Jesus' Son (1999)

A young man turns from drug addiction and petty crime to a life redeemed by a discovery of compassion.

Director:

Alison Maclean

Writers:

Denis Johnson (book), Elizabeth Cuthrell (screenplay)

Stars:

Billy Crudup, Robert Michael Kelly, Torben Brooks

4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Crudup	...	FH
Robert Michael Kelly	...	Salesman
Torben Brooks	...	Car Crash Driver
Dierdre Lewis	...	Driver's Wife
Jimmy Moffit	...	Car Crash Doctor
Antoinette LaVecchia	...	Dead Man's Wife
Samantha Morton	...	Michelle
Steve Buck	...	Richard
Ben Shenkman	...	Tom
Scott Oster	...	Stan
Brooke Rachel Shive	...	Beatle (as Brooke Shive)
Mark Webber	...	Jack Hotel
John Ventimiglia	...	McInnes
Jesse Weaver Jr.	...	Carl
Michael Shannon	...	Dundun (as Mike Shannon)

Storyline

A gentle and usually mellow young man, who sometimes knows things before they happen and gets vibes of premonition, tell us his story: how he met Michelle in Iowa in 1971, how he got the name Fuckhead, how she introduced him to heroin and their falling in love, his thieving, his hospital work and their time in Chicago when she gets pregnant, detox, going to Phoenix to live, AA meetings and a dance, working at a care center where he learns to touch the residents, and modifying his daily schedule so that he passes a neighboring Mennonite household at the right time to hear the wife sing Gospel songs in the shower. Slowly, very slowly, FH lets his gifts emerge.

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Plot Keywords:

watching tv | song | shower | love | hospital | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic drug use, strong language, sexuality and some violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Lions Gate

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 July 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Az élet kalandja

Filming Locations:

Gibbstown, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$37,089, 18 June 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,282,084, 20 August 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Evenstar Films, Jesus' Son Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Denis Johnson: As a man who has been stabbed in the eye by his wife.

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Goofs

FH takes a "sip" of punch, but we can see that the liquid never even touched his lips.

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Quotes

FH: Will you believe me when I tell you that, there *was* kindness... in his heart. His left hand didn't know what his right hand was doin'. It's just that certain important connections had been burned through. If I opened up *your* head, an' ran a hot soldering iron around in your brain; I might turn you into someone like that.

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Connections

References Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)

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Soundtracks

Soul Dressing
Written by Booker T. Jones, Lewie Steinberg, Steve Cropper (as Stephen Cropper),
and Al Jackson Jr.
Performed by Booker T. & the M.G.s (as Booker T. and the MG's)
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

tired little tale

This dreamy little film is well acted (especially by Crudup), and nicely filmed, but it really goes nowhere, and does so for a very long time. It follows "FH", played by Crudup. A drug induced loser, and his failed relationship with his girlfriend, played by the talented Samantha Morton. Simply put, it's pretty to look at, but it's dull and nothing new.