| My First Mister | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Directed by: | Christine Lahti | |
| Produced by: | Carol Baum | |
| Written by: | Jill Franklyn | |
| Cast: | Albert Brooks, Leelee Sobieski | |
| Studio: | Paramount | |
| Runtime: | 109 mins | |
| Country: | United States, Germany | |
| Language: | English | |
| Ratings: | US:R; UK:15; Germany:12 | |
My First Mister tells the story of an alienated goth teen (Leelee Sobieski) who forms an unlikely friendship with a lonely men's clothing store owner (Albert Brooks). The movie also co-stars Carol Kane, John Goodman and Desmond Harrington.
The film is actress Christine Lahti's feature directorial debut.
My First Mister has been described as a reverse remake of Harold and Maude.
| Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
Synopsis[]
Jennifer (Sobieski) a 17-year-old mall rat takes a shine to the 49-year-old manager of a Los Angeles clothing store Randall Harris (Brooks), who also notices her. In an unlikely move, he gives her a job as a stockroom clerk, but she finds her way into the front of the store and begins to interact with - and sell clothes to - customers.
As the two strike up an unlikely friendship, they realize that neither have any close friends with whom they can talk. They nickname each other "J" and "R." They spend time together, and Randall helps Jennifer get an apartment of her own by giving her an advance on her salary. He also buys her a dress appropriate for work. While he can't go through with getting a tattoo, he does go with her to a cemetery to lie on graves and feel the energy of the deceased - something she does regularly.
After Randall collapses in the street after a walk, Jennifer discovers he has a terminal disease (which is Luekemia) and doesn't have long to live. While collecting some of his personal belongings at his home, she discovers that he had been married. While trying to contact his ex-wife in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she finds the woman had died six months earlier, and she also finds his son, Randall, a deeply cynical young man who believed his father had died before he was born. Jennifer convinces him to come back to see him before Randall dies. Because of Jennifer, they have a brief time to get to know one another.
Her friendship with Randall inspires her to seek a more friendly relationship with her mother, father and stepfather. In his final days, Jennifer puts on a dinner for him, in which his son, and Jennifer's parents and stepfather come together to celebrate his life.
Spoilers end here.
Cast members[]
- Albert Brooks - Randall 'R' Harris
- Leelee Sobieski - Jennifer
- John Goodman - Benjamin Wilson
- Carol Kane - Mrs. Benson
- Michael McKean - Bob Benson
- Henry Brown - Jack Taylor, Salesman
- Desmond Harrington - Randy Harris, Jr.
- Mary Kay Place - Nurse Patty
Selected quotes[]
- "I'm not that crazy about waking up." - Leelee Sobieski as Jennifer
- "I'd like to purpose a toast to all the special 'f' words - to friends, family, fate, forgiveness, and forever." - Leelee Sobieski as Jennifer
- "I just want you to know, that as far as dads go, you probably would have been alright. Probably." - Randy Harris, Jr.
Trivia[]
- Director Christine Lahti and her daughter appear as extras in the film.
- Sobieski, 18 when the film premiered, was said by some to bear a striking resemblance to a young Helen Hunt
Commentary and reviews[]
In DVD commentary director Christine Lahti applauds the work of the cast and crew, remarking "[I] was very lucky to have such a wonderful crew..." During casting she was very impressed with Albert Brooks' passion for the role. When Sobieski was mentioned for the part "J", Lahti was skeptical that "...such a beautiful face" would capture the feeling and look of isolation that was needed for the character, but she changed her mind when she took the opportunity to meet Sobieski for the role. She did feel regret that the film was rated R, for language, disparring that the movie might not be viewed by teenagers would like and relate with the characters. Also, Lahti mentioned several times that she would have liked to have more time to shoot different perspectives in order to facilitate story arch.
External links[]
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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at My First Mister. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with MOVIEPEDIA, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. |
They did name the disease "R" is dying of-"this type of Luekemia."