Billy Bob Thornton, Hank Azaria, and Ryan Phillippe play Jack, Carter, and Harlan, three hired hands working for master pot dealer Malcolm (John Lithgow). When Malcolm is betrayed & murdered by his own pilot (Jon Tenney), the three goofballs try running the operation by themselves. Jack pretends to be Malcolm, which is possible since none of Malcolms' customers seem to know what he looks like. In a farcical fashion, our protagonists quickly get in over their head, dragging along compatriot Lucy (Kelly Lynch) with them.
A character-driven, rather offbeat drama (rather than a true comedy), "Homegrown" is an interesting if not all that successful film. Right from the start, it's hard to care that much about this group of characters, or the others that circle around them. Granted, it's reasonably amusing to watch as things in this story (scripted by Nicholas Kazan & director Stephen Gyllenhaal) keep going from bad to worse. It's fairly seedy, violent stuff, that gets by mostly due to a very engaging cast. Gyllenhaal and company originally planned on using unknowns, but as the script made the rounds, more and more big names got attracted to the project. Some of them appear only briefly, but they keep the thing watchable. Popping up over this 102 minute run time are performers such as Jon Bon Jovi, Judge Reinhold, Jamie Lee Curtis, and top character actor Matt Clark. Gyllenhaal's acting offspring, Jake and Maggie G., have small parts. Ted Danson, admittedly, makes for an unlikely Italian-American mobster, but he looks like he's enjoying himself as he attempts to intimidate & terrorize Thornton. Azaria is a standout.
While not altogether satisfying, at least the film wasn't overly predictable. The ending is a hoot.
Six out of 10.
A character-driven, rather offbeat drama (rather than a true comedy), "Homegrown" is an interesting if not all that successful film. Right from the start, it's hard to care that much about this group of characters, or the others that circle around them. Granted, it's reasonably amusing to watch as things in this story (scripted by Nicholas Kazan & director Stephen Gyllenhaal) keep going from bad to worse. It's fairly seedy, violent stuff, that gets by mostly due to a very engaging cast. Gyllenhaal and company originally planned on using unknowns, but as the script made the rounds, more and more big names got attracted to the project. Some of them appear only briefly, but they keep the thing watchable. Popping up over this 102 minute run time are performers such as Jon Bon Jovi, Judge Reinhold, Jamie Lee Curtis, and top character actor Matt Clark. Gyllenhaal's acting offspring, Jake and Maggie G., have small parts. Ted Danson, admittedly, makes for an unlikely Italian-American mobster, but he looks like he's enjoying himself as he attempts to intimidate & terrorize Thornton. Azaria is a standout.
While not altogether satisfying, at least the film wasn't overly predictable. The ending is a hoot.
Six out of 10.