturbation | Location In Title

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jacob Wysocki	...	Troy
Matt O'Leary	...	Marcus
Billy Campbell	...	Mr. Billings
Dylan Arnold	...	Dayle
Tyler Trerise	...	Manoj
Russell Hodgkinson	...	Marcus' Stepfather
Sean Donovan	...	Ollie
Julian Gavilanes	...	Matt
Lili Simmons	...	Isabel
Jeffrey Doornbos	...	Mr. Sherman
Lino Marioni	...	Young Troy
Michael Loftus	...	Band Member #1
Stephanie Sarreal Park	...	Girl #1 (as Stephanie Park)
Duane Cawthon	...	Bus Driver
Frances Hearn	...	Bus Stop Woman
Brian Sutherland	...	Dino
Ernie Hall	...	School Security Guard
Laura Hanson	...	Marcus' Mom
Matthew Lillard	...	Psychologist
Michael Freiburger	...	Glenn
Ian Lesage	...	Reedy
Danielle Hammer	...	Megan
Jeannine Johnson	...	Megan's Roommate (as Jeannie 'JJ' Johnson)
Vivan Dugré	...	Waitress
Amber Wolfe Wollam	...	Nurse #1
Lance McQueen	...	Hospital Security Guard
Patrick Allcorn	...	DEA Agent (as Patrick Alcorn)
Rick Rosenthal	...	Swim Coach
Jaeson Albritton	...	Industrial Arts Teacher
Alanna Reynolds	...	Beautiful Woman
Heidi Korndorffer	...	Hot Girl
Rachel Pate	...	Nurse #2
Elisabeth Bates-Shull	...	Mrs. Billings
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Keri Owen	...	Girl at Counter (uncredited)

Directed by
Matthew Lillard

Writing credits (WGA)
Michael M.B. Galvin		(screenplay by) &
Peter Speakman		(screenplay by)
K.L. Going		(based upon the novel by)

Produced by
Trent Broin	....	co-producer
Jane Charles	....	producer
Bert Kern	....	associate producer
Ryan Lewis	....	co-producer
Matthew Lillard	....	producer
Jennifer Maas	....	producer
Nick Morton	....	producer
Rick Rosenthal	....	producer
Talan Torriero	....	producer
Evan Wasserstrom	....	producer

Original Music by
Mike McCready

Cinematography by
Noah Rosenthal

Film Editing by
Michelle Witten

Casting by
Jennifer Ricchiazzi

Production Design by
Tania Kupczak

Art Direction by
Lisa B. Hammond

Set Decoration by
Jason Aumann

Costume Design by
Ashley Russell

Makeup Department
Shawn R. Shelton	....	key makeup artist
Shawn R. Shelton	....	special makeup effects designer
Damon Vanhee	....	special makeup effects artist
Ross Williams	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Jim Charleston	....	production supervisor
Traci Martin	....	production acountant
David Morgan	....	assistant production accountant
Gabriela Revilla	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Dahlke	....	second assistant director
Allison Eckert	....	first assistant director
Keri Owen	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Claudio Molinar Duran	....	graphic design
Lacee Kloze	....	art department coordinator
Regan MacStravic	....	photographic props
Cassie Miggins	....	property master
Chad Schlund	....	graphic design
Matthew Siltala	....	assistant property master
Audrey Wimberly	....	art production assistant
Kristen Bonnalie	....	art department production assistant (uncredited)

Sound Department
Keith Bilderbeck	....	sound designer
Cary Clark	....	technical support
Eric Maldin	....	adr mixer
Tim O'Connell	....	foley artist
Brian Power	....	additional adr recording
Dave Richards	....	boom operator
Kelsey Wood	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Stephanie Batten	....	special effects technician
Tyler Boggs	....	special effects technician
William Boggs	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Miguel A. Guerrero	....	modeling supervisor: Whitewater Films
Daniel Kruse	....	visual effects supervisor: Whitewater Films

Stunts
Sherril Johnson	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Astle	....	grip
Patrick Barcroft	....	key grip
Mark Bueing	....	best boy electric
Justin Cantrell	....	electrician
Laurie Clark	....	still photographer
Kevin Cook	....	best boy electric: alternate
Kevin Cook	....	electrician
Coty James	....	second assistant camera
Niall James	....	grip
Nacime Khemis	....	digital imaging technician
Jason Knoll	....	first assistant camera
Edd Lukas	....	underwater cinematographer
Jeremy Mackie	....	gaffer
Dan Misner	....	best boy grip
Tracy Nystrom	....	lighting technician
Arthur Reynolds	....	electrician
Joe Shapiro	....	digital imaging technician
Nick Shoemaker	....	second assistant camera
Norman Tumolva	....	lighting technician
Alisa Tyrrill	....	second assistant camera
T.J. Williams Jr.	....	steadicam operator

