Don McKay (2009)

Don McKay, a high school janitor who leaves his hometown after a tragedy, returns 25 years later to rekindle a romance with his old flame, who is dying, but this homecoming brings McKay more than he bargained for.

Director:

Jake Goldberger

Writer:

Jake Goldberger

Stars:

Thomas Haden Church, Elisabeth Shue, Melissa Leo

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Thomas Haden Church	...	Don McKay
Rachel Harker	...	School Secretary
Stephen Benson	...	Principal Edwards
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Samuel
Melissa Leo	...	Marie (as Melissa Chessington Leo)
Elisabeth Shue	...	Sonny
Amanda George	...	Clerk (as Amanda Donaghey)
James Rebhorn	...	Dr. Lance Pryce
Bates Wilder	...	Officer Tierney
Keith David	...	Otis Kent
Melissa Rosal	...	Hostess
Meagan Hawkes	...	Colleen Simmons
Dossy Peabody	...	Cafeteria Worker
Robert Wahlberg	...	Alfred
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Mel

Storyline

Don McKay is living a very lowly life as a janitor. Then he receives a letter from his high school girlfriend, Sonny, who announces that she is dying and that she needs him to come back home. But when Don arrives back in his hometown, he finds Sonny's doctor has a crush on her and has no intention of letting Don back into her life, and the rest of the town remembers the tragedy that drove Don away in the first place and they have no intention of letting Don come back, at least not without paying some dues.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | two word title | school janitor | male female relationship | dead body wrapped in carpet | 

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Taglines:

Some secrets are better left buried.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Don McKay

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Moment of Truth

Filming Locations:

Andover, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,919, 2 April 2010, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Animus Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Jake Goldberger mentions in the DVD commentary that he had an extensive conversation with Sissy Spacek about her playing the role of Marie.

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Goofs

When the taxi comes to pick Don up at Sonny's house the last time, it's obviously a different (younger) driver behind the wheel. When it cuts to the interior of the cab in the next scene, it's old Samuel driving the cab.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Cop Out/The Crazies/A Prophet (2010)

User Reviews

Two Femmes Fatale for the Price of One

Thomas Haden Church stars as the soft-spoken and slow-moving (but not necessarily slow-witted) titular character in this surprisingly entertaining black comedy.

Why do I say surprising? Oh, because it faded quickly into oblivion and has such a low score here at IMDb. And I admit that I at first had trouble getting into the film's weird (and I don't think always intentionally so) rhythm. Like a lot of black comedies, it takes time to establish its tone and cue you in on what you should and shouldn't be finding funny. Unfortunately, Church isn't up to the task of being our confident guide. His attempts to play Don McKay, a janitor who's summoned back to his hometown by a dying ex-girlfriend, as a shuffling and seemingly dim bulb come across instead as stiff and baffled. But the film is saved by playful performances by Elisabeth Shue, as this sordid crime film's femme fatale, and especially Melissa Leo, as a suspicious nurse who channels Judith Anderson from Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca." It's up to these two, who are clearly having a ball with their roles, to get the film and us firmly into the black comedy spirit, and once they do so, the film plays as a quirky and entertaining bit of fun.

Grade: B