True Adolescents (2009)

Craig Johnson's poised and poignant first feature follows Sam (Mark Duplass), an, unbeknownst to him, washed-up rocker in the early stages of haggard. Jobless and apartment-less, he crashes... See full summary »

Director:

Craig Johnson

Writer:

Craig Johnson

Stars:

Mark Duplass, Bret Loehr, Carr Thompson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Duplass	...	Sam Bryant
Bret Loehr	...	Oliver Mitchell
Carr Thompson	...	Jake
Melissa Leo	...	Sharon Mitchell
Emma Dumont	...	Cara (as Emma Noelle Roberts)
Lilly Perreault	...	Ashley
Linas Phillips	...	Slater
Davie-Blue	...	Jericha
Snow Keim	...	JR
Laura Kai Chen	...	Amy
Dave Hobbs	...	Casey
Rufus Tureen	...	Punk Kid #1
Jennifer Perreault	...	Candace
Elizabeth Herron	...	Waitress (as Elizabeth Cook Herron)
Erika Mayfield	...	Celia (as Erika June Mayfield)

Storyline

Craig Johnson's poised and poignant first feature follows Sam (Mark Duplass), an, unbeknownst to him, washed-up rocker in the early stages of haggard. Jobless and apartment-less, he crashes with his aunt (a compassionate Melissa Leo) as a last resort and becomes reluctant camping-trip chaperone to her teenage son and a pal. That the three males are on par, maturity-wise, makes for engaging ensemble juvenilia. But in the stirring Pacific Northwest wilderness a surprising discovery turns dire -- and the distance from boy to man must be covered overnight. Duplass's ballsy and at times balls-out performance is a winner, particularly when Sam at long last takes stock of himself: it ain't pretty.

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Plot Keywords:

campfire | naked in public | gay interest | skinny dipping | male nudity | 

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Taglines:

Get lost.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official MySpace Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Verdaderos adolescentes

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Furnace Films,Lunacy,The Group Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Comic book artist Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman, Human Target, Neil Young's Greendale) did the poster artwork.

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Goofs

The forest floor is very muddy and soft yet the other two campers can't figure out which way the third one went.

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Crazy Credits

There is a hidden, funny outtake of Mark Duplass at the very end of the credits.

User Reviews

Unanswered questions about what it means to grow up...

This quiet film stealthily approaches some rather profound questions about growing up, finding an identity, maturing, and developing a sense of responsibility—and it just kind of leaves them there, unanswered. That's not to say the film is without merit. Mark Duplass is perfectly cast as Sam, the 30something "true adolescent" who finds himself without a job, a girlfriend, or a home. While crashing at his aunt's place, he gets recruited to chaperone his cousin and his cousin's best friend on a camping trip. A silly prank in the middle of the trip accidentally uncovers a delicate moment, which propels much of the subsequent action of the film even as its importance remains marginalized and only tangentially alluded to as the movie progresses toward an inconclusive resolution. "True Adolescents" is what I would call a "problem film"—but one I enjoyed nonetheless (even though I still can't decide whether I actually like Mark Duplass).