FOLLOWING FAKE MAN (Evan of NY)
Directed By: Peter Horton
Adapted By: Peter Hedges
Cast
Homer Winthrop - Joel Courtney
Violet Winthrop - Annabella Sciorra
Fake Man - Christoph Waltz
Roger - Dominic Scott Kay
Madeline Carey - Nikki Reed
Tagline: "We all grow up with the weight of our families history."
Synopsis: Violet Winthrop needs a vacation. As a highly regarded cancer specialist from Boston, she doesn't really have much time for herself, or her thirteen year old son Homer. As soon as she was able to, Violet had sent Homer to boarding school in Connecticut so that she could focus on her work. Homer wasn't entirely happy with this decision, since he was a shy kid who wasn't very good at making friends, but how could he expect his mom to know that? She didn't know him at all. And Homer didn't know anything about his dad, besides that he had died of a neurological problem when Homer was an infant. Whenever Homer tried to talk to his mom about him, she got a headache and had to go lie down, claiming to be in too much pain to talk. Not wanting to cause his mother any more pain, Homer spends his free time doing what he loves most: painting. But, on a humid day in early June, Homer and his mother are on their way up to the small town of Monroe, Maine for a two month long vacation at the old family house that Homer had apparently stayed in when he was a baby, but hadn't heard a thing about since. On the trip with them is Madeline, Violet's assistant and part-time housekeeper, who's primary responsibility on the trip is to make sure Homer doesn't upset Violet.
The house they arrive at in Monroe is beyond Homer's wildest dreams. It's right on the water, huge, and full of paintings that his father had done before he had passed. Homer is initially impressed with the house, and the town, which is small and compactly perched around a cove. But after days of doing nothing but lying around the house complaining to Madeline, he wants nothing more than to leave. Madeline forces him out of the house and her and Homer go on long walks through town and down on the rocky beaches. For almost a week he keeps thinking he sees someone following him. One day when he's out by himself he sees a red haired boy lurking behind a bush, watching him as he sits on the beach. The boy approaches him and tells Homer his name is Roger and that he's been following him for days, since he's a spy. Roger and Homer quickly become friends, although their personalities couldn't be more different. Roger is outgoing, imaginative, and mischievous, while Homer is reticent and a realist. Homer and Roger spend a lot of time together, Roger writes comics and Homer illustrates them.
One day while the boys are on the beach, they see a strange man in a large trench coat hurrying towards the marina with a cardboard box. The boys see him every day, each time wearing a different outfit: a rain jacket one day, a quilt another, and even a sombrero once. The boys begin to call him Fake Man because of how he doesn't seem to have a singular personality. They also start to think he is doing something illegal and hatch a plan to sneak onto his boat and follow him to wherever he goes every day. Homer is reluctant but Roger convinces him that they have to follow Fake Man or they'll always wonder what he'd been up too. The boys follow Fake Man to Owl Island, where they watch as he takes off his disguise (this day a black cape) to reveal a rather normal looking man. Fake Man sets up an easel and paints and begins to work. Homer, trying to see what he's paining, knocks over an anchor. Fake Man doesn't even turn around, but he tells the boys that they can watch if they like.
Roger and Homer learn that Fake Man's name is actually Owen Castle, and he's a famous painter who disguises himself so that he won't be followed by people who only want to be with him because he's famous. They also find out that Fake Man knew Homer's father, and that he was also a well known painter. Fake Man is hesitant to tell him about his fathers death, but eventually concedes: Homer's dad had had a brain tumor and couldn't handle slowly dying, so he had killed himself. Homer realizes now why his mother got headaches every time he brought up his dad. For the rest of the summer the boys watch Owen paint, and even take a few lessons. Homer is happy he decided to follow Fake Man, because without doing so, he might never have found out who he really was: an artists son.
Press Section: Every few years, a film comes along which looks and feels like nothing we've ever seen before. "Following Fake Man" is that film. Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Barbara Ware Holmes, and adapted for the screen by Peter Hedges, "Following Fake Man" is a modern day fairy tale about friendship, family, finding yourself, and the power of art. The story centers on a teenager named Homer who is searching for the answers to who he is in a small town in coastal Maine where the father he never knew grew up. the film features an incredibly talented cast, all of whom give great performances. Annabella Sciorra is phenomenal as Violet, a mother who struggles with raising her son, both because of how much he resembles his father, and from the pain of how much she's hidden from him. Nikki Reed and Dominic Scott Kay give great supporting performances as Violet's assistant and Homer's best (and first real) friend, Roger. Christoph Waltz is also wonderful as the mysterious "fake man" Homer and Roger spy on part of the film. But the film still rests on the shoulders of Joel Courtney, who gives one of the best, most down to earth performances of the year as a teenager who is talented, lonely, sad, and a dreamer all in equal parts. Courtney plays the part to perfection, giving his characters metamorphosis by the end of the film a ring of truth. Director Peter Horton has dealt with friendship, loss, and love in films before ("The Cure"), and does a spectacular job making this film feel timeless, funny, and real. It may not be a groundbreaking mystery movie, but "Following Fake Man" is a beautifully shot film for the whole family with enough heart, brains, and soul to go around.
