Dummy (film)

Dummy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Greg Pritikin
Produced by	Bob Fagen Richard Temtchine
Written by	Greg Pritikin
Starring	Adrien Brody Milla Jovovich Illeana Douglas Vera Farmiga Jared Harris
Music by	Paul Wallfisch
Cinematography	Horacio Marquinez
Edited by	William Henry Michael Palmerio
Production company	Quadrant Entertainment Dummy Productions LLC
Distributed by	Artisan Entertainment
Release dates	February 21, 2002 (2002-02-21) (AFM premiere) September 12, 2003 (2003-09-12) (United States)
Running time	91 minutes
Language	English
Box office	$71,646

Dummy is a 2002 comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Pritikin. It stars Adrien Brody, Milla Jovovich, Illeana Douglas, Vera Farmiga, and Jared Harris. The film had its premiere on February 21, 2002, and was released in a limited release in the United States on September 12, 2003 by Artisan Entertainment.

Plot

Steven Schoichet is a recently unemployed ne'er-do-well who has difficulty expressing himself. Steven finds he has a knack for ventriloquism. Steven's best friend is Fangora "Fanny" Gurkel, an aspiring punk rock singer who, along with Steven, is just looking for her niche. Eventually, Fanny takes a shine to klezmer music when she learns of an opportunity to get an actual gig. Through his newfound talent, Steven discovers that he is able to overcome his social problems through his dummy and decides to try impressing and winning the heart of Lorena Fanchetti.

Cast

• Adrien Brody as Steven Schoichet
• Milla Jovovich as Fangora "Fanny" Gurkel
• Illeana Douglas as Heidi Schoichet
• Vera Farmiga as Lorena Fanchetti
• Jessica Walter as Fern Schoichet
• Ron Leibman as Lou Schoichet
• Jared Harris as Michael Foulicker
• Helen Hanft as Mrs. Gurkel
• Lawrence Leritz as The Groom
• Poppi Kramer as The Bride
• Mirabella Pisani as Bonnie

Production

Development

The film was written and directed by filmmaker Greg Pritikin. It was produced by Bob Fagan, Richard Temtchine, Dummy Productions LLC and Quadrant Entertainment. Artisan Entertainment distributed the film to theaters and Lionsgate Home Entertainment distributed the film through home media releases.

Casting

In May 2000, it was reported by Variety that Adrien Brody and Milla Jovovich had been cast in the film, Brody as the lead character of Steven, and Jovovich as the best friend of Brody's character. The following month, in June 2000, it was announced that Illeana Douglas had joined the cast in a supporting role. Vera Farmiga, Ron Leibman, Jared Harris and Jessica Walter were also cast in supporting roles. Brody (who had no previous experience as a ventriloquist) performed all of the ventriloquism and puppetry live during shooting, doing so without puppeteering stand-ins or voiceover dubbing. He was coached prior to and during actual production by veteran actor-ventriloquist-puppetmaker Alan Semok (The Dummy Doctor), who is credited in the film as special consultant and designer/creator of the title character.

Filming

Principal photography took place in New York City, Wayne, New Jersey, and Long Island, New York in July and August 2000.

Reception

Box office

The film was given a limited release in the United States. Dummy made $30,130 from 5 theaters in its opening weekend. It made an additional $41,516 at the box office for a total domestic gross of $71,646.

Critical reception

Dummy received mostly positive reviews from film critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 70% rating based on 33 reviews. The site's consensus States: "Dummy is a sweet family comedy that succeeds due to charming performances, even if the final product feels slightly undercooked." The film currently holds a 48% rating on Metacritic based on 12 critical reviews.

External links

• Dummy at IMDb
• Dummy at Rotten Tomatoes