Lymelife
Encyclopedia
Lymelife is an independently produced comedy/drama written by brothers Derick Martini
and Steven Martini
, and directed by Derick Martini, depicting aspects of their life in 1970s Long Island
from the perspective of a teenager. The film stars Alec Baldwin
, Rory Culkin
, and Emma Roberts
. Martin Scorsese
was executive producer
.
The score of the film was written by Steven Martini and performed by his band The Spaceship Martini
.
The film debuted at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
, in September 2008 and won the International Federation of Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI
).. After its theatrical release in 2009, writer director Derick Martini
was nominated for a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Director.
converge in the heart of suburbia. Fifteen-year-old Scott Bartlett (Rory Culkin) is a gentle boy, radically different from his blustery father Mickey (Alec Baldwin) and tightly wired mother Brenda (Jill Hennessy). An outbreak of Lyme disease, as well as the accompanying paranoia, hits their suburban community hard. When the Bartletts' neighbor Charlie Bragg (Timothy Hutton) is diagnosed with the illness, Brenda calms her fears by duct-taping Scott's cuffs shut.
Despite the onset of this mysterious ailment, the two families are quite busy. Since Charlie is unable to work, his wife Melissa (Cynthia Nixon) must keep the income flowing herself. She is hired by Mickey, who is the developer of an enormous subdivision, and though this gesture is a friendly favor, it is also partially motivated by lust. Mickey's history of philandering is one of the many things upsetting his wife Brenda, who yearns for the comfort of their old neighborhood in Queens. Growing up amid this conflict is Scott, who has been in love with the Braggs' one year-older daughter Adrianna (Emma Roberts) for all of his young life. She is starting to return his interest.
Things heat up when Jimmy (Kieran Culkin), Scott's older brother, comes home from the army on their mom's birthday. It has been a year since Scott found condoms under their bed, and even the comfort of her sons' presence doesn't seem to overcome the shame and nervousness the failing marriage is causing her. Scott thinks she is crazy, but Jimmy knows the full story, and is the only one who treats her lovingly. Scott has developed the same behaviors toward her shown by the frustrated, but also guilty father.
However, this is soon to end, since the not-well-kept secret comes out. Finally, Brenda leaves early from Jimmy's going-away party, when it is clear from the way the couple is drunkenly dancing, that there is a relationship occurring. Jimmy and Mickey have a confrontation.
But circumstances shift when Scott learns of the affair and confronts his mother. Adrianna helps him through this, but shuns him after a rumor spread from a lie he tells a friend after she gets serious with an older boy. Once Brenda can no longer look the other way, she kicks Mickey out of the house, and he moves in next door where he has been building a larger, more modern house for the family. Brenda is once again able to act the role of an effective parent, at one point driving Scott to the house of a boy he just beat up to apologize. Scott is suspended from school for a week, and his mother takes him to his father's house so they can join forces in this crisis, but Mickey turns the conversation into an opportunity to vent his own continued anger toward her.
Charlie also confronts Mickey after he witnesses the affair firsthand, since he has been spending days in the basement, while his wife believes he is in Manhattan on job interviews. He is obsessed with hunting deer, though he has not done so for two full years. Scott often comes across him in the woods between their houses shooting targets, and they have a good relationship, one of the only ones Charlie is able to maintain throughout his illness. When his wife finds out that he has been letting her earn the family's keep, she packs to leave. In the final scene, which occurs the morning after Scott's confirmation, Scott and Adrianna reconnect and lose their virginities
to each other. Brenda and Mickey also reconcile that night, and the following morning, Mickey is hanging a "For Sale" sign at the new house when Scott and Adrianna get on the school bus. Meanwhile, Charlie is stalking a deer in the woods with his rifle, which he abruptly pulls out during the confrontation with his wife. The movie ends with a shots of the various characters and a gunshot is heard while the camera is on Scott and Adrianna riding the school bus, revealing that Charlie has shot Mickey.
. Other locations were nearby, also in New Jersey
.
, despite the fact that neither of the Martini brothers had any connection to Baldwin. Derick Martini
is frequently quoted as having seen Baldwin's portrayal of Stanley Kowalski
on Broadway in ""A Streetcar Named Desire
" as a young teenager, and it being an "eye opening" experience for him.
Jill Hennessey was offered the role of Brenda Bartlett after Jennifer Jason Leigh
left the film and her replacement, Anne Heche
, insisted on wearing a wig.
