Reach the Rock
| Reach the Rock | |
|---|---|
 VHS cover | |
| Directed by | William Ryan |
| Written by | John Hughes |
| Produced by | John Hughes |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John J. Campbell |
| Edited by | Gerald B. Greenberg |
| Music by | John McEntire |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4,960 |
Reach the Rock is a 1998 American comedy drama film directed by William Ryan and starring William Sadler and Alessandro Nivola. It was the last film to be written and produced by John Hughes before his death in 2009.
Premise[edit]
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A small-town troublemaker (Alessandro Nivola), directionless and alienated, ends up spending a night in a jail cell, where he and the police chief (William Sadler) engage in a battle of wills and wit.
Cast[edit]
- William Sadler[1] as Quinn
- Alessandro Nivola[2] as Robin
- Bruce Norris as Ernie
- Brooke Langton as Lise[3]
- Norman Reedus as Danny
- Karen Sillas as Donna
- Richard Hamilton as Ed
Production[edit]
Writer/producer John Hughes originally offered the Reach the Rock script to director Chris Columbus at the same time he offered him Home Alone. Columbus opted to direct the latter.[4]
The soundtrack featured a compilation of Chicago-based post-rock artists, among them Tortoise and associated acts Bundy K. Brown, The Sea and Cake and John McEntire. It was released on Hefty Records, a label owned and operated by Hughes's son, John Hughes III. The film gets its title from a song by the band Havana 3am.
Reception[edit]
The film received generally negative reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 38% based on reviews from 8 critics, with an average rating of 4.5/10.[5] Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 1 out of 4 stars. He compared it negatively to Hughes' Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and complained that the movie was "very sad" and felt like it was playing "in slow motion."[6]
References[edit]
- ^ "William Sadler". IMDb. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ "Alessandro Nivola". IMDb. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ "Brooke Langton". IMDb. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ Wilkinson, Amy (November 6, 2015). "'Home Alone' turns 25: A deep dive with director Chris Columbus". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ "Reach the Rock". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (1998-10-16). "Reach the Rock movie review & film summary (1998)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
External links[edit]
- 1998 films
- American comedy-drama films
- American independent films
- Films produced by John Hughes (filmmaker)
- Films with screenplays by John Hughes (filmmaker)
- Gramercy Pictures films
- Universal Pictures films
- 1998 independent films
- 1998 comedy-drama films
- 1990s English-language films
- 1990s American films
- 1998 directorial debut films
- Films set in Chicago