Daddy Longlegs (2009)

A father juggling his kids with the rest of his responsibilities is ultimately faced with the choice of being their father or their friend.

Directors:

Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

Writers:

Ronald Bronstein (with more from), Benny Safdie

Stars:

Ronald Bronstein, Alex Greenblatt, Sage Ranaldo

4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ronald Bronstein	...	Lenny
Alex Greenblatt	...	Alex
Sage Ranaldo	...	Sage Sokol
Frey Ranaldo	...	Frey Sokol
Victor Puccio	...	Principal Puccio
Lance 'Batman' Chamberlain	...	Vietnam Vet #1
Baker Suitson	...	Vietnam Vet #2
Peter Cramer	...	Cruiser at 'Y'
Eleonore Hendricks	...	Leni
Sean Price Williams	...	Dale (as Sean Williams)
Dakota O'Hara	...	Roberta (as Dakota Goldhor)
Jonny Napalm	...	Guy in Bar (as Johnny Napalm)
Simone Parker	...	Bartender
Aren Topdijian	...	Aren (Boyfriend) (as Aren Topdjian)
Danny Callahan	...	Tow Truck Driver

Storyline

After months of being alone, sad, busy, sidetracked, free, lofty, late and away from his kids, Lenny, 34 with graying frazzled hair, picks his kids up from school. Every year he spends a couple of weeks with his sons Sage, 9, and Frey, 7. Lenny juggles his kids and everything else all within a midtown studio apartment in New York City. He ultimately faces the choice of being their father or their friend all with the idea that these two weeks must last 6 months. In these two weeks, a trip upstate, visitors from strange lands, a mother, a girlfriend, "magic" blankets, and complete lawlessness seem to take over their lives. The film is a swan song to excuses and responsibilities; to fatherhood and self-created experiences, and to what it's like to be truly torn between being a child and being an adult.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | father son relationship | mumblecore | mosquito | divorce | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

IFC Films [United States]

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

Daddy Longlegs

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,323, 16 May 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$20,728, 30 May 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Neistat Scott & Associates, Neistat, Scott and Associates, Red Bucket Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo (LtRt)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Co-director Josh Safdie approached the young actors after spotting them on the streets of New York and immediately went up to them and asked them and their mother if they wanted to be in the film.

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Connections

References A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

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Soundtracks

Oh Lord, Please Forgive Me Now
Performed by Bruce Hirdler
[Special thanks to Irwin Chusio]

User Reviews

Good enough to make me wish I'd liked it more.

The Safdie Brothers certainly served their apprenticeship. Their 2009 film "Daddy Longlegs" (aka "Go Get Some Rosemary"), is as independent and as close to 'cinema verite' as American cinema gets and its study of a deadbeat father's relationship with his sons is full of an improvisatorary feeling where the players don't so much act their parts as live them; we could be watching a documentary.

There's no plot, just a series of nicely observed slices of life filmed on the streets of the Safdie's native New York and showing all the promise of early Scorsese. Where it falls down is in its lack of any kind of substantial drama not, of course, that great drama happens very much in everyday life but after a certain length of time people-watching can become a tad dull. What sustains the film is the superbly naturalistic performance of Ronald Bronstein as the father, (he was also one of the film's co-writers). A newcomer, it's almost impossible to say where Bronstein ends and his character begins. He's wonderful in the part but he's also the kind of man I would cross the street to avoid, lacking as he does any sense of responsibility. The kids, too, are excellent, again not so much 'acting' as simply playing extentions of themselves. The film itself comes over as a cross between autobiography and homage and is a little too personal for mass consumption. It's sufficiently good that I wish I liked it more.