Stone (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Stone is a 2010 American drama
directed by John Curran
and starring Robert De Niro
, Edward Norton
and Milla Jovovich
. Most of the filming was done in Washtenaw County, Michigan
.
Many years later, Jack (Robert De Niro) and Madylyn (Frances Conroy) return home from church for what appears to be a quiet afternoon in the life of a long-married couple approaching retirement together. Late that night, Jack is woken by a phone call telling him that his brother, Bobby, has just died. The next day, he speaks at Bobby's funeral, admitting that he once struck his brother, "Mr. Perfect", in the head with a hammer, but that his brother covered for him and he never was punished for it.
Next we see Jack at work, working as a parole officer. Jack is approaching retirement, until we meet Gerald "Stone" Creeson (Edward Norton), who is serving a ten-to-fifteen year sentence as an accessory to the murder of his grandparents. During the interview he tries to persuade Jack that he has changed and is now rehabilitated, and describes his wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) as an alien. The two also discuss, at some length, what really happened the night Stone's grandparents died.
After some visits from Lucetta, Stone continually insists to her in the importance of persuading Jack so that he can get out of jail.
Alice wears him down with persistent phone calls, and after a while they meet and they begin an affair. Meanwhile Stone is having a deep spiritual experience and when he meets again with Jack he believes that Stone is insane, anyhow he has already send his opinion to the parole committee.
Enver Gjokaj
and Pepper Binkley
appear as younger versions of Jack and Madylyn Mabry, respectively. Many Ypsilanti
residents appear as extras.
, from a screenplay
by Angus MacLachlan
. Originally written by MacLachlan in 2000 as a play
, it has been performed once, in 2003 as a staged reading. In 2005, MacLachlan turned it into a screenplay aiming for a 2010 release. The film was overseen by Mimran Schur Pictures, with the aid of producer
Holly Wiersma. Stone is the debut of Mimran Schur Pictures, formed in 2010 by private investor David Mimran and long-time music business executive and former Geffen Records
President Jordan Schur. Stone Productions, the film's production company, also aided in the production of the film.
Filming began on May 18, 2009, in Michigan
. Prison scenes were filmed at the Southern Michigan Correctional Facility in Blackman Township
. The Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Ypsilanti
hosted filming for two days. The funeral service and a few outside scenes were filmed at the Church, with locals as extras. Mast Road, in Dexter
, was closed for several weeks while the farmhouse scenes were shot at the historic Mast Farm house; and, at the end of the shoot, it was burned down.
Filming was interrupted on June 5, 2009, when an intoxicated woman got past security and accosted Robert De Niro. She was arrested and admitted to a local hospital.
Following a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival
, Stone premiered in the United States at the Fantastic Fest
in Austin, Texas
on September 24, 2010.
reports that 47% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 79 reviews, with an average score of 5.8/10. Metacritic
gave the film an average score of 57/100 based 22 reviews.
The film was a box office bomb
; as of November 11, 2010, the film has grossed US$8,463,124, which is approximately one-third of its production budget.
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
directed by John Curran
John Curran (director)
John Curran is an American film director and screenwriter.Born in Utica, New York, Curran studied illustration and design at Syracuse University, then worked as an illustrator, graphic designer, and production designer in Manhattan before moving to Sydney, Australia in 1986...
and starring Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
, Edward Norton
Edward Norton
Edward Harrison Norton is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
and Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
. Most of the filming was done in Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area...
.
Plot synopsis
Jack Mabry (Enver Gjokaj) drinks and watches a golf tournament on television, while his wife Madylyn (Pepper Binkley) takes their daughter up to bed for a nap, where an insect buzzes around the window threateningly. She goes downstairs and announces suddenly that she's leaving him. He runs upstairs to the bedroom and holds their daughter out the window, threatening to drop her if Madylyn leaves. She agrees to stay and rushes to close the window, killing the insect.Many years later, Jack (Robert De Niro) and Madylyn (Frances Conroy) return home from church for what appears to be a quiet afternoon in the life of a long-married couple approaching retirement together. Late that night, Jack is woken by a phone call telling him that his brother, Bobby, has just died. The next day, he speaks at Bobby's funeral, admitting that he once struck his brother, "Mr. Perfect", in the head with a hammer, but that his brother covered for him and he never was punished for it.
Next we see Jack at work, working as a parole officer. Jack is approaching retirement, until we meet Gerald "Stone" Creeson (Edward Norton), who is serving a ten-to-fifteen year sentence as an accessory to the murder of his grandparents. During the interview he tries to persuade Jack that he has changed and is now rehabilitated, and describes his wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) as an alien. The two also discuss, at some length, what really happened the night Stone's grandparents died.
