The Seat Filler (2004)

Romance and drama occur after a pop superstar falls for an audience member -- a seat filler posing as an attorney -- at a music awards show.

Director:

Nick Castle

Writers:

Mark Brown, Duane Martin

Stars:

Duane Martin, Kelly Rowland, DeRay Davis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Duane Martin	...	Derrick
Kelly Rowland	...	Jhnelle
DeRay Davis	...	E.J.
Mel B	...	Sandie (as Melanie Brown)
Patrick Fischler	...	Irwin
Christian Copelin	...	Kenny
Shemar Moore	...	Trent
Denise Dowse	...	Derrick's Mom
Glynn Turman	...	Derrick's Dad
Kyla Pratt	...	Diona
Michael Chinyamurindi	...	Nail (as Michael Hinyamurindi)
Curtis Armstrong	...	LaJean
Romy Rosemont	...	Vicki
Julie Mintz	...	Carrie
Tony Lee	...	Waiter

Storyline

In The Seat Filler, Derrick (Martin) is a struggling law student who takes a job as an awards show seatfiller to make ends meet. One day, he is seated next to the beautiful pop superstar Jnelle (Rowland), who mistakes him for a well-known industry executive. With an instant chemistry, the unlikely pair begin to date. But Derrick must scale creative heights to keep up the charade. When the couple begins to fall for each other, Derrick must chose between his conscience and the love of his life.

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Plot Keywords:

music | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual dialogue and a drug reference

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was directed by Nick Castle who is famous for playing Michael Myers in the Halloween franchise directed by John Carpenter. Carpenter also directed the original 1980 version of "The Fog". In the 2005 remake of that film, the co-star of this film, DeRay Davis, also starred in that remake as a character who is best friends with another character named Nick Castle. That aforementioned character was named after the director of this film, The Seat Filler, Nick Castle.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Vicki: My name is Vicki Curtis. And you are here to be Seat Fillers. Your job is to make sure the audience never looks empty. Because without you it would look like missing teeth. We, ladies and gentlemen, we complete the smile of Hollywood. All right ya bunch of nobodies, pull out your Seat Filler rule books and read along with me. No chewing gum. No bright colors. No hats, cellphones, or pagers. No gassy foods the night before. And never ever remove your blue ribbon, it's how we ...
[...]

User Reviews

Maybe not the best script, but Kelly still shines

Admittedly, Kelly Rowland playing a superstar who falls for the common guy is a bit well, predictable, but otherwise, this is one of the few films that made me smile and giggle.

Rowland is beautiful and her supporting cast are just right, even Melanie Brown's small role is wonderfully complimentary. Deray is hilarious, as is Mr Gorgeous Shemar Moore in his small role as the ex boyfriend.

It's nice to watch a film with a predominantly black cast that doesn't rely on stereotypes or "white man can't jump" kind of jokes. It's just a cute love story. There may not be any "dramatic arcs" or much in depth "character development"... but seriously, how much are you expecting out of a unassuming romcom? Not every single movie has to be a Scorsese or a Mendes.

There are quite a few funny lines, the acting is more than bearable and the directing pretty great. For me it's like the black Notting Hill, so I can't understand all the criticism people can find with this film.

My opinion: definitely a film you can enjoy with your friends on a girls night in. I can't see anything to complain about, it does the job it sets out to do, entertain.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Seat Filler

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Seat Filler Productions, Shake Martin Films, Strange Fruit Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1