Greendale (2003)

A musical look at the lives and struggles of people in the small fictional town called Greendale.

Director:

Neil Young (as Bernard Shakey)

Writer:

Neil Young

Stars:

Sarah White, Eric Johnson, Ben Keith

Cast

Credited cast:
Sarah White	...	Sun Green
Eric Johnson	...	Jed Green / Devil
Ben Keith	...	Grandpa Green
Erik Markegard	...	Earth Brown
Elizabeth Keith	...	Grandma Green
Pegi Young	...	Edith Green
James Mazzeo	...	Earl Green
Paul Supplee	...	Officer Carmichael
Sydney Stephan	...	Widow
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adam Donkin	...	Imitator (as Echobrain)
Dylan Donkin	...	Imitator (as Echobrain)
Brian Sagrafena	...	Imitator (as Echobrain)
Neil Young	...	Wayne Newton (as Bernard Shakey)

Storyline

Exploring the lives and struggles of a varied group of people in a small, rural California town, Greendale focuses in on the Green family. From Grandpa sitting on the front porch commenting on the state of the world, to his struggling artist son Earl Green, to Sun Green, Earl's vibrant, free-spirited daughter, daily existence in Greendale seems idealistically perfect and trouble-free, at first. This uneventful lifestyle is proven to be more intricate than first glaces would indicate, when Cousin Jed shoots and kills a police officer, sparking a chain of events that change the lives of those around him in both simple and profound ways.

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Plot Keywords:

rural setting | low budget film | kitchen | flashback | family relationships | 

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Genres:

Musical | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Greendale: A Film by Neil Young

Filming Locations:

Pescadero, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,163, 29 February 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$251,862, 23 May 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shakey Pictures, Lookout Management

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Broken Flowers (2005)

User Reviews

Neil Young finds the flow, and never lets go.

I saw this film when it played in Vancouver and, although it had a bit of an amaturish feel about it, there was a sponteneity and flow about it that grabbed me from the outset and pulled me in right through to the hope filled climax. I doubt that this film will win any converts, however. You either get Neil Young, or you don't. Except for his middle-of-the-road Heart of Gold stuff, most of Neil's music lacks the polish of your usual radio fluff. Neil is not for surface dwellers. To get into him--whether his film, his concerts or his albums--you got to get underneath the surface cliches and his naselly vocal distortions. This film has heart, as does the album Greendale and once you attune to his undertow, it will never let you go.