Disconnect (2012)

A drama centered on a group of people searching for human connections in today's wired world.

Director:

Henry Alex Rubin (as Henry-Alex Rubin)

Writer:

Andrew Stern

Stars:

Jason Bateman, Jonah Bobo, Haley Ramm

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Bateman	...	Rich Boyd
Hope Davis	...	Lydia Boyd
Frank Grillo	...	Mike Dixon
Michael Nyqvist	...	Stephen Schumacher
Paula Patton	...	Cindy Hull
Andrea Riseborough	...	Nina Dunham
Alexander Skarsgård	...	Derek Hull
Max Thieriot	...	Kyle
Colin Ford	...	Jason Dixon
Jonah Bobo	...	Ben Boyd
Haley Ramm	...	Abby Boyd
Norbert Leo Butz	...	Peter
Kasi Lemmons	...	Roberta Washington
John Sharian	...	Ross Lynd
Aviad Bernstein	...	Frye

Storyline

A hard-working lawyer, attached to his cell phone, can't find the time to communicate with his family. A couple is drawn into a dangerous situation when their secrets are exposed online. A widowed ex-cop struggles to raise a mischievous son who cyber-bullies a classmate. An ambitious journalist sees a career-making story in a teen that performs on an adult-only site. They are strangers, neighbors and colleagues and their stories collide in this riveting dramatic thriller about ordinary people struggling to connect in today's wired world.

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male | bare chested boy | bare chested teenage boy | ex cop | journalist | 

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Taglines:

Look Up

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, some graphic nudity, language, violence and drug use - some involving teens

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Henry Alex Rubin had always intended the title to be just a noun and was surprised by people who interpreted it as an imperative and a message from the film, saying "Disconnect [from the Internet]!"

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Goofs

With the exception of Nina Dunham's iPhone 5, the phones used by most characters are actually iPod Touch devices.

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Quotes

Kyle: You don't wanna see me jack off or play with these toys or anything? You really just wanna... you just wanna chat?

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Connections

Spoofs Children of the Corn (1984)

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Soundtracks

Tornado
Performed by Jon Thor Birgisson (as Jonsi)
Written by Jon Thor Birgisson
Published by Universal-Songs of Polygram International, Inc. on behalf of Universal Music Publishing Ltd.
Courtesy of XL Recordings
By arrangement with Beggars Group Media Limited

User Reviews

Making Connections

And the award for the 2013 film most reminiscent of the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Crash" goes to "Disconnect."

Though, in defense of "Disconnect," it's a much better film than Paul Haggis's hot mess. It's directed by Henry Alex-Rubin, whose only other screen credit that I'm personally familiar with is the excellent 2005 documentary "Murderball." It examines the toll social media takes on personal relationships, and like "Crash," it examines the paradox of a world in which communication with other humans is easier than ever before, yet in which everyone feels lonelier than ever. It brings together a number of stories and makes connections between them, and like any screenplay that relies heavily on this narrative approach, some of the connections are more graceful than others. The film culminates in a montage of violence, in which the characters in the various stories finally and literally connect with each other in the only way they know how -- through violence. Parts of this climax, particularly a story featuring Alexander Skarsgaard and Paula Patton as a married couple who fall victim to identity theft, felt over done, but Alex-Rubin mostly keeps a firm and sensible hand on his material and doesn't let his film become preachy the way "Crash" did.

One of the things I liked most about "Disconnect" was the way it captured just how reliant we as a race have fallen to all electronic devices. Some type of gadget makes an appearance in literally every scene of the movie -- characters sit around checking their phones, listening to their music, tapping away at their laptops -- and yet it didn't feel forced by the screenplay in order to make a point. It felt like the way the world actually looks now.

Grade: A-

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 July 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Desconectados

Filming Locations:

Oceanside, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$124,000, 14 April 2013

Gross USA:

$1,436,900

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,428,048

Company Credits

Production Co:

LD Entertainment, Liddell Entertainment, Exclusive Media Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1