Derick Martini
chose to circumvent the conventional casing process, specifically "cold readings", and instead cast the actors based on viewing their previous work. Emma Roberts
was the only main actor who wanted to audition for the director despite not having to.
. The funds to make the film were not raised until 2008. Despite the three year hiatus, nearly the entire original cast made time in their schedules to participate in the film.
The total budget for the film was 1.5 million dollars. The shooting schedule was a scant 22 days, made only more difficult to complete due to the director's insistence on using older, larger and heavier Anamorphic lenses.
and won the International Federation of Film Critics award (FIPRESCI
). It landed on several of 2009's critic's "Top Ten Lists" and was praised for its performances and directorial style, but criticized for its story's familiarity.
Box office=
The film began its North American theatrical release in April of 2009. Initially, Lymelife was only shown on screens in New York and Los Angeles but eventually expanded to screens in almost every major and minor U.S city. Foreign theatrical was more fruitful, opening on screens in nearly every major foreign territory, which is rare for a smaller American independent.
Derick Martini
Derick Patrick Martini is an American screenwriter and film director.-Film and television:Martini's film writing credits include the coming of age comedy Lymelife...
and Steven Martini
Steven Martini
Steven Martini is a writer, actor, composer, editor, and singer/songwriter who with his brother Derick Martini wrote the film Lymelife. Based on experiences from the Martini's childhood, Lymelife won the FIPRESCI award at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, and premiered at the 2009...
, and directed by Derick Martini, depicting aspects of their life in 1970s Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
from the perspective of a teenager. The film stars Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
, Rory Culkin
Rory Culkin
Rory Hugh Culkin is an American actor and is the younger brother of actors Macaulay Culkin and Kieran Culkin.-Personal life:...
, and Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts
Emma Rose Roberts is an American actress, model and singer. She is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts. Roberts became known for her role as Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon television series Unfabulous. She released her debut album, which also served as the show's...
. Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
was executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
.
The score of the film was written by Steven Martini and performed by his band The Spaceship Martini
The Spaceship Martini
The Spaceship Martini is a Los Angeles based indie rock band most notably known for scoring the indie film Lymelife, starring Alec Baldwin, Timothy Hutton, Emma Roberts, Rory and Kieran Culkin...
.
The film debuted at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
2008 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This 33rd annual festival was from September 4 to September 13, 2008...
, in September 2008 and won the International Federation of Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
).. After its theatrical release in 2009, writer director Derick Martini
Derick Martini
Derick Patrick Martini is an American screenwriter and film director.-Film and television:Martini's film writing credits include the coming of age comedy Lymelife...
was nominated for a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Director.
Synopsis
Set in 1979 Syosset, Long Island, New York, Lymelife follows two families who crumble when tangled relationships, real estate problems and Lyme diseaseLyme disease
Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto is the main cause of Lyme disease in the United States, whereas Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii cause most...
converge in the heart of suburbia. Fifteen-year-old Scott Bartlett (Rory Culkin) is a gentle boy, radically different from his blustery father Mickey (Alec Baldwin) and tightly wired mother Brenda (Jill Hennessy). An outbreak of Lyme disease, as well as the accompanying paranoia, hits their suburban community hard. When the Bartletts' neighbor Charlie Bragg (Timothy Hutton) is diagnosed with the illness, Brenda calms her fears by duct-taping Scott's cuffs shut.
Despite the onset of this mysterious ailment, the two families are quite busy. Since Charlie is unable to work, his wife Melissa (Cynthia Nixon) must keep the income flowing herself. She is hired by Mickey, who is the developer of an enormous subdivision, and though this gesture is a friendly favor, it is also partially motivated by lust. Mickey's history of philandering is one of the many things upsetting his wife Brenda, who yearns for the comfort of their old neighborhood in Queens. Growing up amid this conflict is Scott, who has been in love with the Braggs' one year-older daughter Adrianna (Emma Roberts) for all of his young life. She is starting to return his interest.
Things heat up when Jimmy (Kieran Culkin), Scott's older brother, comes home from the army on their mom's birthday. It has been a year since Scott found condoms under their bed, and even the comfort of her sons' presence doesn't seem to overcome the shame and nervousness the failing marriage is causing her. Scott thinks she is crazy, but Jimmy knows the full story, and is the only one who treats her lovingly. Scott has developed the same behaviors toward her shown by the frustrated, but also guilty father.
