College and high school serve as the backdrop for two stories about dysfunction and personal turmoil.
Director:
Todd SolondzWriter:
Todd Solondz
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Title: Storytelling (2001)
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1 nomination.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Selma Blair | ... | Vi (segment "Fiction") | |
| Leo Fitzpatrick | ... | Marcus (segment "Fiction") | |
| Robert Wisdom | ... | Mr. Scott (segment "Fiction") | |
| Maria Thayer | ... | Amy (segment "Fiction") | |
| Angela Goethals | ... | Elli (segment "Fiction") | |
| Devorah Rose | ... | Lucy (segment "Fiction") | |
 |
Nancy Anne Ridder | ... | Joyce (segment "Fiction") |
| Steve Rosen | ... | Ethan (segment "Fiction") (as Steven Rosen) | |
| Aleksa Palladino | ... | Catherine (segment "Fiction") | |
| Mary Lynn Rajskub | ... | Melinda (segment "Fiction") | |
| Tina Holmes | ... | Sue (segment "Fiction") | |
| Paul Giamatti | ... | Toby Oxman (segment "Non-Fiction") | |
|
|
Mike Schank | ... | Mike (segment "Non-Fiction") |
| Xander Berkeley | ... | Mr. DeMarco (segment "Non-Fiction") | |
| Mark Webber | ... | Scooby Livingston (segment "Non-Fiction") | |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
Storytelling is comprised of two separate stories set against the sadly comical terrain of college and high school, past and present. Following the paths of its young hopeful/ troubled characters, it explores issues of sex, race, celebrity and exploitation Written by Fine Line Features
Plot Keywords:
professor | sex standing up | sex scene | black comedy | interracial sex |Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for strong sexual content, language and some drug use | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
8 November 2001 (Russia) See more »Also Known As:
Untitled Todd Solondz Project See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$73,688, 27 January 2002, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$912,442, 24 March 2002Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Mikey Livingston: Dad? Do you think that Brady will ever get better?
Marty Livingston: One in a million recover.
Mikey Livingston: Maybe he's that one in a million.
Marty Livingston: Mikey, there's optimism, and then there's stupidity. It's a very fine line.
Mikey Livingston: [pause] I don't think there's any hope, either. I was just trying to make you feel better.
See more »
Performed by Belle & Sebastian
Written by Belle & Sebastian
Published by Sony ATV Music Publishing
Courtesy of Jeepster Recordings Limited & Matador Records, Inc.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
There was a third story, with James Van Der Beek as a college student realizing his sexuality, which was subsequently cut out of the film. See more »Goofs
The positions of Scooby's hands when he is holding the gun change between shots. See more »Quotes
[Marty and Mikey sit by the comatose Brady, who lies in his own bed]Mikey Livingston: Dad? Do you think that Brady will ever get better?
Marty Livingston: One in a million recover.
Mikey Livingston: Maybe he's that one in a million.
Marty Livingston: Mikey, there's optimism, and then there's stupidity. It's a very fine line.
Mikey Livingston: [pause] I don't think there's any hope, either. I was just trying to make you feel better.
See more »
Alternate Versions
The orange square over the sex scene was placed there to get an "R" rating instead of an "NC-17". See more »Soundtracks
Scooby DriverPerformed by Belle & Sebastian
Written by Belle & Sebastian
Published by Sony ATV Music Publishing
Courtesy of Jeepster Recordings Limited & Matador Records, Inc.
See more »
Another completely original, dark, deeply skewered and audacious commentary on society from Todd S., whom we've come to depend upon for this sort of thing. Not as focused as Dollhouse or as filled-out as Happiness, Storytelling does seem sparse, and that's one of the things I like best about it (I've seen it 4 times now)- how T.S. didn't feel the need to conform to what the majority of film goers (even his OWN crowd!) expect when they enter a theatre.
It's divided into two parts - Fiction, with its heavy sexual, presumably-racist and ironic elements, a searing affair that many people seem to have found offensive without getting the underlying satire, and then there's Non-Fiction; amazing how much spot-on societal jabs T. S. squeezes into this one, and plus it has another great, multi-layered performance from Paul Giamatti, always a major selling point of any film, for me.
The bottom line: I believe T.S. deserves credit for his audacity alone, his unwillingness to compromise his vision, however unacceptable it might be. Or he might be consciously tailoring his vision toward the unacceptable, sort of like Andy Kaufman did - getting off on just making people react, shaking them out of indifference. Or maybe, like some people have suggested, he's run out of ideas (or he peaked with Dollhouse) and he's just rehashing the same stuff, hoping nobody will notice. Or maybe he WANTS us to notice, maybe it's a cry for help, in which case I would recommend a writing class, but NOT one that has Robert Wisdom as the professor.