Spread (2009)

A sex comedy centered on a serial womanizer and his jilted lover.

Director:

David Mackenzie

Writers:

Jason Hall (screenplay) (as Jason Dean Hall), Jason Hall (story) (as Jason Dean Hall)

Stars:

Ashton Kutcher, Anne Heche, Margarita Levieva

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ashton Kutcher	...	Nikki
Anne Heche	...	Samantha
Margarita Levieva	...	Heather
Sebastian Stan	...	Harry
Rachel Blanchard	...	Emily
Eric Balfour	...	Sean
Ashley Johnson	...	Eva
Sonia Rockwell	...	Christina
Maria Conchita Alonso	...	Ingrid
Derek Carter	...	Delivery Guy
Sarah Buxton	...	Helen
Shane Brolly	...	Prince Stelio
Josh Richman	...	Club Bouncer / Himself
Jordan Black	...	Kevin
Peter Marc Jacobson	...	Plastic Surgeon

Storyline

In Los Angeles, Nikki is homeless, car-less and closing in on 30, but he's amoral, good-looking, and adept in the sack, moving from one wealthy woman of 35 or 40 to another, a kept boy-toy. His newest gig, with Samantha, an attorney whose house overlooks L.A., is sweet, although it's unclear how long she'll put up with him. Then Nikki meets Heather, a waitress. Is the player being played, or might this be love? What will Nikki discover?

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | pick up artist | player | womanizer | stripper pole | 

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Taglines:

The guy who sleeps his way through life will get the ultimate wake-up call.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 July 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

L.A. Gigolo

Filming Locations:

Royal Carlton - 5611 Carlton Way, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$122,948, 16 August 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$249,590, 6 September 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Barbarian Films, Katalyst Films, Oceana Media Finance

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The party scene very early in the movie that introduces Anne Heche is an impressively orchestrated long take (no cuts) lasting more than three and a half minutes.

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Goofs

As the fiancee's family own the NY Rangers, he would not likely send an overnight letter from his home address. It would be from a corporate address.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nikki: My whole life it was obvious I was going to end up in this city. I don't want to be arrogant here, but I'm an incredibly attractive man. I can't help it, I don't try to be, I just am. When I was a kid my mother's best friend used to tell me that I was gonna be a little heart breaker. Turns out she was right. Her husband came home from work one day and found us fuckin' on the Stairmaster. Los Angeles, California - that's where all the beautiful little heart breakers go to live the ...

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Men Who Stare at Goats/A Christmas Carol/Precious (2009)

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Soundtracks

The Garden That You Planted
Performed by Sea Wolf
Written by Alex Brown Church
Courtesy of Dangerbird Records, LLC
Affiliated Music Publishing o/b/o Dangerbird Songs (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Sexy, subversive and very surprising...

Spread is an unusual little film. I say 'little', as it's essentially a low budget character-driven drama that is some how being commercially packaged as a rom-com. A quick glance at the credits reveals that this isn't your average Kutcher vehicle: it's directed by Scotland's David Mackenzie of "Young Adam" and "Hallam Foe" fame.

Make no mistake, the Kutcher we see at the start of the film is very familiar: arrogant, uptight and utterly beautiful. But as the run-time flies past, we somehow warm to his character even though he's getting more sex than most of us will get in a lifetime. And here's the good news: Kutcher's performance is fairly astounding. He manages to reveal the humanity in his deeply flawed character with notable subtlety and a distinct lack of cliché. Kutcher's (many) sexual relationships portrayed in the film are brutally realistic: the modern and perhaps unromantic realities of casual sex are not dressed-up in any cheap Hollywood moralising. This is also evident in the overall tone of the film: there are many moments that could have descended into schmaltz, but a sharp edge it maintained on just about every line of dialogue.

Kutcher fans: beware. This is a real departure for the actor, but thank goodness: it's a movie with all the superficial gloss of Hollywood and all the invention of an indie flick.