Sonny Movie Review 2002

Cage's directorial debut is about one man's frustrated attempts at leaving a life of crime. In 1981 New Orleans, Sonny (Franco) is fresh out of the Army and hopeful about working in his buddy's Texas bookstore. His corrupt pimp mother Jewel (Blethyn) would rather him reenter the family business and attempts to fix him up with Carol (Suvari), one of her new "girls." The two fall in love and, after a disastrous encounter with the "straight" world, Sonny descends back into the life he once dreamed of leaving for good. Stanton is in his element, underplaying the good-hearted, drunk boyfriend of Jewel while Cage makes an amusing appearance as Acid Yellow, a gay pimp. Heavy handed and overly emotional (the hysterical Blethyn is practically unwatchable), with an uneven rhythm and not a lot of explanation. Cage falls victim to first-time indulgence, but respectable narrative manages to make its point.

Distribution

HBO, 1100 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, Phone: (212)512-7400, Fax: (212)512-7498, URL: http://www.hbo.com, Remarks: Online sales through www.store.hbo.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 105 minutes.
Originally from United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

New Orleans, Oldest Profession, Monster Moms, Period Piece: 1980s, American South

Screenplay

John Carlen

Cast

James Franco, Mena Suvari, Brenda Blethyn, Harry Dean Stanton, Nicolas Cage, Seymour Cassel, Brenda Vaccaro, Scott Caan

Cinematography

Barry Markowitz

Director

Nicolas Cage

Music

Clint Mansell

Other

Jeffrey Haupt, Howard E. Smith, Shawn-Holly Cookson, Monroe Kelly

Producer

Paul Brooks, Nicolas Cage, Norm Golightly, Saturn Films, Gold Circle Films, Samuel Goldwyn Films