Gypsy 83
Encyclopedia
Gypsy 83 is a 2001 drama film
, written and directed by Todd Stephens
, about two young goths, Gypsy and Clive, who travel to New York
for an annual festival celebrating their idol, Stevie Nicks
.
) and 18-year-old Clive Webb (Kett Turton
) are two goths living in Sandusky
, Ohio
. Gypsy's parents, Ray (John Doe
) and Velvet (Marlene Wallace), once were in a band together, and Gypsy now aspires to be a famous singer, like her idol, Stevie Nicks
. She is hesitant, because of the disappearance of her mother, to leave her father alone in Sandusky to pursue her dreams.
While checking updates on a Stevie Nicks fansite, Clive discovers the Night of a Thousand Stevies event in New York. After a long and heated discussion with Gypsy, she reveals that her mother didn't just disappear, or die: she left to follow her dream of becoming a famous singer. Despite this, Clive finally convinces Gypsy to go to New York.
Along the way, Gypsy and Clive encounter a diverse host of characters and obstacles. They miss the auditions for the Night of a Thousand Stevies, and Gypsy learns that her mother committed suicide
four years earlier. The sympathetic Mistress of Ceremonies, also her mother's best friend when she was in New York, allows Gypsy to perform a song she wrote for her mother at the end of the show.
In the end, Gypsy stays in New York to pursue her musical aspirations like her mother, and Clive returns to Sandusky to finish high school but plans to come back to New York after he graduates.
was composed by Marty Beller
. The soundtrack features well-known icons of the gothic subculture, such as The Cure
, Bauhaus
, Claire Voyant, and electronic music
artists Velvet Acid Christ
and Apoptygma Berzerk
.
with the consensus "This coming-of-age story of alienated youth is too familiar."
L.A. Outfest
Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival
Nominations
Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, written and directed by Todd Stephens
Todd Stephens
Todd Stephens is an American film director, writer, and producer. He was raised in Sandusky, Ohio, which has served as the setting for several of his films, many of which are gay-themed. He both wrote and produced the autobiographical coming out film Edge of Seventeen, which was released in 1998...
, about two young goths, Gypsy and Clive, who travel to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for an annual festival celebrating their idol, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
.
Plot
25-year-old Gypsy Vale (Sara RueSara Rue
Sara Rue is an American television actress. She is best known for the roles she played as Carmen Ferrara on the comedy-drama Popular and Claude Casey on the sitcom Less Than Perfect. She is also known as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig...
) and 18-year-old Clive Webb (Kett Turton
Kett Turton
Birkett Kealy "Kett" Turton is a Canadian actor.Kett was born in Portland, Oregon, United States and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He started acting in local theater when he was 4 years old...
) are two goths living in Sandusky
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Gypsy's parents, Ray (John Doe
John Doe (musician)
John Doe is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet and bass player. Doe founded the much-praised L.A. punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span the rock, country and folk music genres...
) and Velvet (Marlene Wallace), once were in a band together, and Gypsy now aspires to be a famous singer, like her idol, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
. She is hesitant, because of the disappearance of her mother, to leave her father alone in Sandusky to pursue her dreams.
While checking updates on a Stevie Nicks fansite, Clive discovers the Night of a Thousand Stevies event in New York. After a long and heated discussion with Gypsy, she reveals that her mother didn't just disappear, or die: she left to follow her dream of becoming a famous singer. Despite this, Clive finally convinces Gypsy to go to New York.
Along the way, Gypsy and Clive encounter a diverse host of characters and obstacles. They miss the auditions for the Night of a Thousand Stevies, and Gypsy learns that her mother committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
four years earlier. The sympathetic Mistress of Ceremonies, also her mother's best friend when she was in New York, allows Gypsy to perform a song she wrote for her mother at the end of the show.
In the end, Gypsy stays in New York to pursue her musical aspirations like her mother, and Clive returns to Sandusky to finish high school but plans to come back to New York after he graduates.
