Home Fries (film)

For the food, see Home fries.
Home Fries

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Dean Parisot
Produced by Mark Johnson
Lawrence Kasdan
Barry Levinson
Charles Newirth
Written by Vince Gilligan
Starring Drew Barrymore
Luke Wilson
Catherine O'Hara
Shelley Duvall
Jake Busey
Music by Rachel Portman
Cinematography Jerzy Zielinski
Edited by Nicholas C. Smith
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • November 25, 1998 (1998-11-25)
Running time
 91 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $15 million[1]
Box office $10,513,979 (US)[1]

Home Fries is a 1998 film directed by Dean Parisot, starring Drew Barrymore, Luke Wilson and Jake Busey. The script was originally penned by writer Vince Gilligan for a film class at New York University. It was filmed in Lockhart, Taylor and Bastrop, Texas.[2]

Plot

The film opens at Burger-Matic, where Henry Lever (Chris Ellis) orders a milkshake at the drive-thru. At the window, he tells the attendant, Sally Jackson (Drew Barrymore), that his wife knows about their affair. She asks him if he has also told his wife about her pregnancy. On his way home, he encounters a ferocious wind. It turns out to be an attack helicopter, which runs him off the road. In a panic, he flees through the woods and drops his heart medication. At an outdoor chapel, he sits on a bench as the helicopter hovers in front of him. The pilot, Angus Montier (Jake Busey), shoots at the ground near him despite the protests of his copilot and brother, Dorian (Luke Wilson). The shots scare him enough to cause a fatal heart attack.

Throughout their attack, Dorian and Angus can hear the chatter of Sally and her coworkers. Likewise, they can hear the helicopter pilots on their headsets. The next day, the police inform Beatrice Lever (Catherine O'Hara) that Henry has died. She appears shocked and crestfallen, when Dorian and Angus arrive. It quickly becomes clear that she encouraged her sons to scare him to death. She is also furious about his affair, and wants revenge on his mistress. Angus and Dorian are worried that the people they heard on the radio might have overheard enough to connect them to his death. They quickly deduce that Burger-Matic is the only location close enough to have been on the same frequency. Angus goads Dorian into getting a job there to ensure that no one is wise to their crime.

Sally is heartbroken at the news about Henry. At work, Dorian bonds with her quickly. He gives her a model helicopter for her baby, and he explains that he and Angus fly them as reservists for the National Guard. She asks him to accompany her to lamaze class, since she doesn't have a partner. Eventually, he takes her to the base to see the helicopter that he flies. As she sits in the cockpit, she tells him about Henry.

Knowing that his mother is still furious about Henry's affair and that Angus would hurt Sally if he knew her identity, Dorian frantically tries to keep the truth from his family. When Angus discovers Sally's identity, Beatrice visits her under the pretense of making amends. Dorian is terrified of what Angus might do out of a misplaced loyalty to their crazy mother. Sure enough, he arrives at Sally's house in the attack helicopter. She, Dorian, and Beatrice escape in a truck. He eventually forces them to stop on the road. Beatrice pretends to be unaware of what is going on and leaves the truck. Dorian gradually convinces Angus to stop his attack.

The stress of the chase triggers Sally's labor, and Dorian drives her to the hospital. After she has a boy, he talks to him. He struggles to explain how they are related, and he tells him that he is lucky to have the best mother in the world.

Cast

Critical reception

The films received negative reviews from critics. It currently holds a 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film a mixed review, writing, "Home Fries is not a great movie, and as much as I finally enjoyed it, I'm not sure it's worth seeing two times just to get into the rhythm. More character and less plot might have been a good idea. But the actors are tickled by their characters and have fun with them, and so I did, too."[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Home Fries - Box Office Data". The Numbers. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  2. ↑ Home Fries at the Internet Movie Database
  3. ↑ Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times, film review, November 25, 1998. Last accessed: January 26, 2011.

External links

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