Sonny (2002)

An honorably discharged soldier returns home to New Orleans, hoping to break away from his upbringing as a trained prostitute, but his brothel-madam mother has other expectations.

Director:

Nicolas Cage

Writer:

John Carlen

Stars:

James Franco, Brenda Blethyn, Mena Suvari

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Franco	...	Sonny / son
Brenda Blethyn	...	Jewel / mother
Mena Suvari	...	Carol / Sonny's girlfriend
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Henry / Jewel's man
Seymour Cassel	...	Albert
Brenda Vaccaro	...	Meg
Josie Davis	...	Gretchen
Willie Metcalf	...	Cal
Janet Shea	...	Wealthy Woman
Cary Wilmot Alden	...	Catherine
Nicolas Cage	...	Acid Yellow
Scott Caan	...	Jesse / Sonny's army friend
Graham Timbes	...	Troy
Wallace Merck	...	Scott
Doug Barden	...	Maitre d'

Storyline

1981: Sonny is the son of Jewel who runs a small brothel in New Orleans. He returns home from the army, staying with his mother while waiting to start the job an army buddy of his promised him. Jewel tries to convince him to come back to working for her as he had before the army, saying many of his old clients still miss him and he was the best gigolo she had ever had. He repeatedly turns her down, wanting to leave that life behind. However, the job he was promised never materializes and he is forced to return to working for his mother. Jewel had recently recruited a new girl to the brothel, Carol, who meets him and falls in love with him. They talk of getting out together. One of Carol's clients, an older man, proposes to her. She initially declines, hoping to go away with Sonny. She and Sonny fall out as he fails to make an effort to get out of the business, instead becoming increasingly introverted and depressed, with occasional outbursts as he looks for more work. Ultimately, ...

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Plot Keywords:

older woman younger man relationship | gigolo | brothel madam | prostitute | cough syrup | 

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Taglines:

His life was the morning after, until he decided to change the night before.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, language, some drug use and violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nicolas Cage directs Scott Caan in this film. Cage's uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, directed Caans' father, James Caan, in The Godfather (1972), in which his character was called Sonny.

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Quotes

Henry: If I take you to the restaurant, will you come and stay the night in my room?
Jewel: Oh, Henry, not if front of my boy.
Henry: "Not if front of your boy?" He's a grown man, for God's sake. Besides that, you've had him out selling cock since he was twelve years old. It ain't like we haven't known each other for awhile.

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

Concerto in D Minor, after 'Alessandro' BWV 974
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Performed by Glenn Gould
Courtesy of Estate of Glenn Gould and Sony Classical (SK 52620)
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licencing

User Reviews

Poor Acting and Directing

I thought this film would blow me away and might be original considering the subject matter. I was wrong. The acting was less than average from 3 actors that are usually brilliant. The characters are inconsistently played (except for Brenda Blethyn), probably due to poor direction. Blethyn's character is over the top and melodramatic. Mena's is wispy and under-played and James Franco's doesn't have half the impact it should.

In short, without spoiling the plot, I expected far more from Nicolas Cage and from the actors.

Poor effort from a story that had the potential to be interesting, emotional and gripping.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 2003 (Greece)

Also Known As:

Pony Rides

Filming Locations:

Otis House, Fairview Riverside State Park - 119 Fairview Drive, Madisonville, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,639, 29 December 2002

Gross USA:

$30,005

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$132,221

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gold Circle Films, Saturn Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1