Harvard Man (2001)

A basketball player strikes a deal with the mob to fix a basketball game.

Director:

James Toback

Writer:

James Toback

Stars:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Adrian Grenier, Joey Lauren Adams

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adrian Grenier	...	Alan Jensen
Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Cindy Bandolini
Joey Lauren Adams	...	Chesney Cort
Eric Stoltz	...	Teddy Carter
Rebecca Gayheart	...	Kelly Morgan
Gianni Russo	...	Andrew Bandolini
Ray Allen	...	Marcus Blake
Mike Vetere	...	Russell (as Michael Aparo)
Scottie Epstein	...	Mario
John Neville	...	Dr. Reese
Polly Shannon	...	Juliet
Phillip Jarrett	...	Coach Preston
Adam Bloch	...	Kenner
Lauren Collis	...	Connie
Landy Cannon	...	Butch

Storyline

College has always been a time for experimentation, sexual, cultural and otherwise. "Harvard Man" plays out against a background of love, sex, basketball, crime and experimentation. Action and philosophy in young people's quest to discover their true identity.

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Plot Keywords:

two word title | male objectification | nudity | male rear nudity | male frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

Passion, Seduction, Deception

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for drug use, language and some strong sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Harvard Story

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,425, 19 May 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$56,653, 19 September 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Cinema,Bigel / Mailer Films,Lions Gate Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leonardo DiCaprio was initially set to star.

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Goofs

When Chesney meets Kelly in the café, Kelly drinks Coke from a can. When Chesney spills the drinks, Kelly's Coke is in a glass and the can has disappeared.

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Quotes

Alan Jensen: In the meantime I think I've gotten about as far as I can with general thinking about life-- and sanity, and madness, and death. I think what I need to do is get concrete..find something that I can get good at and something that I can make a living doing.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Heaven's Gate: Part 1 (2015)

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Soundtracks

Gameface Vision
Written by Michael Villano, Gregory DeLorentis
Performed by Mike V
Courtesy of Russell Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

Introspective, Intriguing, & Inundated With Intellectual Insight

I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I put this movie in my DVD player. From the very beginning I was drawn in, as much as one can be when someone is fornicating with Sarah Michelle Gellar while playing music from multiple boom boxes and smoking a blunt. I found the character development intriguing & the casting was superb. I like the choice of protagonist, a lesser-known actor surrounded by more recognizable peers, similar to Donnie Darko. The cinematography was interesting, and the portrayal of the effects of LSD were as accurate as I've ever seen on film, sans Fear & Loathing. The subject matter encompasses vices of many flavors. Never before have I seen promiscuity, gambling, deceit, drug use, and gun play so eloquently infused with the likes of philosophical banter. This movie greatly appealed to my sense of intellect as I often found myself caught in sheer amazement that a film like this had been produced and slipped under my radar for so long. It deals with real life scenarios and subject matter often too taboo to be portrayed ever so causally, a refreshing look at a facet rarely seen. It's abstract intellectualism combined with sex and drug use surely won't appeal to conservative film watchers. This is definitely a film for a niche audience and I applaud James Toback for this peek into real life.