Jacob Pitts
A man who can't walk meets a woman who envies his condition in this offbeat black comedy. Isaac Knott (Nick Stahl) lost the use of his legs when he was eight years old in an auto accident that also claimed the lives of his parents. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Isaac has enjoyed a successful career as the host of a talk show on a New York City public radio outlet. One day, Isaac is told an odd story about a man who arrived at a local hospital and demanded to have his legs amputated; the man was part of a secret subculture of able-bodied folks who wish to be paraplegics, using wheelchairs when they can and attempting to deaden their legs through artificial means. Isaac becomes fascinated with the idea of these wannabes, and begins studying the phenomenon for a piece on his show. Isaac's research leads him to Fiona (Vera Farmiga), a sexy but mysterious blonde who collects and restores Chinese art. Fiona is also the owner of a wheelchair she doesn't really need, and Isaac, who is increasingly attracted to her, wants to know all about her role in the fake-paraplegic underground. However, Fiona isn't about to give away any of her secrets for free, and Isaac discovers that the exchange of information and trust goes deeper the longer they know one another. The first feature film from writer and director Carlos Brooks, Quid Pro Quo received its premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Stahl, Vera Farmiga, (more)
- 2008
- PG13
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Director Robert Luketic adapts Ben Mezrich's best-seller Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions to tell the true-life tale of six genius students who used their brains to beat considerable odds. Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) may be shy, but his wallflower reputation betrays his inner brilliance. As smart as Ben may be, however, if he can't pay his tuition he'll be kicked out of M.I.T. Fortunately, the answer to all of Ben's problems is right there in the cards. Recruited to join a team of extremely gifted students who have used their mastery of numbers to beat the odds at blackjack, Ben procures a fake identity in order to join the casino scammers and their brilliant leader -- eccentric math professor and stats genius Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) -- in some highly profitable weekend excursions to Las Vegas. Counting cards isn't illegal, and by using a complex series of signals, this team has cracked the code. Of course, it doesn't take long for Ben to become seduced by the glamorous Las Vegas lifestyle, and the attention afforded to him by his sexy teammate Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth) finds him pushing his luck to the absolute limits. Laurence Fishburne stars as Cole Williams, the Sin City security chief who catches on to the group and makes it his mission to expose their lucrative blackjack scam. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, (more)
Set against the anti-war protests, rock & roll revolution, and mind-expanding psychedelia of the 1960s, Julie Taymor's hallucinogenic musical follows the arduous journey of star-crossed lovers Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) as they and a small group of musicians are swept up in the raging waters of the volatile counterculture movement. Guided through their journey by a pair known only as Dr. Robert (Bono) and Mr. Kite (Eddie Izzard), Jude and Lucy are eventually forced to find their way back to one another after being split apart by powerful forces beyond their control. The music in the film consists exclusively of songs made popular by the Beatles during the time period depicted in the movie. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, (more)
Written and directed by Alec Berg, David Mandel, and Jeff Schaffer, Eurotrip is a teen comedy from the Montecito Picture Company (makers of similar movies Old School and Road Trip). Mainstream teenager Scott (Scott Mechlowicz) forms an online friendship with German student Mieke in order to get a passing grade in his high school German class. When he finds out Mieke is a buxom blonde girl (Jessica Böhrs), he travels to meet her with his pals Cooper (Jacob Pitts), Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg), and Jamie (Travis Wester). The group of randy teens head to Berlin by way of London, Paris, and Amsterdam. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, (more)
John Knowles' celebrated allegorical novel has been given a new screen interpretation in this made-for-cable adaptation. Gene (J. Barton) and Finny (Toby Moore) are two students at an upscale prep school during World War II; like their fellow classmates, Gene and Finny are trying to complete their schoolwork before they're drafted and sent overseas. Gene is bright but introspective, while Finny is outgoing and athletic but not a distinguished scholar. Gene and Finny strike up a friendship, and Gene finds that Finny's charm and charisma begins to rub off on him. However, Gene also finds that his more active social life is putting damper on his schoolwork, and his fondness for Finny fades into a distrust and resentment, as he begins to believe that the poorer student wants to bring him down to his intellectual level. The rift between Gene and Finny continues to grow until it manifests itself in a shocking act that will change them both forever. Also featuring Hume Cronyn (who gave his final screen appearance as the Headmaster), A Separate Peace was produced for the Showtime premium cable network, where it first aired in the fall of 2004; an earlier theatrical film version was released in 1972. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- J. Barton, Toby Moore, (more)
Cat Storm (Dominique Swain) is a bored high school girl in New York City who follows her petulant, rich friends from one coming-of-age adventure to another. They experiment with cruelty, rudeness, brazenness, and idiocy before moving onto sex and drugs. Cat's best friend, Delilah (Bijou Phillips), is kicked out of school for using cocaine (her father's), forcing Cat to become best friends with Grace (Mischa Barton), who guides her into the arms of William (Brad Renfro), the boy Cat's had a crush on for some time. Eventually they all wind up at a luxurious country estate for a weekend of drugs, passion, and, inevitably, gruesome murder. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dominique Swain, Brad Renfro, (more)
- 2000
A 16-year-old has been found dead from a bizarre wound, and the detectives are hot on the trail of the possible perpetrator. Chief among the suspects is John Telford (Jacob Pitts), a school bully with an inordinate fascination for martial arts. Ultimately, the investigation zeroes in on John's father Robert Telford (Robert Clohessy), who purchased the exotic weapon of death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Jerri's (Amy Sedaris) role in the Flatpoint High Shool production of A Raisin in the Sun leads her stepmother into an alcoholic haze in this installment of the irreverent and outrageous Comedy Central series. Passing over Flatpoint's African-American students to give the lead roles to the three sole white students in his class, Mr. Jellineck (Paul Dinello) casts the remaining students as trees. Elated that she has been chosen as the lead, Jerri rushes home to share her excitement with her stepmother, Sara (Deborah Rush), who had once taken the stage as Peter Pan. With Sara soon diving headlong into a haze of jealousy, regret, and hard liquor, Jerri worries that her upcoming Parent-Teacher day is heading for disaster. Her fears are soon confirmed when her slurring stepmother drunkenly comes on to Mr. Noblet (Stephen Colbert) and insults Jerri in front of the her peers, their parents, and the teachers. Though Jerri is soon buried in denial and preparation for the play, Mr. Jellineck threatens to replace her following a disastrous rehearsal the following day. When Jerri arrives home that night to find Sara passed out in a Peter Pan costume, she decides to attend an Ala Colholics meeting in a desperate bid to remain in the play. With Mr. Jellineck feeding Jerri her lines the night of the play, everything seems to go as planned until a drunken Sara storms the stage resulting in a total fiasco. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, (more)
