Whatever (1998)

A teen faces her impending adulthood in the carefree sex and drug revolution years of the early 80's prior to fears of AIDS. She lives with her bitter, divorced mother and her sadistic kid ... See full summary »

Director:

Susan Skoog

Writer:

Susan Skoog

Stars:

Liza Weil, Chad Morgan, Frederic Forrest

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Liza Weil	...	Anna Stockard
Chad Morgan	...	Brenda Talbot
Frederic Forrest	...	Mr. Chaminski
Kathryn Rossetter	...	Carol Stockard
Marc Riffon	...	Martin
Dan Montano	...	Zak
John Gleeson Connolly	...	John Woods (as John G. Connolly)
Gary Wolf	...	Eddie
Tony Torn	...	Mr. Stanley
Trey Compton	...	Sam
Joe Mantragna	...	Chris
Matt Rumbaugh	...	Tony
Jim Neville	...	Rob
Garret Spencer	...	Joe
Destiny Matranga	...	Lynn

Storyline

A teen faces her impending adulthood in the carefree sex and drug revolution years of the early 80's prior to fears of AIDS. She lives with her bitter, divorced mother and her sadistic kid brother. Looking forward to a life based on her passion for art, she nevertheless gets in with the partying crowd which causes her to miss deadlines and poor grades which jeapordizes her future. Ultimately she ends up losing her virginity to an older artist wanna-be who she has had a long standing crush on.

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Plot Keywords:

sex | drugs | new jersey | high school | art teacher | 

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Taglines:

1981. In an era of just say no, they said yes.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive teen drug and alcohol use, language including sexual dialogue, sexuality and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Classics

Country:

France USA

Language:

French English

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bánomisén

Filming Locations:

Red Bank, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$46,347, 12 July 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$307,037, 18 October 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anyway Productions,Circle Films,DuArt Film and Video

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Sam can be seen in at least two scenes wearing Batman: The Animated Series pajamas. BTAS debuted in 1992. Whatever takes place in 1981.

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Crazy Credits

The filmmakers would like to express their deepest gratitude and thanks to all who gave their time, their artistry, their technical abilities, their equipment, their clothes, their homes, their furniture, their cars, their food, their pets, their children, their offices, their copy machines, their phones, their pillows and blankets, their credit limits, their lungs, their patience, their marriages, their political influence, their good reputations, their physical health and most of all their good will that made the production of this film possible.

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Connections

References Batman: The Animated Series (1992)

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Soundtracks

In Camps Of Times Past
Written and Performed by Robert Tree Cody
Courtesy of Canyon Records

User Reviews

Gritty Breakfast Club, without the smarm...

Okay, this was not light entertainment, as so many teenager flicks are. Perhaps I am biased, because it is set in a place and time not too different from my own high school years, but this rang true to my recollections of HS. certainly better than Sixteen Candles, Say anything, etc.. (not that I don't enjoy those movies, but...) This was a less polished Breakfast Club, without the sappy smarmy feel good ending. Mostly.

Ms. Weil was very engaging, attractive enough and very believable, without being the usual beauty queen female lead common to HS films. Particularly revealing was the two girls talking about her loss of virginity, when she says "It felt really good at first. Then he put it in." and her friend replies "yeah, it does kind of hurt. Unless you're drunk." Not great wisdom, but probably recalls many girls first experiences.