The Tic Code
Encyclopedia
The Tic Code is an independent
American drama film
directed by Gary Winick
and written by Polly Draper
. It tells of the interactions between a single mother, the relationship she forms with a jazz musician who has Tourette syndrome
, and her young son—a jazz piano prodigy—also with the disorder. Moreover, the musician and the boy form a friendship. The film is loosely based upon the experiences of Draper's husband, Michael Wolff
, who also provided the film's jazz score. Draper, of Thirtysomething fame, stars as the mother and Tony Award
recipient Gregory Hines
as the musician. Christopher George Marquette features as the boy.
Principal photography
took place in 1997 in New York City. The Tic Code appeared at several film festivals in 1998 and 1999, where it won a number of awards. It received a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 4, 2000, and received a DVD release in February 2001. Critical response to the film was generally favorable.
, and his divorced mother Laura Caraday (Draper). Miles has a school friend, Todd (Desmond Robertson) who seems not to be bothered by Miles' condition. Miles wants to become a jazz pianist against the wishes of his classical-oriented instructor Miss Gimpole (Carol Kane
). Miles becomes friends with a jazz saxophonist, Tyrone Pike (Hines) at a local nightspot, who also has Tourette's, but who has learned to cover it up.
In the film, Tyrone tells Denny Harley who bullies Miles that the reason they both tic is—
Tyrone: [...] because we both know the code.
Denny: [...] Code, what code?
Tyrone: [...] 'the tic code'.
Denny: So you and Miles made this whole thing up?
Tyrone: No, the C.I.A. did; a lot of people know about it now.
took place on location in New York City in 1997, on a budget of US$
2 million. The film was directed by Gary Winick
, who took over after original director Norman René
died during pre-production. It was written by Polly Draper
, who also produced alongside Karen Tangorra, Midge Sanford, Sarah Pillsbury and Larry Meistrich
. Draper based the screenplay on the experiences of her noted jazz musician husband Michael Wolff
, who has Tourette syndrome. Wolff's involvement as co-producer ensured the cooperation of jazz club The Village Vanguard
, which granted the production permission to use its name and exterior shots of the building. Herman Leonard
loaned his collection of photographs of famous jazz musicians, and the Blue Note
jazz club allowed its name to be used on fake fliers. Wolff also provided the film's jazz score, to which Alex Foster also contributed by providing the soundtrack for scenes of Hines' playing the saxophone.
in June 1998. It was subsequently shown at the Wine Country Film Festival in July–August 1998, and at the Hamptons International Film Festival
in October 1998. It also appeared at several film festivals in 1999, including the Vancouver Reel to Real Festival on March 3, 1999, the Berlin International Film Festival
, and the Giffoni Film Festival
. On April 2, 1999, the film aired on the Starz! television network. The distribution rights were subsequently picked up by insurance company-backed film library Chaross Pictures, which buys independent films that have run into financial difficulty. The rights were sold to Lions Gate Entertainment
in May 1999. Lions Gate gave The Tic Code a limited theatrical release in the United States, opening on August 4, 2000. It grossed US$
205,000 from nine theaters and closed on October 5, 2000.
The film also features Robert Iler
as Denny Harley, a bully; Bill Nunn
and Tony Shaloub as bartenders Kingston and Phil; Camryn Manheim
as Mrs. Lily Swensrut, one of Laura's customers; James McCaffrey
as Michael Caraday, Laura's ex-husband. Wolff cameos as Sound Engineer #2.
reported that 77% of critics gave the film a positive write-up, based upon a sample of 26, with an average
score of 6.6/10. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 64, based on 17 reviews.
In 1998, the film won the Audience Award for Most Popular Feature at the Hamptons International Film Festival
. It also received a "special recognition" award from the festival jury. Polly Draper won the Bronze Gryphon award for Best Actress at the Giffoni Film Festival
, and Christopher George Marquette won the Bronze Gryphon award for Best Actor. In 1999, the film won the Crystal Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival
. The film also took the Best Overall Film award at the first Vancouver Reel to Reel Festival.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
American drama film
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...
directed by Gary Winick
Gary Winick
Gary Winick was an American film director and producer who directed films such as Tadpole and 13 Going on 30...
and written by Polly Draper
Polly Draper
Polly Carey Draper is an American actress, screenwriter, playwright, producer and director. She is renowned for her ensemble role in ABC's hit series Thirtysomething. In 1998, Draper starred in her screenwriting debut The Tic Code, featuring Gregory Hines which was inspired by her husband Michael...
. It tells of the interactions between a single mother, the relationship she forms with a jazz musician who has Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by multiple physical tics and at least one vocal tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane...
, and her young son—a jazz piano prodigy—also with the disorder. Moreover, the musician and the boy form a friendship. The film is loosely based upon the experiences of Draper's husband, Michael Wolff
Michael Wolff
Michael Blieden Wolff is an American jazz pianist, composer, producer, actor, and jazz educator. He was the bandleader and musical director of The Arsenio Hall Show...
, who also provided the film's jazz score. Draper, of Thirtysomething fame, stars as the mother and Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
recipient Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
as the musician. Christopher George Marquette features as the boy.
Principal photography
Principal 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....
took place in 1997 in New York City. The Tic Code appeared at several film festivals in 1998 and 1999, where it won a number of awards. It received a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 4, 2000, and received a DVD release in February 2001. Critical response to the film was generally favorable.
Plot
The film tells the story of a young boy, Miles Caraday (Marquette), a jazz piano prodigy who has Tourette syndromeTourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by multiple physical tics and at least one vocal tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane...
, and his divorced mother Laura Caraday (Draper). Miles has a school friend, Todd (Desmond Robertson) who seems not to be bothered by Miles' condition. Miles wants to become a jazz pianist against the wishes of his classical-oriented instructor Miss Gimpole (Carol Kane
Carol Kane
Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work...
). Miles becomes friends with a jazz saxophonist, Tyrone Pike (Hines) at a local nightspot, who also has Tourette's, but who has learned to cover it up.
In the film, Tyrone tells Denny Harley who bullies Miles that the reason they both tic is—
Tyrone: [...] because we both know the code.
Denny: [...] Code, what code?
Tyrone: [...] 'the tic code'.
Denny: So you and Miles made this whole thing up?
Tyrone: No, the C.I.A. did; a lot of people know about it now.
Filming
The Tic Code was in development for five years before finally being made. 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....
took place on location in New York City in 1997, on a budget of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2 million. The film was directed by Gary Winick
Gary Winick
Gary Winick was an American film director and producer who directed films such as Tadpole and 13 Going on 30...
, who took over after original director Norman René
Norman René
Norman René was an American theatre and film director and film producer who frequently collaborated with playwright Craig Lucas.-Biography:...
died during pre-production. It was written by Polly Draper
Polly Draper
Polly Carey Draper is an American actress, screenwriter, playwright, producer and director. She is renowned for her ensemble role in ABC's hit series Thirtysomething. In 1998, Draper starred in her screenwriting debut The Tic Code, featuring Gregory Hines which was inspired by her husband Michael...
, who also produced alongside Karen Tangorra, Midge Sanford, Sarah Pillsbury and Larry Meistrich
Larry Meistrich
Larry Meistrich is an award-winning film producer. He was a founding member of the now defunct film production company The Shooting Gallery....
. Draper based the screenplay on the experiences of her noted jazz musician husband Michael Wolff
Michael Wolff
Michael Blieden Wolff is an American jazz pianist, composer, producer, actor, and jazz educator. He was the bandleader and musical director of The Arsenio Hall Show...
, who has Tourette syndrome. Wolff's involvement as co-producer ensured the cooperation of jazz club The Village Vanguard
Village Vanguard
The Village Vanguard is a jazz club located at in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. At first, it also featured other forms of music such as folk music and beat poetry, but it switched to an all-jazz format in 1957.-History:Over 100 jazz...
, which granted the production permission to use its name and exterior shots of the building. Herman Leonard
Herman Leonard
Herman Leonard was an American photographer known for his unique images of jazz icons.-Life:...
loaned his collection of photographs of famous jazz musicians, and the Blue Note
Blue Note (jazz clubs)
The Blue Note is a jazz club and restaurant located at in Greenwich Village, New York City. Opened in 1981 by owner and founder Danny Bensusan, the club is now considered one of the world's most famous jazz venues...
jazz club allowed its name to be used on fake fliers. Wolff also provided the film's jazz score, to which Alex Foster also contributed by providing the soundtrack for scenes of Hines' playing the saxophone.
Post production
The Tic Code appeared at the first Newport International Film FestivalNewport International Film Festival
Newport International Film Festival was an annual film festival in Newport, Rhode Island, established in 1998 .The Newport Film Festival was generally held the first week in June and featured various international films at several local cinemas...
in June 1998. It was subsequently shown at the Wine Country Film Festival in July–August 1998, and at the Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to provide a forum for independent filmmakers from around the world to express their vision. The Festival is traditionally held for five days in mid-October in theatre venues from Montauk to Southampton and attracts roughly 15,000 visitors annually...
in October 1998. It also appeared at several film festivals in 1999, including the Vancouver Reel to Real Festival on March 3, 1999, the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, and the Giffoni Film Festival
Giffoni Film Festival
The Giffoni International Film Festival is the largest children’s film festival in Europe, and possibly the World. It takes place in the little Italian town of Giffoni Valle Piana in Southern Italy, close to Salerno. Over 2,000 children attend the festival from 39 countries around the world...
. On April 2, 1999, the film aired on the Starz! television network. The distribution rights were subsequently picked up by insurance company-backed film library Chaross Pictures, which buys independent films that have run into financial difficulty. The rights were sold to Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
in May 1999. Lions Gate gave The Tic Code a limited theatrical release in the United States, opening on August 4, 2000. It grossed US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
205,000 from nine theaters and closed on October 5, 2000.
Cast
- Christopher Marquette plays Miles Caraday, a young jazz piano prodigy with Tourette Syndrome. Marquette learned how to play the piano from Wolff. He also studied ticTicA tic is a sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic, stereotyped motor movement or vocalization involving discrete muscle groups. Tics can be invisible to the observer, such as abdominal tensing or toe crunching. Common motor and phonic tics are, respectively, eye blinking and throat clearing...
cing from Wolff and watched videotapes, including the documentary Twitch and Shout, to perfect his technique. In preparation for the role, Marquette practised ticcing in public. - Gregory HinesGregory HinesGregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
plays Tyrone Pike, a jazz saxophonist and Laura's boyfriend/Miles' role model. Hines also studied Wolff to imitate his ticcing and develop the character. During filming, Hines committed himself to spending a full day as a Touretter; after being stared at by a taxi driver, Hines reflected that he had not considered how embarrassing the disorder could be. He also studied tapes of Alex Foster to learn how to fingerFingeringIn music, fingering is the choice of which fingers and hand positions to use when playing certain musical instruments. Fingering typically changes throughout a piece; the challenge of choosing good fingering for a piece is to make the hand movements as comfortable as possible without changing hand...
the saxophone. - Polly DraperPolly DraperPolly Carey Draper is an American actress, screenwriter, playwright, producer and director. She is renowned for her ensemble role in ABC's hit series Thirtysomething. In 1998, Draper starred in her screenwriting debut The Tic Code, featuring Gregory Hines which was inspired by her husband Michael...
plays Laura Caraday, single mother to Miles. - Desmond Robertson plays Todd, Miles' friend.
- Carol KaneCarol KaneCarolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work...
plays Miss Gimpole, Miles' music instructor/teacher.
The film also features Robert Iler
Robert Iler
Robert Michael Iler is an American actor, known for his portrayal of A.J. Soprano on The Sopranos which aired on HBO from 1999-2007....
as Denny Harley, a bully; Bill Nunn
Bill Nunn
-Early life:Nunn was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of William G. Nunn, Jr., a well-known journalist and editor at the Pittsburgh Courier, as well as an NFL scout. Nunn's paternal grandfather was the first African American football player at George Westinghouse High School.Nunn was a...
and Tony Shaloub as bartenders Kingston and Phil; Camryn Manheim
Camryn Manheim
Camryn Manheim is an American actress known primarily for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's The Practice and Delia Banks on CBS's Ghost Whisperer and as Elvis's mother, Gladys Presley in the 2005 mini-series Elvis....
as Mrs. Lily Swensrut, one of Laura's customers; James McCaffrey
James McCaffrey
James G. McCaffrey is an American actor.-Biography:McCaffrey was born in Northern Ireland and raised in New York. His first role was for sills models, as a mentally challenged teen, in Bill II: on His Own, the Bill Sackter story. He also played the lead in the first and last seasons of the series...
as Michael Caraday, Laura's ex-husband. Wolff cameos as Sound Engineer #2.
Awards and reception
The Tic Code received generally favorable reviews from film critics. 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...
reported that 77% of critics gave the film a positive write-up, based upon a sample of 26, with an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 6.6/10. At 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,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 64, based on 17 reviews.
In 1998, the film won the Audience Award for Most Popular Feature at the Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to provide a forum for independent filmmakers from around the world to express their vision. The Festival is traditionally held for five days in mid-October in theatre venues from Montauk to Southampton and attracts roughly 15,000 visitors annually...
. It also received a "special recognition" award from the festival jury. Polly Draper won the Bronze Gryphon award for Best Actress at the Giffoni Film Festival
Giffoni Film Festival
The Giffoni International Film Festival is the largest children’s film festival in Europe, and possibly the World. It takes place in the little Italian town of Giffoni Valle Piana in Southern Italy, close to Salerno. Over 2,000 children attend the festival from 39 countries around the world...
, and Christopher George Marquette won the Bronze Gryphon award for Best Actor. In 1999, the film won the Crystal Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
. The film also took the Best Overall Film award at the first Vancouver Reel to Reel Festival.