The Battle of Shaker Heights (2003)

A young war reenactor makes a friend on the battlefield who helps him use strategy to take on his high school enemy. Driven by newfound confidence, he seduces the friend's fetching older ... See full summary »

Directors:

Efram Potelle, Kyle Rankin

Writer:

Erica Beeney

Stars:

Shia LaBeouf, Elden Henson, Amy Smart

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shia LaBeouf	...	Kelly Ernswiler (as Shia La Beouf)
Elden Henson	...	Bart Bowland
Amy Smart	...	Tabby
Billy Kay	...	Lance
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Eve
Shiri Appleby	...	Sarah
William Sadler	...	Abe
Ray Wise	...	Harrison
Philipp Karner	...	Maurice / German Soldier
Anson Mount	...	Miner Weber
Dale R. Simonton	...	Todd / German Soldier (as Dale Simonton)
Michael McShane	...	Mr. Norway
Hattie Winston	...	Principal Holmstead
Rick Cramer	...	German Officer / Mr. Thomas
France Nuyen	...	Xiou-Xiou Ling

Storyline

A young war reenactor makes a friend on the battlefield who helps him use strategy to take on his high school enemy. Driven by newfound confidence, he seduces the friend's fetching older sister and risks the friendship. Reality intervenes when the illness of his ex-addict father forces the anger his irony masks to the surface and he has to decide if staying in a fantasy world is worth the consequences.

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Plot Keywords:

high school | reference to led zeppelin | painter | wetting pants | bully comeuppance | 

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Taglines:

When you're 17, every day is war

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and some drug references

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

22 August 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Batalha de Shaker Heights

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$47,693, 24 August 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$279,282, 14 September 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

LivePlanet,Miramax

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The city of Shaker Heights is a city that borders Cleveland, Ohio.

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Goofs

When Kelly is talking to Miner just before the wedding starts, the epaulet on his jacket goes from being untucked to tucked under the collar even though both of his hands are on the bicycle.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Maurice: [in German] I have to take a leak.
Kelly: [holding a knife to his neck from behind] Ssh.

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Connections

Referenced in Caught on Camera: Viral Videos: Fact or Fiction? (2012)

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Soundtracks

Beautiful Day
Written by Jonathan Bates
Performed by Mellowdrone
Mellowdrone appears courtesy of ARTISTdirect

User Reviews

I wanted to love this movie

Oh, how I tried to love this movie. I was so emotionally invested in Project Greenlight, and although the directors seemed like idiots, they weren't evil idiots.

It turned out to be an okay movie, which is almost worse than being awful. There were a few laughs, but for the most part I didn't care about the characters in the movie nearly as much as the "characters" in Project Greenlight, and that is the problem that I have with it. If someone has to see Project Greenlight in order to care about the movie, then the movie failed.