Jesus' Son (1999)

Director:

Alison Maclean

Writers:

Denis Johnson (book)
Elizabeth Cuthrell (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 July 2000 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young man turns from drug addiction and petty crime to a life redeemed by a discovery of compassion.

Plot Keywords:

Death | Abortion | Hallucination | Peeping Tom | Shaving

Awards:

4 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Billy Crudup	...	FH
Robert Michael Kelly	...	Salesman
Torben Brooks	...	Car Crash Driver
Dierdre Lewis	...	Driver's wife
Jimmy Moffit	...	Car Crash Doctor
Antoinette LaVecchia	...	Dead Man's Wife (as Antoinette Lavecchia)
Samantha Morton	...	Michelle
Steve Buck	...	Richard
Ben Shenkman	...	Tom
Scott Oster	...	Stan
Brooke Rachel Shive	...	Beatle (as Brooke Shive)
Mark Webber	...	Jack Hotel
John Ventimiglia	...	McInnes
Jesse Weaver Jr.	...	Carl
Michael Shannon	...	Dundun (as Mike Shannon)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic drug use, strong language, sexuality and some violent images.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Australia:R | France:U | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bellmawr, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Evenstar Productions

Trivia:

The movie's title comes from a line in the Lou Reed song "Heroin".

Goofs:

Continuity: In scene where FH is shaving Bill's face, the amount and location of shaving cream changes from shot to shot.

Quotes:

FH: All these... weirdos, and me... getting a little better every day right in the middle of 'em. I had never known... I had never even imagined for a heartbeat that... there might be a place in the world for people like us.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Family That Prays

Solid little gem! Well worth a watch!

I was totally disarmed by this wonderful movie! Most movies about drug addiction hit you over the head with the misery and destruction of the users. Yet this movie was about so much more--a whole host of characters marching to a different beat. This movie told it's tale in short snippets...I almost felt like I was eavesdropping or spying on the characters at various moments in their lives. Nice balance of lightheartedness and seriousness. Some truly great lines. When a nurse tells FH his girlfriend is comfortable now. He asks with total naivete: "Is she dead?"

I see that others here have problems with the title and the reference to Jesus. Not me. Aren't all of us (and esecially the world's "losers") just Christ figures waiting for redemption. It made me think of the line, the meek shall inherit the earth. The mystical touches, whether drug induced or not, were wonderful.