Cast
- Sara RueSara RueSara Rue is an American television actress. She is best known for the roles she played as Carmen Ferrara on the comedy-drama Popular and Claude Casey on the sitcom Less Than Perfect. She is also known as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig...
as Gypsy Vale - Kett TurtonKett TurtonBirkett Kealy "Kett" Turton is a Canadian actor.Kett was born in Portland, Oregon, United States and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He started acting in local theater when he was 4 years old...
as Clive Webb - Karen BlackKaren BlackKaren Black is an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She is noted for appearing in such films as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Great Gatsby, Rhinoceros, The Day of the Locust, Nashville, Airport 1975, and Alfred Hitchcock's final film, Family Plot...
as Bambi LeBleau, a retired singer - John DoeJohn Doe (musician)John Doe is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet and bass player. Doe founded the much-praised L.A. punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span the rock, country and folk music genres...
as Ray Vale, Gypsy's father - Marlene Wallace as Velvet Vale, Gypsy's mother
- Anson Scoville as Zechariah Peachy, an AmishAmishThe Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
runaway - Paulo CostanzoPaulo CostanzoPaulo Costanzo is a Canadian actor, who is best known for his roles in the 2000 comedy Road Trip, the sitcom Joey, which ran from 2004 to 2006, and as Evan R. Lawson in the current USA Network series Royal Pains....
as Troy, a college frat boy - Carolyn Baeumler as Lois
- Stephanie McVay as Polly Pearl
- Amanda Talbot as Connie
- Vera Beren as Empress Chi Chi Valenti, a goth club matron
- Andersen GabrychAndersen GabrychAndersen Gabrych is an American comic book writer and actor. He was born on September 4, 1973 in Tokyo, Japan and raised in Chico, California, where he was known as "Ande."-Biography:...
as Banning
Music
The film's original musicFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
was composed by Marty Beller
Marty Beller
Marty Beller is the drummer for They Might Be Giants. He has two solo albums. He also wrote and sang songs from TMBG's albums, Here Come the ABCs: "Alphabet Lost And Found", Here Come the 123s: "High Five!" and Here Comes Science: "Speed and Velocity".Beller became the full time drummer for the...
. The soundtrack features well-known icons of the gothic subculture, such as The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
, Claire Voyant, and electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
artists Velvet Acid Christ
Velvet Acid Christ
Velvet Acid Christ is an electro-industrial band based in Denver, Colorado. The band was formed in 1990, gaining limited popularity in Europe's underground nightclub scene during the mid-1990s before expanding into other markets in the goth and industrial subcultures...
and Apoptygma Berzerk
Apoptygma Berzerk
Apoptygma Berzerk is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a brand of synthpop, and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene and referring to themselves as "futurepop". Apop has won awards and top-10 spots in Germany and Scandinavia...
.
Reception
Gypsy 83 currently holds a 54% 'Fresh' rating on review aggregate website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
with the consensus "This coming-of-age story of alienated youth is too familiar."
Awards and nominations
WinsL.A. Outfest
Outfest
Outfest is an LGBT-oriented film showcase and festival in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1982 as the "Gay and Lesbian Media Festival and Conference", the name was changed to Outfest in 1994.-Programs:...
- Grand Jury Award - Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film (Kett TurtonKett TurtonBirkett Kealy "Kett" Turton is a Canadian actor.Kett was born in Portland, Oregon, United States and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He started acting in local theater when he was 4 years old...
) (Tied with Paul DanoPaul DanoPaul Franklin Dano is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in films such as L.I.E. , The Girl Next Door , Little Miss Sunshine , There Will Be Blood , and Where the Wild Things Are .-Early life:Dano was born in New York City, the son of Gladys and Paul Dano...
in L.I.E.L.I.E.L.I.E. is a 2001 American independent film about a relationship between Howie, a 15-year-old boy, and a pedophile known as 'Big John'. The title is an acronym for the Long Island Expressway. The film was directed by Michael Cuesta, who has said that the film is about exploring sexuality...
(2001))
Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
- Award for Excellence - Best New Director (Todd StephensTodd StephensTodd Stephens is an American film director, writer, and producer. He was raised in Sandusky, Ohio, which has served as the setting for several of his films, many of which are gay-themed. He both wrote and produced the autobiographical coming out film Edge of Seventeen, which was released in 1998...
)
Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
- Audience Award - Best Feature Film (Todd Stephens)
Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival
- Audience Award - Best feature film or video (Todd Stephens)
Nominations
Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
- Best Feature Film (Todd Stephens)