2002 film by Greg Pritikin
Dummy
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by
| Greg Pritikin
|
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Written by
| Greg Pritikin
|
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Produced by
|
- Richard Temtchine
- Bob Fagan
|
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Starring
| |
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Cinematography
| Horacio Marquinez
|
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Edited by
|
- William Henry
- Michael Palmerio
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Music by
| Paul Wallfisch
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Production
company
| Quadrant Entertainment
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Distributed by
| Artisan Entertainment
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Release dates
|
- February 21, 2002
(
2002-02-21
)
(
AFM
)
- September 12, 2003
(
2003-09-12
)
(United States)
|
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Running time
| 91 minutes
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Country
| United States
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Language
| English
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Box office
| $71,646
[1]
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Dummy
is a 2002 American
romantic
comedy-drama
film written and directed by
Greg Pritikin
. The film stars
Adrien Brody
as an ex-office worker who becomes a
ventriloquist
. It also stars
Milla Jovovich
,
Illeana Douglas
,
Vera Farmiga
,
Jessica Walter
,
Ron Leibman
, and
Jared Harris
. It premiered at the
American Film Market
on February 21, 2002, and received a
limited theatrical release
on September 12, 2003.
Plot
[
edit
]
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
[
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]
Production
[
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]
Casting
[
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]
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.
[2]
The following month, in June 2000, it was announced that
Illeana Douglas
had joined the cast in a supporting role.
[3]
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 production by veteran actor-ventriloquist-puppetmaker Alan Semok, who is credited in the film as special consultant and designer/creator of the title character.
Filming
[
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]
Principal photography
took place in
New York City
,
Wayne, New Jersey
, and
Long Island, New York
in July and August 2000.
Reception
[
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]
Box office
[
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]
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.
[1]
Critical reception
[
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]
Dummy
received mostly positive reviews from film critics. On
Rotten Tomatoes
, the film has an approval rating of 71%, based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 6.15/10. The site's consensus reads, "
Dummy
is a sweet family comedy that succeeds due to charming performances, even if the final product feels slightly undercooked."
[4]
On
Metacritic
, the film holds a 48% rating based on 12 critical reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
[5]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]