Ivans Xtc
ivansxtc is an American independent drama film co-written by Bernard Rose and Lisa Enos, produced by Lisa Enos and directed by Bernard Rose, the first of several Enos-Rose collaborations, including Snuff-Movie (2005), Kreutzer Sonata (2008) and Mr. Nice (2010). The film stars Danny Huston, Peter Weller, and Lisa Enos, with Rose and Enos' actual CAA agent, Adam Krentzmen, playing the role of fictional "Media Talent Agency" agent Barry Oaks. Other key roles include Morgan Walsh (Vukovic) as Lucy Lawrence, and SLC Punk director James Merendino in the role of director Danny McTeague. The story follows a Hollywood agent, Ivan Beckman (Danny Huston), who must force a smile and carry on with business as usual with the agency's biggest client, Don West (Peter Weller), in the face of a cancer diagnosis. The film, loosely based on Leo Tolstoy's 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich, was also inspired by the rise and fall of talent agent Jay Moloney.[3]
Ivans Xtc | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Bernard Rose |
Produced by | Lisa Enos |
Screenplay by | Bernard Rose Lisa Enos |
Based on | The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy |
Starring | Danny Huston Peter Weller |
Music by | Matt Schultz Elmo Weber |
Cinematography | Ron Forsythe Bernard Rose |
Edited by | Bernard Rose |
Production company | Enos/Rose Productions |
Distributed by | Artistic License Films Metro-Tartan Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $136,000[1] |
Box office | $47,027[2] |
It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2000. It was released in the United States (New York and Los Angeles) on July 7, 2002 and on July 19, 2002 in the United Kingdom.
Cast
- Danny Huston as Ivan Beckman, a successful film agent working in Los Angeles
- Peter Weller as Don West, Beckman's client
- Lisa Enos as Charlotte White
- James Merendino as Danny McTeague
- Adam Krentzman as Barry Oaks
- Sarah Danielle Madison as Naomi
- Tiffani Thiessen as Marie Stein
- Dan Ireland as Ted Zimblest
- Lisa Henson as Margaret Mead
- Hal Lieberman as Lloyd Hall
- Valeria Golino as Constanza Vero
- Angela Featherstone as Amanda Hill
- Victoria Silvstedt as Melanie
Filming
The film was shot in July 1999 in Sherman Oaks and Los Angeles and was originally intended as a "Dogme 95" film in which the key collaborators (Enos, Rose, DP Ron Forstye, Production Coordinator Morgan Vukovic, etc.) would be credited as "The Filmmakers." It was shot at 60i fps on the Sony HDW-700A HD video format digital camera, which proved problematic for theatrical distribution.[1][4]
Reception
Box office
On its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, the film was ranked at #71, behind The Salton Sea, The Singles Ward and Beauty and the Beast.[5]
Critical response
Ivans Xtc received mostly positive reviews. On film aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 77% rating, with an average score of 6.8/10, sampled from reviews from 30 critics.[6] It scored a 67/100 (citing "generally favorable reviews") on Metacritic, based on reviews from 14 critics.[7]
Accolades
Awards | |||
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Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
British Independent Film Awards | Best Foreign Independent Film – English Language | Nominated | |
Independent Film Festival of Boston | Narrative | Bernard Rose | Won |
Independent Spirit Awards | Best Director | Bernard Rose | Nominated |
Best Supporting Male | Peter Weller | Nominated | |
Best Male Lead | Danny Huston | Nominated | |
Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award | Bernard Rose and Lisa Enos | Nominated |
References
- Tonguette, Peter. "ivansxtc. and the Future of Digital Filmmaking: An Interview With Bernard Rose". The Film Journal. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- "Ivans XTC". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- Rose, Steve (2002-07-13). "The Guide: Film: Huston, he has a problem: Actor/director Danny Huston distinguishes himself from the rest of his high-achieving family in Ivans xtc, as a drug-addled Hollywood casualty". The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-12-28 – via Proquest Global Newsstream.
- "ivans xtc". Artistic License Films. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- "June 7–9, 2002, Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- "Ivans XTC. (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- "Ivansxtc". Metacritic. Retrieved March 16, 2019.