Down to You
USA 2000
Reviewed by jamie Graham
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
New York City, the late 90s. Sophomore college student Al meets freshman Imogen at a bar. They begin a relationship. The honeymoon period is cut short by Imogen's annual family trip to France for the summer. After her return, the pair continue where they left off, but the chemistry has waned. Their sex life is now intermittent and both find themselves tempted by others. Imogen's fears are compounded by a false pregnancy scare. Attending a party with Al that night, the duo argue bitterly and go their separate ways. The next morning, Imogen calls for Al and confesses she cheated on him the night before. They split up, and Imogen moves to San Francisco while Al, after graduation, becomes a chef. Unable to get over Imogen, he swallows a bottle of her shampoo. Al recuperates and attends a party thrown by his parents. Imogen surprises him by turning up. The pair are reconciled and move west together.
Review
Like Rob Reiner's The Story of Us and Stephen Frears' upcoming High Fidelity, both of which scrutinise the highs and lows of modern relationships, Down to You initially seems better than it actually is by pressing the right buttons. If The Story of Us looks at early fortysomethings and High Fidelity mid thirtysomethings, Down to You is the late-teen version, set amid college students living in a romantically photographed New York City. Hence the topic is not just love but first love, with all its extra freight of emotion and impact. The opening stages of the film are full of energy as Al and Imogen's relationship accelerates, with flashbacks, flashbacks-within-flashbacks, split screens, pop irises and straight-to-camera addresses lifting the proceedings.
Debut director Kris Isacsson, who comes to Down to You off a series of short films, is at pains to keep things snappy and imaginative, but his head of steam disperses when it's time to deal with the souring of his duo's relationship. He tries to bring a little enterprise to the inevitable scenes of bickering and moody silence, but by now the vitalising tactics seem out of place. One device is particularly misjudged as Al, having just had his sexual advances batted off by Imogen, switches on the television to see himself being mocked on an imaginary talk show for his wet personality. Considering Al is so square you could cut yourself on his corners, it only serves to reinforce the viewer's wonder as to just what Imogen sees in him in the first place. Certainly Julia Stiles' previous incarnation, the spiky Katarina in 10 Things I Hate about You, wouldn't have given him a second glance. Down to You is irreparably crippled, however, when Imogen moves to San Francisco. Becoming the filmic equivalent of a wailing Bon Jovi ballad, it leaves us to chew our fists as Al sits drunk and forlorn in his empty apartment, conversing with a spider. But not even that plumbs the embarrassing depths of a perplexing sub-plot in which Al's closest friend becomes the star of a string of pornographic epics.
Credits
- Director
- Kris Isacsson
- Producers
- Jason Kliot
- Joana Vicente
- Screenplay
- Kris Isacsson
- Director of Photography
- Robert Yeoman
- Editor
- Stephen A. Rotter
- Production Designer
- Kevin Thompson
- Music/Music Conductor
- Edmund Choi
- ©Miramax Film Corp.
- Production Companies
- Miramax International presents an Open City Films production
- Executive Producers
- Bobby Cohen
- Bob Weinstein
- Harvey Weinstein
- Jeremy Kramer
- Co-producer
- Trish Hofmann
- Additional Line Producer
- Additional NY Unit:
- Andrew Fierberg
- Associate Producer
- Hugo Heppell
- Production Co-ordinators
- Sean Fogel
- California Unit:
- Page Rosenberg-Marvin
- Nettie Heffner
- Additional NY Unit:
- David Bausch
- Brian Bell
- Production Managers
- Additional NY Unit:
- Anthony Katagas
- Jamie Zerlermyer
- Unit Production Managers
- Stacy Plavoukos
- California Unit:
- Mitch Dauterive
- Kari Shisler
- Jamie Boscardin
- Location Managers
- Gayle Vangrofsky
- California Unit:
- Ellen Lent
- Robert Mendel
- Additional NY Unit:
- Matthew Chilsen
- Evan Perazzo
- Post-production
- Supervisor:
- Jennifer Lane
- Co-ordinators:
- Anjel Van Slyke
- Evan T. Cohen
- Assistant Directors
- Dave Wechsler
- Linda Perkins
- Aida Rodgers
- California Unit:
- Julian Petrillo
- Dave Wechsler
- Gordon Boos
- Rich Greenberg
- Kitty Douglas
- Kevin LeBlanc
- Andrea Netze
- Additional NY Unit:
- Peter Thorell
- Script Supervisors
- Julie Oppenheimer
- California Unit:
- Monika von Manteuffel
- Paula Frankel
- Benita Brazier
- Casting