Casting Department
Gabriela Revilla	....	extras casting
Jodi Rothfield	....	seattle casting
Heidi Walker	....	seattle casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Emma Mueller	....	wardrobe assistant
Shari Noble	....	extras costumer
Ninnette Robare	....	set costumer
Angela H. Young	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
William Adashek	....	digital intermediate executive producer
Kevin Cannon	....	colorist
Darol Michael Carr	....	title and credits designer
Josef Sipkins	....	assistant colorist

Music Department
Sandy Wilson	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Cheryl Cowan	....	script supervisor
Leah Santa Cruz	....	production assistant
Herman Esau	....	assistant location manager
Sebastian Falkowski	....	accounting clerk
Jeff Ferrell	....	production assistant
Shayla Jones	....	production assistant
Nate Lessler	....	key set production assistant
Sarah MacAaron	....	director's assistant
Autumn Perrotta	....	production assistant
Dave Richards	....	set medic
Ryan Ricks	....	production coordinator
Lance Rosen	....	legal services
Rey-Phillip Santos	....	production assistant
Marco Scaringi	....	production office intern
Robyn Scaringi	....	second assistant production accountant

Thanks
Darol Michael Carr	....	special thanks
James Clark	....	special thanks
Mel Eslyn	....	special thanks
Scott Mason	....	special thanks
Katie Sawyer	....	special thanks
Lou 'Big' Tarcetti	....	special thanks
Patricia Yuen	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Whippany Park Productions
• Whitewater Films

Distributors

• Anderson Digital (2013) (USA) (video) (Digital)
• ARC Entertainment (II) (2012) (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Prehistoric Digital  digital intermediate

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual and drug content, and brief violent images

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Whippany Park Productions

Soundtrack:

Faded Love Letters

I'd proudly be a citizen in this world.

Jacob Wysocki is the kind of actor where, the minute look into his soul-penetrating eyes that say more than words ever could, his sympathy begins to tug at your fragile heartstrings, and after spending an hour and a half with his character, rarely leaving the frame, you feel shaken and riveted. He's playing a character seemingly more in-tuned with life than his character in Terri, his acting debut, and in certain stretches, he appears more comfortable and confident as an actor.

He gives Fat Kid Rules the World, actor Matthew Lillard's directorial debut, a powerful life and impact as he effortlessly takes the thin concept presented and makes it into a convincing, ninety-minute portrayal of an obese social pariah and his fight to gain back his confidence and motivation, at first assuming he ever had any. Wysocki plays Troy Billings, who is seen fantasizing about a grisly suicide attempt in the opening minutes of the film. When he finally attempts his tragic fate, by walking in front of a bus, he is saved at the very last second by Marcus McCray (Matt O'Leary), a homeless drug addict who is one of the leads in his underground band. One wonders why a character like this would save a defenseless fat kid from an ugly fate. Then he asks him for $20.

Troy's homelife is rather grim as well; his father (Billy Campbell, whose performance will most likely be overshadowed, but is very, very wonderful) wants nothing but the best for his son, like all fathers, and for that reason, seems to give him more leniency than he should/ Troy's younger brother couldn't care less about him, and when it is revealed that their mother died, we question if this family were ever tightly bound together or if they were always coldly isolated from each other. When Troy begins prolifically hanging out with Marcus, Troy's father becomes conflicted in the sense that he is happy his boy found a friend, yet displeased with his friend's reckless, inconsequential behavior. When Marcus comes up with the spur-of-the-moment decision that him and Troy should form a rock band, with Troy on the drums, their relationship begins to become stronger and they start to understand the life the other one lives.

I worried that this film would mirror too closely to Wysocki's overlooked Terri, in terms of direction, tone, and plot, but that assumption was thrown away well before the first act ended. The "Terri" character in that film seemed to be more content with being an outsider and simply just wanted to be left alone, while we can see that Troy, here, is hungering for attention and acceptance. Meeting Marcus is arguably the best or worst thing that could've happened to him, yet we are left to answer that question.

The film is a little slow, but we are given much in the way of greatness in terms of writing and photography. Written by Michael M.B. Galvin and Peter Speakman, based off the K.L. Going novel of the same name, Fat Kid Rules the World, delicately paints the Troy character and the world around him, photographing it in hazy yet artful beauty, and giving him a story to tell that makes him marginally stand out from the rest. His story is not that far off from the story of Angus Bethune in another overlooked film by the name of Angus, starring Charlie Talbert as the title character, an overweight kid who simply hungered for acceptance and the feeling of not being ostracized. It is that specific quality that makes this film wholesome and understandable, and very, very unselfish.

I come full circle by saying that Wysocki's performance is by far, one of the best of the year. His mind and attitude is all one hundred percent and his capability as an actor bleeds from the second he steps on screen. He rightfully achieves sympathy, and even empathy, without being heavy-handed or cliché in his performance. Not to mention, Lillard gives this material the sensitivity and honest direction it needs and deserves. I just hope that Wysocki will not find himself type-cast in the role of the hopeless obese teen and branches out to find great work, surrounded by characters who love and accept him. We all deserve that.

Starring: Jacob Wysocki, Matt O"Leary, and Billy Campbell. Directed by: Matthew Lillard.