Zeroville (film)

Zeroville is a 2019 American comedy-drama film directed by James Franco, based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Steve Erickson. The film stars Franco, Megan Fox, Seth Rogen, Joey King, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson and Jacki Weaver.

Zeroville
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames Franco
Screenplay by
Based onZeroville
by Steve Erickson
Produced by
  • Caroline Aragon
  • Vince Jolivette
  • Michael Mendelsohn
Starring
CinematographyBruce Thierry Cheung
Edited by
  • Curtis Clayton
  • Joe Murphy
  • Matt Diezel
Music byJohnny Jewel[1]
Production
companies
Distributed bymyCinema
Release date
  • September 20, 2019 (2019-09-20)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6 million
Box office$78,293[2][3]

The film was first announced in March 2011, but did not begin filming until October 2014. Originally set to be released in 2015 or 2016 by Alchemy, the distribution of the project was held off following the company's filing of Chapter 7 bankruptcy. It was eventually picked up by myCinema, and was released on September 20, 2019 in limited theaters, to largely negative reviews. The film was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards.

Plot

A young excommunicated seminarian named Vikar arrives in Los Angeles on August 9, 1969. After briefly being suspected of complicity in the Tate—LaBianca murders, which occurred the same day, Vikar takes a job at Paramount Studios, where he meets film editor Dotty Langer. Dotty senses potential in Vikar and introduces him to a studio executive known only as Viking Man. Vikar and Viking Man attend a Hollywood party, where Vikar meets actress Soledad Paladin, whom he feels he has seen before.

When Vikar shows a talent for editing, an eccentric, singing producer named Rondell hires Vikar to edit Soledad's latest film. As Vikar becomes more involved in the industry, he becomes obsessed by the idea of a "secret movie," pieces of which lie hidden inside every film ever made.

The film traces Vikar's career over the next decade as he witnesses many significant events in the history of 1970s Hollywood.

Cast

Production

In March 2011, the novel by Steve Erickson was optioned by actor James Franco for a feature film. On October 24, 2014, the ensemble cast joined the film, which includes Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell, Jamie Costa, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson, Joey King and Horatio Sanz.[4][5][6]

Filming

The principal photography of the film began on October 24, 2014, in Los Angeles, California.[7] Filming also took place in Pasadena in November.[7]

Release

On September 12, 2015, it was announced Alchemy had acquired US distribution rights to the film.[8] However, the company filed for bankruptcy, leaving the film without a distributor.[9][10] In April 2019, it was announced myCinema had acquired distribution rights to the film.[11] It was released on September 20, 2019.[12] The film is considered a box-office bomb.[2][13][14]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 23% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 4.1/10. The website's consensus reads, "Potentially an ironic favorite for cult film fans, Zeroville is a fundamentally misguided -- and descriptively titled -- passion project for its director and star."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 28 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[16]

Peter Debruge of Variety magazine wrote: "Franco has a truly radical streak in him, and considering how poorly the movie functions as a traditional crowdpleaser, he might as well have gone all out and pushed Zeroville to whatever event horizon the deranged project called for. His mistake wasn’t trying to adapt Erickson’s novel at all, but attempting to turn it into a tragic romance between Vikar and Soledad."[17]

Accolades

The film was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards, James Franco was nominated for Worst Director and Worst Actor, and Seth Rogen was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor.[18]

References
  1. Linden, Sheri (September 18, 2019). "'Zeroville': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  2. Lincoln, Ross A. (September 30, 2019). "James Franco's 'Zeroville' Bombs With Measly $8,900 on 80 Screens". Thewrap.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  3. "Zeroville". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  4. "Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, Megan Fox and More Join Franco's Zeroville". comingsoon.net. October 24, 2014. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  5. Jagernauth, Kevin (October 24, 2014). "Seth Rogen, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco And More Join James Franco's 'Zeroville'". Indiewire.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  6. Kelogg, Carolyn (October 27, 2014). "Megan Fox, Seth Rogen join James Franco in 'Zeroville'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  7. "James Franco's 'Zeroville' begins filming in L.A." onlocationvacations.com. October 24, 2014. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  8. Fleming, Mike Jr (September 12, 2015). "Alchemy Buys James Franco Pic 'Zeroville' – Toronto". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  9. "Alchemy Files For Chapter 7-Names Long List of Creditors". Deadline Hollywood. July 7, 2016. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  10. McNary, Dave (July 7, 2016). "Alchemy Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Protection". Variety. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  11. D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 1, 2019). "James Franco's Delayed 'Zeroville' Saved By myCinema; Distrib's Slate Includes Julian Fellowes' 'The Chaperone' – CinemaCon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  12. Hipes, Patrick (August 15, 2019). "'Zeroville' Trailer: James Franco Movie (Finally) Gets Its Hollywood Close-Up". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  13. Clarke, Patrick (October 1, 2019). "James Franco's new movie 'Zeroville' is one of the year's biggest box office failures". NME. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  14. Terry, Arden (October 2, 2019). "James Franco's 'Zeroville' Is a Box Office Zero". mxdwn.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  15. "Zeroville (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  16. "Zeroville Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  17. Debruge, Peter (September 20, 2019). "Film Review: 'Zeroville'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  18. "RAZZ NEWZ - The Razzies!". Razzies.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020.
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