- Douglas Aibel
- California Unit Directors:
- Ed Mitchell
- Robin Ray
- California Unit Audience:
- Chris Cabarossi
- ADR Voice:
- Sondra James
- Directors of Photography
- California Unit:
- Tim Suhrstedt
- Additional NY Unit:
- Jim Denault
- Tim Suhrstedt
- Camera Operators
- Jonathan Herron
- Jamie Silverstein
- California Unit:
- Russ McElhatton
- Vance Piper
- Philip Carr-Forster
- Steadicam Operator
- California Unit:
- Peter Jensen
- Visual Effects
- Balsmeyer & Everett, Inc
- Special Effects Co-ordinator
- Drew Jiritano
- Graphics
- Sarah Frank
- Associate Editor
- David Frankel
- Production Designer
- California Unit:
- Dina Lipton
- Art Directors
- California Unit:
- Tracey Gallacher
- Marc Dabe
- Set Decorators
- Ford Wheeler
- California Unit:
- Craig Copher
- Suzette Sheets
- Album Cover Art
- Jane Grover
- Costume Designers
- Michael Clancy
- California Unit:
- April Ferry
- Additional NY Unit, Additional:
- Toni Fusco
- Wardrobe Supervisors
- Marcia Patten
- Kevin Ritter
- California Unit:
- Christopher Lawrence
- Make-up
- Artist:
- Nicki Lederman
- California Unit, Key:
- John Elliot
- Hairstylist
- Beatrice De Alba
- Key Hair
- California Unit:
- Yolanda Toussieng
- Katherine Childers
- 'Al' Hair
- Additional NY Unit:
- John Elliot
- Opticals
- Howard Anderson
- The Effects House
- Digiscope
- Music Supervisor
- Tracy McKnight
- Music Editors
- Chuck Martin
- Segue Music
- Additional:
- David Frankel
- Dan DiPrima
- Soundtrack
- "It All Comes Down to You" by Billie Myers; "I Must Have Done Something Right" by Formosa; "Young Americans" by David Bowie; "Groove Is in the Heart" by Dee Lite; "Ready for a Fall" by P.J. Olsson; "Junction City" by Big Lazy; "Is There Something on Your Mind" by The Drowners; "Free to Go" by Folk Implosion; "Black Balloon" by Goo Goo Dolls; "Stay" by Deanna Kirk; "Vagabond Angel" by Miranda Lee Richards; "Bad Boys" by Inner Circle; "The Garden of You and I" by Ginger Mackenzie; "Corazon salvaje" by Fernando Fernández; "Jalopy Style" by Citizen King; "Nervous Breakthrough" by Luscious Jackson; "Lullaby of Clubland" by Everything But The Girl; "Lady Shave" by Gus Gus; "Didn't Mean to Do You Harm" by Craig Wedren, Jimmy Harry; "Shine on Me" by The Velvet Crush; "Spun Out" by Psychic Rain; "You're Nobody 'Till Somebody Loves You" by James Darren; "I Need Love" by Sam Phillips; "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green; "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" by Barry White; "When I Fall in Love"; "Battle Hymn of the Republic"; "Marching through Georgia"
- California Unit Choreographer
- Lance MacDonald
- Sound Mixers
- Production:
- Gary Alper
- Additional:
- John Hirst
- California Unit:
- Mark McNabb
- Additional Re-recording
- Dominick Tavella
- Tom Fleischman
- Supervising Sound Editor
- Eliza Paley
- Sound Editors
- William Sweeney
- Warren Shaw
- Jac Rubenstein
- John Werner
- Glenfield Payne
- Supervising Dialogue Editor
- Jeffrey Stern
- ADR Editors
- Jane McCulley
- Kenton Jakub
- Food Stylist
- California Unit:
- Jojo Joyce
- Stunt Co-ordinator
- Douglas Crosby
- Animal Handler
- Dawn Animal Agency Animal Wranglers
- California Unit:
- Boone's Animals For Hollywood
- Boone Narr
- Helicopter Pilot
- Al Cerullo
- Cast
- Freddie Prinze Jr
- Al Connelly
- Julia Stiles
- Imogen
- Selma Blair
- Cyrus
- Shawn Hatosy
- Eddie Hicks
- Zak Orth
- Monk Jablonski
- Ashton Kutcher
- Jim Morrison
- Rosario Dawson
- Lana
- Lucie Arnaz
- Judy Connelly
- Henry Winkler
- Chef Ray
- Lauren German
- lovestruck woman
- Zay Harding
- lovestruck man
- Amanda Barfield
- Faith Keenan
- Chloe Hunter
- Megan Brodski
- Granger Green
- Haley Heller
- Jed Rhein
- Gabe Stiano
- Joseff Stevenson
- Ted McGurran
- Elizabeth Levin
- Carbs girl
- Lola Glaudini
- parolee
- Robin Nance
- daddy's girl
- Mary Wigmore
- Pearly Whites
- Caroline Ambrose
- kissing babe - woman
- Adam Carolla
- Jimmy Kimmel
- 'The Man Show' hosts
- Jason Bailey
- angry audience member
- Jennifer Albano
- Emma
- Chris Desmond
- man with Emma
- Susan J. Blommaert
- psychologist
- Julian Caiazzo
- young Al, 5 years
- Jerry Carreccio
- young Al, 12 years
- Chloe Beardman
- young Imogen, 11 years
- Frank Wood
- doctor
- Joanna P. Adler
- piercing woman
- Mimi Langeland
- leather woman
- Elizabeth Page
- stage manager
- Mark Blum
- the interviewer
- David Logan
- suburban husband
- Joanna Myers
- suburban wife
- Richard Galella
- Michael J. Conti
- SWAT team
- Certificate
- 12
- Distributor
- Film Four Distributors
- 8,295 feet
- 92 minutes 10 seconds
- Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS
- In Colour