Awards Consideration
Best Picture
Best Director - Peter Horton
Best Adapted Screenplay - Peter Hedges
Best Actor - Joel Courtney
Best Actress - Annabella Sciorra
Best Supporting Actor - Dominic Scott Kay
Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz
Adapted By: Peter Hedges
Cast
Homer Winthrop - Joel Courtney
Violet Winthrop - Annabella Sciorra
Fake Man - Christoph Waltz
Roger - Dominic Scott Kay
Madeline Carey - Nikki Reed
Tagline: "We all grow up with the weight of our families history."
Synopsis: Violet Winthrop needs a vacation. As a highly regarded cancer specialist from Boston, she doesn't really have much time for herself, or her thirteen year old son Homer. As soon as she was able to, Violet had sent Homer to boarding school in Connecticut so that she could focus on her work. Homer wasn't entirely happy with this decision, since he was a shy kid who wasn't very good at making friends, but how could he expect his mom to know that? She didn't know him at all. And Homer didn't know anything about his dad, besides that he had died of a neurological problem when Homer was an infant. Whenever Homer tried to talk to his mom about him, she got a headache and had to go lie down, claiming to be in too much pain to talk. Not wanting to cause his mother any more pain, Homer spends his free time doing what he loves most: painting. But, on a humid day in early June, Homer and his mother are on their way up to the small town of Monroe, Maine for a two month long vacation at the old family house that Homer had apparently stayed in when he was a baby, but hadn't heard a thing about since. On the trip with them is Madeline, Violet's assistant and part-time housekeeper, who's primary responsibility on the trip is to make sure Homer doesn't upset Violet.
The house they arrive at in Monroe is beyond Homer's wildest dreams. It's right on the water, huge, and full of paintings that his father had done before he had passed. Homer is initially impressed with the house, and the town, which is small and compactly perched around a cove. But after days of doing nothing but lying around the house complaining to Madeline, he wants nothing more than to leave. Madeline forces him out of the house and her and Homer go on long walks through town and down on the rocky beaches. For almost a week he keeps thinking he sees someone following him. One day when he's out by himself he sees a red haired boy lurking behind a bush, watching him as he sits on the beach. The boy approaches him and tells Homer his name is Roger and that he's been following him for days, since he's a spy. Roger and Homer quickly become friends, although their personalities couldn't be more different. Roger is outgoing, imaginative, and mischievous, while Homer is reticent and a realist. Homer and Roger spend a lot of time together, Roger writes comics and Homer illustrates them.
One day while the boys are on the beach, they see a strange man in a large trench coat hurrying towards the marina with a cardboard box. The boys see him every day, each time wearing a different outfit: a rain jacket one day, a quilt another, and even a sombrero once. The boys begin to call him Fake Man because of how he doesn't seem to have a singular personality. They also start to think he is doing something illegal and hatch a plan to sneak onto his boat and follow him to wherever he goes every day. Homer is reluctant but Roger convinces him that they have to follow Fake Man or they'll always wonder what he'd been up too. The boys follow Fake Man to Owl Island, where they watch as he takes off his disguise (this day a black cape) to reveal a rather normal looking man. Fake Man sets up an easel and paints and begins to work. Homer, trying to see what he's paining, knocks over an anchor. Fake Man doesn't even turn around, but he tells the boys that they can watch if they like.
Roger and Homer learn that Fake Man's name is actually Owen Castle, and he's a famous painter who disguises himself so that he won't be followed by people who only want to be with him because he's famous. They also find out that Fake Man knew Homer's father, and that he was also a well known painter. Fake Man is hesitant to tell him about his fathers death, but eventually concedes: Homer's dad had had a brain tumor and couldn't handle slowly dying, so he had killed himself. Homer realizes now why his mother got headaches every time he brought up his dad. For the rest of the summer the boys watch Owen paint, and even take a few lessons. Homer is happy he decided to follow Fake Man, because without doing so, he might never have found out who he really was: an artists son.
Press Section: Every few years, a film comes along which looks and feels like nothing we've ever seen before. "Following Fake Man" is that film. Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Barbara Ware Holmes, and adapted for the screen by Peter Hedges, "Following Fake Man" is a modern day fairy tale about friendship, family, finding yourself, and the power of art. The story centers on a teenager named Homer who is searching for the answers to who he is in a small town in coastal Maine where the father he never knew grew up. the film features an incredibly talented cast, all of whom give great performances. Annabella Sciorra is phenomenal as Violet, a mother who struggles with raising her son, both because of how much he resembles his father, and from the pain of how much she's hidden from him. Nikki Reed and Dominic Scott Kay give great supporting performances as Violet's assistant and Homer's best (and first real) friend, Roger. Christoph Waltz is also wonderful as the mysterious "fake man" Homer and Roger spy on part of the film. But the film still rests on the shoulders of Joel Courtney, who gives one of the best, most down to earth performances of the year as a teenager who is talented, lonely, sad, and a dreamer all in equal parts. Courtney plays the part to perfection, giving his characters metamorphosis by the end of the film a ring of truth. Director Peter Horton has dealt with friendship, loss, and love in films before ("The Cure"), and does a spectacular job making this film feel timeless, funny, and real. It may not be a groundbreaking mystery movie, but "Following Fake Man" is a beautifully shot film for the whole family with enough heart, brains, and soul to go around.
Awards Consideration
Best Picture
Best Director - Peter Horton
Best Adapted Screenplay - Peter Hedges
Best Actor - Joel Courtney
Best Actress - Annabella Sciorra
Best Supporting Actor - Dominic Scott Kay
Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz
