Jeremy Sumpter Movies
A California native who spent most of his childhood in Kentucky until the bright lights of Hollywood lured him back to the West Coast, Jeremy Sumpter impressed audiences with a chilling performance in Bill Paxton's 2001 shocker Frailty before hitting a grand slam with his winning turn as a batboy harboring big league aspirations in the acclaimed television series Clubhouse in 2004. It was at age 11 that Sumpter first garnered attention when he became the winner of a Kentucky-based talent contest, and shortly after booking a manager, the talented youngster impressed Paxton so much that the actor-turned-director cast him as Matthew McConaughey's young screen counterpart in Frailty. In 2002, Sumpter took to the waves as a young surfer experiencing a memorable childhood summer with his brother in Local Boys, and he next stepped in front of the camera for none other than Danny Glover in the family-friendly drama Just a Dream. By 2003, it appeared as if Sumpter might be hitting his stride when he earned a Young Artist Award for his turn as the titular character in the 2003 fantasy Peter Pan, and the very next year he was making his maiden voyage into weekly television with his role on Clubhouse. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The true story of a young girl held captive by her insane caretaker comes to life in this disturbing film from Ella Enchanted director Tommy O'Haver. Hard Candy's Ellen Page stars as Sylvia Likens a teenager who, along with her sister, is left to live temporarily with seemigly-mild-mannered housewife Gertrude Baniszewski, played by Catherine Keener. Unfortunately for Sylvia, Gertrude soon snaps and holds her hostage in harsh conditions until the former's eventual death. Bradley Whitford costars as the prosecutor tasked with trying the case against Baniszewski. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Keener, Ellen Page, (more)
As a trio of fantasy-obsessed, sword fighting geeks attempt to prove that the giant tracks discovered deep in the forest offer undisputed proof that Bigfoot truly exists, a stoned out bully and his best friend scheme to profit from their elaborate prank before an overzealous Sasquatch hunter arrives to blow the whole scam sky high. His beloved Pontiac Firebird threatened with repossession by the bank, mullet-haired menace Zerk (Justin Long) convinces his best-friend Shirts (Joey Kern) to help raise money to save car by selling plaster casts of fake Bigfoot tracks on the internet. When role playing dweebs Gavin (Jeremy Sumpter), Hobie (Hubbel Palmer), and Maynard (Rob Pinkston) stumble upon the falsified "evidence" they naively assume it to be the genuine article. Now, self-proclaimed Sasquatch expert Dr. Artemis Snodgrass (Carl Weathers) is on his way to town to verify the widely reported discovery. With little time to loose before their ruse if revealed, the lame-brained internet scammer and his pal rush to cash in as quickly as possible in order to save Zerk's sweet ride from the dreaded repo man. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justin Long, Jeremy Sumpter, (more)
- 2005
Produced for cable's Lifetime network, this overwrought cautionary drama could be described as "Reefer Madness" for the PC generation. Healthy, clean-cut 16 year old Justin Peterson (Jeremy Peterson) all but destroys himself and his family via his hopeless addiction to Intenet porn. In the tradition of those old WW2 venereal-disease movies, Justin's obsession even ruins his athletic prowess (he was a champion swimmer before his descent into hell began). And of course, whereas he previously adopted a "hands off" attitude towards his virginal girlfriend Amy (Lyndsy Fonseca), poor Jeremy has been twisted and warped into a junior sex maniac--all because of those lustful images dancing across his monitor. This is the sort of film in which everyone but the hero is "computer illiterate", and thus incapable of figuring out how to block his access to porn until it is almost Too Late. Curiously, it is established early on that Justin's kid brother (Jake Scott) loves violent video games like "Grand Theft Auto", over which no one raises any objections! Entertaining enough if one is in the right frame of mind, Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life debuted June 20, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director P.J. Hogan (Muriel's Wedding, My Best Friend's Wedding) helms this live-action retelling of J.M. Barrie's classic children's play Peter Pan. Starring Jeremy Sumpter (Frailty) in the title role, the film follows the adventures of the Darling children, Wendy (Rachel Hurd-Wood), John (Harry Newell), and Michael (Freddie Popplewell), as they are visited by the boy who never grows up and whisked away to Neverland, where they encounter The Lost Boys, Tinker Bell (Ludivine Sagnier), and the evil Captain Hook (Jason Isaacs). ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter, (more)
Eric Christian Olsen and Jeremy Sumpter star as brothers Randy and Skeet Dobson in this coming-of-age surfer movie from director Ron Moler. With their widowed mother working to provide for the family, Randy is left to look after 12-year-old Skeet. Despite the fact that a kid brother is a bit of a style-cramper, Randy lets Skeet tag along with him to the beach where he and his friends surf the summer days away. But trouble begins to brew when a pretty girl named Samantha (Shelby Fenner) chooses Randy over the leader of a rough-and-tumble surfer gang. Meanwhile, all is not well at home either when Skeet befriends Jim Wesley (Mark Harmon), a legendary surfer who begins a romantic relationship with the boys' mother, Jessica (Stacy Edwards), much to Randy's chagrin. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Christian Olsen, Stacy Edwards, (more)
Actor Bill Paxton made his directorial debut with Frailty. The bulk of the story is told through flashbacks, as a mysterious man (Matthew McConaughey) tells a terrible tale to an FBI agent (Powers Boothe) investigating the "God's Hand" serial killer case. The man grew up in a small town in Texas, where he and his brother lived a bucolic life with their kindhearted widower father (Paxton). One night, the father awakens the two boys, Fenton (Matthew O'Leary) and Adam (Jeremy Sumpter), and tells them he's had a vision, and God has chosen him and his sons to help Him slay demons who walk the earth in human form. He tells the boys they can never tell anyone about this task. Before long, he comes home from work with a list of names that he claims an angel has given to him. He then begins abducting people, bringing them home, one by one, and having the boys watch while he lays his hands on them. After having proven, to his mind, that they are demons and not human, he chops them up with an axe while the boys look on. Young Adam is eager to participate, seeing his family as "kind of like superheroes," while the older Fenton is distraught, believing that his father has lost his mind. He contemplates running away, but is reluctant to leave his little brother behind. Eventually, he goes to the authorities, which results in disaster. As he tells the story, McConaughey takes Boothe out to the public rose garden near his old home, where he claims his brother, the "God's Hand" killer, buried the bodies. Paxton dramatizes the mayhem while leaving almost all of the gore offscreen, and Brent Hanley's script leaves the true motives of several characters unclear until the very end. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, (more)
A wide-eyed young boy finds his small-town life turned upside down in the feature directorial debut from actor Danny Glover. Jeremy Sumpter of Frailty stars as Henry, a youngster in rural America who dreams of Hollywood when a big-studio movie crew comes to town to shoot a new picture. Also starring Carl Lumbly and Robby Benson, Just a Dream had its premiere at the 2002 South By Southwest Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 2001
This episode marks the final regular ER appearances of Eriq La Salle and Michael Michele. After resorting to desperate measures to retain custody of his son, Reese (Matthew Watkins), Peter Benton (La Salle) realizes that he must make a choice between the boy and his overloaded ER schedule. He opts to take a less demanding job at a clinic in the Chicago suburbs, where his current love, Cleo Finch (Michele), is already working. In other developments, a boy accidentally shot by his mom on Christmas Eve is a cause of great concern amongst the ER staffers; Abby (Maura Tierney) sees Nicole (Julie Delpy) where she didn't expect to see her; the relationship between Weaver (Laura Innes) and Lopez (Lisa Vidal) enters a new phase; and Carter (Noah Wyle) receives startling but not unexpected news about his parents. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
