Don's Plum

Don's Plum is a 2001 black-and-white independent drama film directed by R. D. Robb, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Kevin Connolly.[1] It was filmed in 1995–1996, and written by Robb with Bethany Ashton, Tawd Beckman, David Stutman and Dale Wheatley. The film takes place over the course of one night in which a group of young adults discuss life while eating at a diner.

Don's Plum
Film poster
Directed byR. D. Robb
Written by
Produced by
  • David Stutman
  • Dale Wheatley
Starring
Cinematography
  • Steve Adcock
  • Brian Bellamy
Edited by
  • Paul Heiman
  • Nabil Mehchi
Music byBlake Sennett
Production
companies
Distributed byPolo Pictures Entertainment
Release dates
  • February 10, 2001 (2001-02-10) (Berlinale)
  • August 24, 2001 (2001-08-24) (Denmark)
Running time
89 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Denmark
Sweden
LanguageEnglish
Box office€6,297

The film was blocked from release in the U.S. and Canada, as DiCaprio and Maguire claim that they had only agreed to star in a short film but not a feature film.[2]

Blake Sennett of Rilo Kiley provided the soundtrack for the film. His bandmate Jenny Lewis has a role as Sara.

It is the second film collaboration between Maguire and DiCaprio, the first being This Boy's Life, released in 1993, and the third being The Great Gatsby, released in 2013.

Premise

The film is centered around a group of young male friends, about 20 years old, who meet at a Los Angeles restaurant, Don's Plum, every Saturday night. The four friends like to bring new girls they've picked up to hang out with them. Dramatic verbal and physical altercations ensue between the friends and other people they taunt and tangle with in the restaurant. Naturalistic in its character depictions, filmed in black-and-white and with most of the action taking place inside the diner, there is little concrete plot. Some of the power dynamics between the young men surface as they "discuss their latest misadventures in their miserable lives," according to IMDb.[3]

Cast

Production

Much of the film is improvised.[2] DiCaprio and Maguire were paid $575 per day to appear in the film.

Release issues

DiCaprio and Maguire were opposed to having the film released. They claimed the film was pitched to them as a short film but was later re-edited into a feature-length film.[2] Producer David Stutman said Maguire opposed the film's release due to his improvised performance revealing too much about him.[2]

Stutman filed a lawsuit in 1998 against DiCaprio and Maguire.[4] They settled on allowing the film to be released outside the U.S. and Canada, and had some scenes removed.[5]

Free streaming

In 2014, Dale Wheatley published an open letter to DiCaprio on the website freedonsplum.com, giving his take on the history of the film and the ensuing legal issues.[6] Wheatley also uploaded the film to the website so that it could be streamed for free.[1] It was removed in January 2016 after a third-party notification by DiCaprio and Maguire claiming infringement.[7] Wheatley made the following statement to Fox News: "It saddens me deeply that in 2016 we witness the senseless oppression of film and art by one of America's most beloved actors". "While the world celebrates — and certainly Americans celebrate — his great achievements in cinema, he chooses to use an iron fist to suppress the work of many other artists including him in a film made 20 years ago."[8]

Reception

It premiered on February 10, 2001, in Berlin. Time Out New York writer Mike D'Angelo called it "the best film [I saw] in Berlin".[9] Variety called it an "unpleasant and tedious ensemble."[10]

See also

References
  1. Lyne, Charlie (2016-01-02). "Don's Plum: the film Leonardo DiCaprio would rather forget". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
  2. "Don's Plum: the film Leonardo DiCaprio would rather forget". the Guardian. 2016-01-23. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  3. "'Don's Plum' - Reviews". Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  4. "Producer: DiCaprio Capsized My Film". The Smoking Gun. 1998-06-22. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
  5. christophernguyen726 (2019-03-13). "Don's Plum: DVD Vs. Workprint". Bootleg Comparisons. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  6. Dale, Wheatley (2014-09-05). "Don's Plum". Letter to Leonardo DiCaprio. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
  7. "Video unavailable". Vimeo. 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
  8. Falzone, Diana (2016-01-28). "Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire have film 'Don's Plum' removed from streaming site". Fox News. Retrieved 2016-02-04.
  9. "Berlin 2011". Panix. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
  10. Cockrell, Eddie (2001-02-12). "Review: 'Don's Plum'". Variety. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
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