S.F.W. (1994)

An alienated and misanthropic teenager gains sudden and unwanted celebrity status after he's taken hostage by terrorists where his indifference to their threats to kill him makes news headlines.

Director:

Jefery Levy

Writers:

Andrew Wellman (novel), Danny Rubin (screenplay)

Stars:

Stephen Dorff, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Busey

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen Dorff	...	Cliff Spab
Reese Witherspoon	...	Wendy Pfister
Jake Busey	...	Morrow Streeter
Joey Lauren Adams	...	Monica Dice
Pamela Gidley	...	Janet Streeter
David Barry Gray	...	Scott Spab
Jack Noseworthy	...	Joe Dice
Richard Portnow	...	Gerald Parsley
Edward Wiley	...	Mr. Spab
Lela Ivey	...	Mrs. Spab
Natasha Gregson Wagner	...	Kristen
Annie McEnroe	...	Dolly
Virgil Frye	...	Earl
Francesca P. Roberts	...	Kim Martin
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Milt Morris (as Soon Teck Oh)

Storyline

Cliff Spab is a guy who doesn't really care about anything. He gets held hostage at a store for 36 days by terrorists, who demand that the entire thing be broadcast on national television. Cliff ends up taking a bullet for fellow hostage Wendy - making him a national hero. The two are the sole survivors of the ordeal, and soon become prisoners of the media. Cliff escapes it all, only to find himself being pushed further away from Wendy when he needs her most.

---

Plot Keywords:

literature on screen | american literature on screen | title same as book | abbreviation in title | beer drinking | 

---

Taglines:

Fate made them hostages. The media made them stars.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong language, scenes of brutal violence, constant drug and alcohol use and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally, Cliff Spab was written to be seventeen-years-old. However, when Stephen Dorff was cast in the role, Cliff's age was changed to twenty, Dorff's age during the production.

---

Goofs

In the opening before the gun fight cliff,Wendy and Joe are dirty and disheveled, however during the gun fight flashback they are well groomed and clean.

---

Quotes

Barbara 'Babs' Wyler: [shouts] Everything matters!
[fires bullets at Spab and Wendy]

---

Crazy Credits

The GWAR video seen in the movie follows the credits in its entirety.

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Bad Company/Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog/Murder in the First/Higher Learning/S.F.W./Strawberry and Chocolate (1995)

---

Soundtracks

Can I Stay?
Performed by Pretty Mary Sunshine
Written by Kurt Elzner & Patrice Tullai
Courtesy of A&M Records, Inc.

User Reviews

A horrible situation makes him famous. Now he has to live with it.

A young man becomes famous due to a horrific situation. Now he has to live with the fame and the memories that it brings. There seem to be too many characters, that are developed only to be left with without discussion after their scene. Stephen Dorff does a great job, which is important, since the movie is mostly watching him walk around and deal with the stresses of his fame. The flashbacks seem to do a good job of show his traumatic stress disorder.

The sound track is great, with a special appearance by GWAR.

See it or not. As the main character says "So F**king What?"

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

So Fucking What?

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$44,227, 22 January 1995

Gross USA:

$63,513

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$63,513

Company Credits

Production Co:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment, A&M Films, Propaganda Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1