Location: Clarksville, Ohio
"Daniel the Informer"
Written and Directed by Noah Baumbach
Produced by Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, Charlie Corwin, Peter Newman
Score by Dean Wareham
Director of Photography: Robert D. Yeoman
Edited by Tim Streeto
Main Cast
Jack Black ... Marty Burton
Anna Faris ... Jessie Burton
Jake Thomas ... Daniel Burton
Mary-Louise Parker ... Melissa Swann
Corbin Bleu ... Stan Miller
Unknown Child Star ... Kodi Burton
Rated: R (for Sexual Content, Language, and Some Drug Content.)
Running Time: 1 hr. 29 mins. (89 minutes)
Tagline: "To Do List: Get Over Myself, Get a Life, and Tell Dad My Secret..."
Synopsis: Daniel Burton (Jake Thomas) never knew his dad. He's been raised by his bank accountant mom, Melissa (Mary-Louise Parker), for the last sixteen years of his sixteen-year-old life. And it happens to be on his sixteenth birthday he gets a call from that certain father saying he wants to get to know his son. Marty (Jack Black) is his dad. When he first arrives in the Southern Georgian town Marty lives, Daniel doesn't know what to think of his father and new stepmom. Marty dresses in dark, droopy clothes and wears piercings and chains that would make a mother scream in horror, and likes to play on his guitar. When Marty tells Daniel he wants to play a song for him... Daniel looks in digust at his annoying garage band wannabe idiot of a father. Jessie (Anna Faris) is Daniel's new stepmother. The red-headed "flower child" with a loud-mouthed Southern accent who nearly every second of the day is burned out on pot and follows Marty around like a lost puppy. Not to mention she mutters the most random conversation starters. "Does your mom wear pink Daniel?" she asks. The final person Daniel gets the chance of meeting is his five-year-old brother Kodi. Kodi is a selfish little spoiled brat who talks to Daniel as if to be watching his every move. Daniel, however, learns things from Kodi about "daddy" and "stepmommy" including the fact that they are all homophobic and racist and those feelings of anger now exist in that little kid. However will Daniel tell dad that he has a black boyfriend named Stan (Corbin Bleu)?
What the Press would say:
"Daniel the Informer" is a lushly heartfelt, painfully realistic, and touchingly poignant comedy about the importance of acceptance through life and love and is hailed as "an unheralded comedy classic" by Richard Roeper of Ebert and Roeper. Noah Baumbach returns in "Squid and the Whale" form for this exceptional life lesson starring Jack Black and Anna Faris in career best performances. "Jack Black has the purity and the tenderness yet the hard ass raunchiness to pull off this character and he does it with such grace to bring forth a subtle Oscar-worthy performance," (Roeper) while "[Anna Faris] blisters with a blend of comedy and drama to bring a painful but hilarious human being to life in her greatest performance to date!" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) In a small performance ranging on a little over eight minutes is Mary-Louise Parker who plays the character of Melissa Swann through such perfect comedic timing yet riveting dramatic force that in the scenes where her son talks to her on the phone she "brings such a realism to her performance" (Dustin Putman, The Movie Boy.com). And finally, the heart of the show is Daniel whose soul is what makes the movie as great as it is. Jake Thomas portrays Daniel with sensitivity beyond control yet with terrific hold-no-bars teenager authenticity. He creates a funny and wonderful performance and if Oscar was brave enough, they would award him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. At the bottom of all of the great performances is what creates the mold. Baumbach's incredibly witty screenplay includes astonishing Oscar-caliber dialogue that rings in your ears and puts you in a trance from the get-go. Packed with realism but a great sense of humor, the screenplay never fails to hit the right notes. "Daniel the Informer" is a great comedy that shows a terrific showcase of a chapter in the life of a Generation X teenager. It's powerful, hysterical, and ultimately unforgettable. A modern comedy classic is born!
For Your Consideration:
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
Best Actor - Jack Black
Best Supporting Actor - Jake Thomas
Best Supporting Actress - Anna Faris
Best Supporting Actress - Mary-Louise Parker
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