After some visits from Lucetta, Stone continually insists to her in the importance of persuading Jack so that he can get out of jail.
Alice wears him down with persistent phone calls, and after a while they meet and they begin an affair. Meanwhile Stone is having a deep spiritual experience and when he meets again with Jack he believes that Stone is insane, anyhow he has already send his opinion to the parole committee.
Cast
- Robert De NiroRobert De NiroRobert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
as Jack Mabry, a correctional officer who is only weeks from retirement. - Edward NortonEdward NortonEdward Harrison Norton is an American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer. In 1996, his supporting role in the courtroom drama Primal Fear garnered him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor...
as Gerald "Stone" Creeson, a convicted arsonist trying to assure parole, by any means. - Milla JovovichMilla JovovichMilla Jovovich December 17, 1975)is an American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action-themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".Milla Jovovich began...
as Lucetta, Stone's wife - Frances ConroyFrances ConroyFrances Conroy is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth, the matriarch of the Fisher family, on Six Feet Under, which earned her a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award.-Early life:...
as Madylyn, Jack's wife.
Enver Gjokaj
Enver Gjokaj
Enver Leif Gjokaj is an Albanian American film and television actor. He is best known for his co-starring role as Victor in Joss Whedon's science fiction television series Dollhouse.-Early life:...
and Pepper Binkley
Pepper Binkley
-Film:Stone * Asylum Seekers as "Maud"*Eavesdrop as "Joceyln"*Let Them Chirp Awhile as "Michelle"also audobook with the last song by nicholas sparks-Television:...
appear as younger versions of Jack and Madylyn Mabry, respectively. Many Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
residents appear as extras.
Production
The film was directed by John CurranJohn Curran (director)
John Curran is an American film director and screenwriter.Born in Utica, New York, Curran studied illustration and design at Syracuse University, then worked as an illustrator, graphic designer, and production designer in Manhattan before moving to Sydney, Australia in 1986...
, from a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Angus MacLachlan
Angus MacLachlan
Angus MacLachlan is a playwright and screenwriter most famous for writing the screenplays for the 2005 film Junebug as well as the cult short film Tater Tomater. He graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1980 and continues to reside in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
. Originally written by MacLachlan in 2000 as a play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, it has been performed once, in 2003 as a staged reading. In 2005, MacLachlan turned it into a screenplay aiming for a 2010 release. The film was overseen by Mimran Schur Pictures, with the aid of producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Holly Wiersma. Stone is the debut of Mimran Schur Pictures, formed in 2010 by private investor David Mimran and long-time music business executive and former Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
President Jordan Schur. Stone Productions, the film's production company, also aided in the production of the film.
Filming began on May 18, 2009, in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Prison scenes were filmed at the Southern Michigan Correctional Facility in Blackman Township
Blackman Charter Township, Michigan
Blackman Charter Township is a charter township of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 22,800. It encompasses most of the survey township T2S R1W....
. The Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
hosted filming for two days. The funeral service and a few outside scenes were filmed at the Church, with locals as extras. Mast Road, in Dexter
Dexter, Michigan
Dexter is a village in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The majority of the village is in the northwest corner of Scio Township with a small portion in Webster Township. The population was 4,067 at the 2010 census...
, was closed for several weeks while the farmhouse scenes were shot at the historic Mast Farm house; and, at the end of the shoot, it was burned down.
Filming was interrupted on June 5, 2009, when an intoxicated woman got past security and accosted Robert De Niro. She was arrested and admitted to a local hospital.
Following a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto 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...
, Stone premiered in the United States at the Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of The Iron Giant and Secondhand Lions. The festival focuses on genre films such as horror,...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
on September 24, 2010.
Reception
Stone has received generally mixed reviews. The MoviesOnline http://www.moviesonline.ca/2010/11/stone-movie-review/ review stated that the "bold but sadly erratic screenplay" touches on "big themes" but "fails to connect the dots." Aside from the spiritual questions, one is "the role people play in each other’s lives" and another is the conflict between "a tired old man who has nothing much more left to do in life, and a young man who wants to reclaim it." The reviewer concludes: "The redeeming points of the movie are its well-constructed ending and another, more successful attempt to give it a deeper layer. In one of the interviews at the parole officer’s office, Stone raises very relevant questions to Jack. When is punishment enough? When does it cross over to injustice? And do corrupt and corruptible people have the right to judge criminals?". Review aggregate 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...
reports that 47% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 79 reviews, with an average score of 5.8/10. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the film an average score of 57/100 based 22 reviews.
The film was a box office bomb
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
; as of November 11, 2010, the film has grossed US$8,463,124, which is approximately one-third of its production budget.