The Backseat (2014)

A feature length coming of age story about high school love, punk rock, and hemorrhoids.

Director:

Ryan O'Leary

Writer:

Ryan O'Leary

Stars:

André De Shields, Jenna Michno, John Thomas Cramer

8 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
André De Shields	...	Mr. Davies
Jenna Michno	...	Kelly
John Thomas Cramer	...	David Offerman (as John Cramer)
Chris Bellant	...	Roy Offerman
Pamela Martin	...	Receptionist
Craig McDonald-Kelly	...	Larry DiMarco (as Craig Kelly)
Allyson Reilly	...	Samantha
Costa Nicholas	...	Mike Peterson
Lori Hamilton	...	Debra Offerman
Richie Banks	...	Self
Rebekah Nelson	...	Gym Class Bully
Paul Yarbrough	...	Study Hall Bully
Janice Messitte	...	Jerry
Vanessa Cuccia	...	Dr. Rosenberg
Frank Marsico	...	Samantha's Dad

Storyline

High school social outcasts Roy Offerman and Larry DiMarco struggle to find a drummer for their new punk rock band, Witness My Jehovah. As Roy will learn, sometimes finding the answer to one problem only brings about a host of others. Immediately after finding a drummer, Roy is plagued by a raging case of hemorrhoids. This causes his parents to be confused about his sexuality, and starts up all sorts of new rumors at school. In the most unexpected place, Roy meets his dream girl Samantha. As Roy and Sam's relationship develops, Witness My Jehovah lands their first big gig at a local music venue. When things don't go as planned, Roy is faced with some of the biggest decisions he'll ever have to make.

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Plot Keywords:

school | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Backseat was featured on the cover of the January 2014 edition of NewFilmmakers NY's weekly newspaper, which also included an interview with star, Chris Bellant.

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Soundtracks

SeeNo.HearNo
Written and Performed by Rigbi

User Reviews

Sadly, the film was so offensive and nasty that I couldn't recommend it to anyone.

Chris Bellant stars in this film as Roy...a very insecure high schooler who is trying to create a new band. Along the way, he meets Samantha (Allyson Reilly) and they soon fall in love. Watching them together is often very sweet, though later Roy becomes incredibly jealous and controlling and loses her. Can Roy get it together or his he destined to remain alone and miserable?

"The Backseat" is a very frustrating film to watch. On one hand, it features a cute relationship between two teens who seem so much more normal than your typical romance. Neither is gorgeous and I think this is a big strength of the movie. Unfortunately, while the film generally does a good job with these two, it also has two serious problems. Roy, while very sweet and cute, becomes so fantastically controlling and jealous that the film is a bit creepy. The film seems to give a mixed message about this...as if it might just be okay! But a much more serious problem is that the movie is so incredibly crude and offensive--something you would not normally want from a romance! How offensive? REALLY offensive. So offensive that it would be a serious turnoff to most couples. IMDb has a policy which prevents me from quoting from the most egregious examples but include many comments about anal intercourse, gay slurs and some horribly demeaning comments about the developmentally challenged that made me cringe--and it would most likely do the same to most viewers. These comments as well as a few of the songs are not exactly romantic...to say the least. Now I am not a super politically correct sort of guy but that clearly was beyond what most folks would consider offensive.

The bottom line is that this film is incredibly uneven--as if some talented actors and a director were given a script written by Bevis and Butthead. They and the audience deserve better.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 January 2014 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Monroe Township, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Noteworthy Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1