Dedication (2007)

The romantic comedy follows a misogynistic children's book author who is forced to work closely with a female illustrator instead of his long-time collaborator and only friend.

Director:

Justin Theroux

Writer:

David Bromberg

Stars:

Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore, Tom Wilkinson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Wilkinson	...	Rudy Holt
Billy Crudup	...	Henry Roth
Christine Taylor	...	Allison
Bob Balaban	...	Arthur Planck
Catherine Lloyd Burns	...	Mother in Bookstore
Amy Sedaris	...	Cassidy's Mom
Cassidy Hinkle	...	Cassidy
Mandy Moore	...	Lucy Reilly
Jeremy Shamos	...	Matthew
Christopher Fitzgerald	...	Robin (as Chris Fitzgerald)
Dianne Wiest	...	Carol
Jicky Schnee	...	Mandy the Waitress
John Ellison Conlee	...	Man at Lucy's
Martin Freeman	...	Jeremy
Christopher Grey Misa	...	Abused Kid (as Chris Misa)

Storyline

Henry Roth: obsessive-compulsive, somewhat misanthropic, a writer of children's books. His illustrator and only friend, Rudy, dies after a fabulously successful collaboration on "Marty, the Beaver." Henry is under contract to produce another Marty book for Christmas sales. His publisher, Arthur Planck, assigns penniless, lovelorn illustrator Lucy Reilly to work with Henry. She's sought by her ex-boyfriend Jeremy, who dumped her two years ago but shows up apologetic, having dedicated his new book to her. She and Henry go to a house on the shore to work. Will love bloom amid the rocks, or is Henry a bump on Lucy's road to Jeremy? Rudy's voice, from the grave, gives Henry counsel.

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Plot Keywords:

book | illustrator | friend | children's book | collaboration | 

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Taglines:

With each moment we write our story

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 2008 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Afosiosi

Filming Locations:

Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,832, 26 August 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$91,169, 7 October 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Look International,Hart-Lunsford Pictures,Plum Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mia Farrow and Bob Balaban were originally set to play the roles of Dianne Wiest and Tom Wilkinson's.

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Quotes

Henry: Okay, uh, before we can, uh... work effectively with one another, I think we should be comfortable. So, ten minutes, okay? Then - then work. Okay? Go. Okay, I'll start. Uh, I hate my mother. I hate my goddamn dead father more. Rudy was the only friend I ever had. I had a girlfriend once who I used to like to masturbate to more than have sex with. Carrots and snakes frighten me. Umm... I'm superstitious about the numbers...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The writer dedicates his work in memory of Jonathan Louis Kaplan (June 6, 1961 - December 28, 1997)

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Connections

References Tounge Twisters (1986)

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Soundtracks

That Big Orange Sun Run Over Speed Light
Written by Christopher Cohen, John Dieterich, Satomi Matsuzaki, and Greg Saunier
Performed by Deerhoof
Courtesy of Kill Rock Stars

User Reviews

A Fantastic Debut

I just finished watching this movie and thought I should pen down my thoughts. I would like to add a few disclaimers before recommending it.

For viewers who expect a romantic comedy, this is not your average rom-com genre movie. And for avid movie buffs, this ain't the first attempt of its kind either. This has shades of Trust (1990), Music and Lyrics (2007), As Good as it Gets (1997) and a few others.

But the familiarity worked for me. Also, not knowing what the movie was about did work for me too.

Watch this if you want a romance with quirky and intelligent characterization. Considering, it is both the writer's and the director's debut feature film, it is fantastic.