- In 1973 playing it straight can get a little twisted... Set in 1973 and inspired by true events, 'American Primitive' tells the story of the havoc that is wreaked in a teenage girl's life when she discovers her widowed father is gay. Alternately comic and tragic, the film captures the homophobia of the time set against a backdrop of small town America on Cape Cod. The film utilizes emblematic music expressing the artistic and experimental freedom of the early 70s.—Anonymous
- Cape Cod, 1973. "American Primitive" tells the story of teenager Madeline, who wants nothing more than to fit in after moving to a new town. That turns out to be more difficult than she thinks when she discovers her father's got a boyfriend.—Gwen Wynne
- Everybody in Dennis, Cape Cod thinks that HARRY GOODHART (Tate Donovan) is quite the catch. Harry, a handsome Englishman, has just moved to this seaside destination with his teenage daughters, MADELINE (Danielle Savre) and DAISY(Skye McCole Bartusiak). Madeline and Daisy, however, are determined to keep their recently widowed father away from the swarm of female suitors, such as the beautiful journalist, JOY (Stacey Dash), and the manic matchmaker, MRS. BROWN (Anne Ramsay).
That is until one night, when Madelines new high school friends give her a taste of a racier Cape Cod. They take her to a notoriously underground disco in Provincetown. Through the throngs of drag queens and gay men, Madeline sees her father dancing with a man. The double shocker is that the man is MR. GIBBS (Adam Pascal), recently introduced by her father as his new business partner and who just moved into the back of their house.
Madeline tries desperately to change her father. She devises every method possible to find the perfect wife. Soon, however, Madelines family secret becomes the talk of the town, when she mistakenly confides in her new boyfriend, SAM (Corey Sevier). Living two lives, one at school and one at home, complicated by multiple love triangles, Madelines new friends, SPOKE (Josh Peck), LUCY (Johanna Braddy), BRIDGET (Jordan Claire Green), and Sam either stand up for her or betray her once the shocking news is out. Everybody in Dennis becomes involved in one way or another, weighing in on the acceptability of two men raising children together. Ultimately, Madelines worst nightmare comes true, when her maternal grandparents, MARTHA AND WILLIAM CAULDICOTT (Susan Anspach and James B. Sikking), unexpectedly arrive and take the girls away from their father. Now, everything Madeline hoped to achieve is lost. Its the local fishermans son, Spoke, who reminds her that her family no matter what shape it takes will always be her family.
Alternately funny and heartbreaking, this thought provoking family comedy is as relevant today as it was in the 1970s when America was in the midst of social upheaval as it redefined the meaning of love and family.
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