However, this is soon to end, since the not-well-kept secret comes out. Finally, Brenda leaves early from Jimmy's going-away party, when it is clear from the way the couple is drunkenly dancing, that there is a relationship occurring. Jimmy and Mickey have a confrontation.
But circumstances shift when Scott learns of the affair and confronts his mother. Adrianna helps him through this, but shuns him after a rumor spread from a lie he tells a friend after she gets serious with an older boy. Once Brenda can no longer look the other way, she kicks Mickey out of the house, and he moves in next door where he has been building a larger, more modern house for the family. Brenda is once again able to act the role of an effective parent, at one point driving Scott to the house of a boy he just beat up to apologize. Scott is suspended from school for a week, and his mother takes him to his father's house so they can join forces in this crisis, but Mickey turns the conversation into an opportunity to vent his own continued anger toward her.
Charlie also confronts Mickey after he witnesses the affair firsthand, since he has been spending days in the basement, while his wife believes he is in Manhattan on job interviews. He is obsessed with hunting deer, though he has not done so for two full years. Scott often comes across him in the woods between their houses shooting targets, and they have a good relationship, one of the only ones Charlie is able to maintain throughout his illness. When his wife finds out that he has been letting her earn the family's keep, she packs to leave. In the final scene, which occurs the morning after Scott's confirmation, Scott and Adrianna reconnect and lose their virginities
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
to each other. Brenda and Mickey also reconcile that night, and the following morning, Mickey is hanging a "For Sale" sign at the new house when Scott and Adrianna get on the school bus. Meanwhile, Charlie is stalking a deer in the woods with his rifle, which he abruptly pulls out during the confrontation with his wife. The movie ends with a shots of the various characters and a gunshot is heard while the camera is on Scott and Adrianna riding the school bus, revealing that Charlie has shot Mickey.
Shooting locations
Portions of the film were shot at Montclair High School in Montclair, New JerseyMontclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
. Other locations were nearby, also in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Casting
The role of Mickey Bartlett was written specifically for Alec BaldwinAlec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
, despite the fact that neither of the Martini brothers had any connection to Baldwin. Derick Martini
Derick Martini
Derick Patrick Martini is an American screenwriter and film director.-Film and television:Martini's film writing credits include the coming of age comedy Lymelife...
is frequently quoted as having seen Baldwin's portrayal of Stanley Kowalski
Stanley Kowalski
Stanley Kowalski is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire.-In the play:Stanley lives in the working class Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans with his wife, Stella , and is employed as a factory parts salesman. He was an Army engineer in WWII, having...
on Broadway in ""A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was...
" as a young teenager, and it being an "eye opening" experience for him.
Jill Hennessey was offered the role of Brenda Bartlett after Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh is an American film and stage actress, best known for her roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Single White Female, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Georgia and Short Cuts...
left the film and her replacement, Anne Heche
Anne Heche
Anne Celeste Heche is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She started her career on the daytime soap opera Another World, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991. Heche gradually landed supporting roles in feature films, and in 1997 appeared in I Know What You Did Last Summer,...
, insisted on wearing a wig.
Derick Martini
Derick Martini
Derick Patrick Martini is an American screenwriter and film director.-Film and television:Martini's film writing credits include the coming of age comedy Lymelife...
chose to circumvent the conventional casing process, specifically "cold readings", and instead cast the actors based on viewing their previous work. Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts
Emma Rose Roberts is an American actress, model and singer. She is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts. Roberts became known for her role as Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon television series Unfabulous. She released her debut album, which also served as the show's...
was the only main actor who wanted to audition for the director despite not having to.
Production
In the Spring of 2005 the film, which was plagued with insufficient funds, was shut down on the eve of Principal photographyPrincipal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
. The funds to make the film were not raised until 2008. Despite the three year hiatus, nearly the entire original cast made time in their schedules to participate in the film.
The total budget for the film was 1.5 million dollars. The shooting schedule was a scant 22 days, made only more difficult to complete due to the director's insistence on using older, larger and heavier Anamorphic lenses.
Critical reception
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
and won the International Federation of Film Critics award (FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
). It landed on several of 2009's critic's "Top Ten Lists" and was praised for its performances and directorial style, but criticized for its story's familiarity.
Box office=
The film began its North American theatrical release in April of 2009. Initially, Lymelife was only shown on screens in New York and Los Angeles but eventually expanded to screens in almost every major and minor U.S city. Foreign theatrical was more fruitful, opening on screens in nearly every major foreign territory, which is rare for a smaller American independent.