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Sonny (James Franco), is the son of Jewel (Brenda Blethyn) who runs a small brothel in New Orleans. Sonny returns home from the army, staying with his mother while waiting to start a new job promised to him by an army buddy. Jewel tries to convince Sonny to come back to working for her as he had before the army, saying many of his old clients still miss him and he was the best gigolo she had ever had. Sonny repeatedly turns her down, wanting to leave that life behind. However, the job he was promised never materializes and he is forced to return to working for his mother. Jewel had recently recruited a new girl to the brothel, Carol (Mena Suvari), who meets Sonny and falls in love with him. They talk of getting out together. One of Carol's clients, an older man, proposes to her. She initially declines, hoping to go away with Sonny. She and Sonny fall out as he fails to make an effort to get out of the business, instead becoming increasingly introverted and depressed, with occasional outbursts as he looks for more work. Ultimately, Carol accepts the marriage proposal and moves on. This is a pretty gritty and believable tale about the seedy underbelly of life in New Orleans, where the crime, sex, and gambling industry has flourished for generations. I enjoyed this film.Read full review
This movie is beautiful. I didn't expect much of it (having seen Ethan Hawke's "Chelsea Walls" a few months earlier), but from the moment I heard the first NOTE of music (on a black screen), I was captivated. I remember thinking, "don't feel the need to fill the screen yet. Just let the music play for a bit. No image yet, no image yet." And it was the most gratifying thing ever too see that Cage DID let the haunting music play with only a black screen for just long enough. That was a rare something that really impressed me from the start. After that, I was captivated by the beautiful shots, the unusual storyline, and the acting, man! James Franco is a star, and incredibly attractive (of course, but still. I mean he IS "Adonis," as his mother called him). This just made the movie completely real for me. I loved his accent and his strained, bare, smile that was always filmed at an intriguing angle. Weird, but very very good. Harry Dean Stanton was like someone from another place and time entirely...I fell in love with him. He was entirely real. And Brenda Blethyn...what an actress! I watched the entire movie without recognizing her from "Lovely and Amazing"! Her voice was really impressive. Those three would make any movie worth watching. And Mena Suvari was right, I suppose, for the role...young, whiny, and a bit fickle. The music was perfect, too. That's pretty rare in movies. But Cage didn't hesitate to use whatever music was right for the moment or the scene, regardless of previous stigmas. And the ending was amazing. As the credits rolled, many of the people around me were grumbling a bit. Well, like I said, I didn't EXPECT to like this movie, but it ended up being one of the two best new movies I've seen all year. I can't wait until it's released so that I can watch it again. And I wouldn't call it "seedy." There's no unnecessary sex. It's just part of the story...(and note that Sonny and Carol are never shown having sex.) Nice work!Read full review
Nicolas Cage is one of my favorite actors and he did amazing directing it. You feel the struggle of the main actor in this movie and the sadness and pain every scene and frame of this movie has you hoping the lead actor will break free even when the lead character himself feels all hope is lost. It's a real compelling movie. I now only need to buy 34 more movies to own everything he has ever acted in or directed.
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i worked on this flick, and wanted it for my archives. i was lead scenic, and the sets looked good. but, if i recall the reviews from when it came out (for the week it stayed out!), it was called possibly the worst movie ever made by a human being. while i've seen more dreadful movies than this, it was bad. when i saw it, the first thing that came to mind was how much better it could be with Harry Connick jr. as sonny, and Susan Sarandon as his mother. it would have cost more, but maybe nicholas (cage) would have had to drive himself around in the lamborghini, and ditch the chauffeur. sometimes you get what you pay for.
Love James Franco, ALL the cast, even the small yet felt so large, role, Josie Davis played. (can't believe the little girl from Charles In Charge turned out this gorgeous and to be such a brilliant actress! Nick Cage is crazy in this!!!