Old Fashioned (film)
| Old Fashioned | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Rik Swartzwelder |
| Written by | Rik Swartzwelder |
| Produced by | Nathan Nazario Dave DeBorde Nini Hadjis Rik Swartzwelder William K Baker Stephen Campanella |
| Starring | Elizabeth Ann Roberts Rik Swartzwelder LeJon Woods Tyler Hollinger Nini Hadjis |
| Cinematography | David George |
| Edited by | Jonathan Olive Phillip Sherwood Robin Katz |
| Music by | Kazimir Boyle |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $600,000 [1] |
| Box office | $1.9 million [2] |
Old Fashioned is a 2014 romance film directed and written by Rik Swartzwelder, who also stars opposite Elizabeth Ann Roberts. The film had a limited release in just three markets on February 6, 2015, with its major release over the Valentine's weekend that followed (on 224 screens).[3]
Plot
Clay Walsh owns an antique shop in a small Midwestern college town, where he repairs and restores furniture, and where he meets Amber, a free-spirited young woman who rents the apartment above Clay's shop. Amber is struck by the fact that Clay will not enter the apartment to show her around; she discovers that despite having made a pledge not to be alone with any woman other than his wife, Clay is not married.
Amber takes a job at a local shop, and takes in interest in getting to know Clay, a task she faces with difficulty, as Clay does not date, believing dating to be poor preparation for marriage, and will only come up to see Amber when something in her apartment needs repair; Amber begins breaking things in her apartment in order to see Clay and continue their conversations.
Eventually, Clay agrees to take her out, but the dates he takes her on are odd and unusual. Amber discloses her past as having been in a number of relationships, many of which were superficial and at times abusive, leading her to move to a new town each time. Clay's past is even more checkered; in his college days, he knew a large number of women, and shot exploitation films in the manner of Girls Gone Wild. Despite the money he earned from this, Clay began to change his life around upon realizing the pain his lifestyle caused to those around him, and confined himself to working in the antique shop, withdrawn from the world around him.
Though isolated, his work in the shop over a period of nine years led him to develop craftsmanship skills. In the town, Clay is known for his faith, his reserve and his odd theories on love and romance, which irritate his old friends for their old-fashioned and out of place nature. Few are aware of the guilt Clay feels over his past, and he views himself as not fit to for a relationship with anyone.
Despite the unusual rules Clay has committed himself to, Amber continues to pursue him. Though she expresses a number of times that she wishes to do things people do on normal dates, she eventually concedes that she likes Clay more than she wants normality.
A crisis develops, and both end up going their own way. Clay is saddened by the separation and seeks out his Great Aunt Zella, who implores him not to let her go. She tells Clay that she has never seen anyone try so hard to be good, but that life is not about failings; it is about loving those that God has brought into our lives, and that stepping back into the world, and into love, is vital, knowing that failure is a part of it.
Clay takes her advice, and asks Amber to marry him. Before he can finish the question she answers yes; he warns her to be cautious, and that it will not be easy. She simply smiles and repeats her answer.
Cast
- Elizabeth Ann Roberts as Amber
- Rik Swartzwelder as Clay
- LeJon Woods as David
- Tyler Hollinger as Brad
- Nini Hadjis as Lisa
- Maryann Nagel as Carol
- Lindsay Heath as Trish
- Joseph Bonamico as George
- Dorothy Silver as Great Aunt Zella
- Ange'le Perez as Cosie
- Anne Marie Nestor as Kelly
Development
The script was written by Swartzwelder, who had been working on it for a few years already when, in 2007, he partnered with lawyer Gordon Toering (after earlier meeting at a film conference). The two formed a production company (Skoche Films), but financing was delayed by the 2007 global economic recession. Filming finally began in 2011, with additional shooting in 2012. By late 2013, the film was ready for release. Then, in early 2014, when the release date for 50 Shades of Grey was set for Valentine's Day weekend 2015, the decision was made to delay the release of Old Fashioned to coincide with that release.[1][4][5]
Analysis
The film depicts a rather unconventional dating method chosen by the protagonist as a means to get away from the cultural norms he has found to be destructive. Clay is quite isolated for a young believer. Having wounded people that he loved, he is riddled with guilt, and has taken the response too far. He does not have Christian friends and does not attend a church. Commented the film's primary creative influence, Rik Swartzwelder: "He has isolated himself from other people, isolated himself ultimately from God even, and it started to change him in a not good way. She starts to press in on him."[6]
Notes author Karee Santos: "In the tender and sometimes rocky romance between the main characters, we see two broken individuals helping to heal each other."[7] In an interview about the film Dr. Juli Slattery remarked: "They both came from a lot of poor choices. It is a story not just of romance, but of God's redemption."[6] Notes Swartzwelder: "I wanted to tell a love story that takes the idea of Godly romance seriously. A story that, without apology, explores the possibility of a higher standard in relationships; yet, is also fully aware of just how fragile we all are and doesn’t seek to heap guilt upon those of us that have made mistakes."[8]
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, Old Fashioned has an approval rating of 18% based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 4.30/10.[9] Time magazine's Lily Rothman noted that the film "was a response to what its creators see as a culture that celebrates ideas like those in '50 Shades' but does not seem to create stable romantic relationships."[10] Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times found the film disturbing.[11] Joe Leydon of Variety wrote that "Swartzwelder wants to engage his target audience with a tale of moral redemption through chaste romance. Trouble is, throughout a good portion of his movie, the writer-director gives off a disconcerting Norman Bates vibe".[12] Karee Santos of the Catholic Match Institute wrote: "Amber shows Clay that love doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth it, and Clay shows Amber that respect for a woman’s body does not equal a lack of passion or a disinterest in love for the long term."[7]
In a 2.5 stars out of 4 review for RogerEbert.com, Glenn Kenny said of the film: "It’s incredibly rare to see an American movie with a Christian perspective that’s more invested in philosophizing and empathizing than in eschatological pandering, and for that alone Old Fashioned deserves commendation."[13]
Box office
The movie was released over the Valentines' weekend of 2015, opening the same weekend as Universal's Fifty Shades of Grey.[13] The film ended the four-day President's Day holiday weekend with a gross take of $1,083,308.[14] The following week, the film expanded to 298 screens.[14] The movie grossed $1,914,090 during its theatrical run.
The film was released on DVD and Digital on 16 June 2015.
Music
Milan Records released the official motion picture soundtrack on February 10, 2015; it includes both songs by a variety of artists as well as several selections from the original score by Kazimir Boyle. In addition, a second soundtrack (digital only) of previously unreleased original score tracks was released by the composer via iTunes (More Music from the Motion Picture Old Fashioned).
Novel and official companion book
In December 2014, Tyndale House Publishers released both a novelization of the Old Fashioned screenplay (written by Rene Gutteridge) as well as an official companion book for the film and the novel, The Old Fashioned Way: Reclaiming the Lost Art of Romance (written by Ginger Kolbaba).
References
- ^ a b Spooner, Amy (24 February 2015). "Gordon Toering, '91: An Old Fashioned Guy". Michigan Law. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
- ^ "Old Fashioned (2015)". Box Office Mojo. 2015-03-19. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
- ^ "Old Fashioned". ComingSoon.net. 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
- ^ "Forty Drafts Later...An Interview with the Creator of". ChristianCinema.com. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
- ^ oldfashusr. "Curious? | Old Fashioned Movie Blog". Retrieved 2019-01-27.
- ^ a b Griffith, Wendy (9 February 2015). "'Old Fashioned' Romance Shreds 'Shades of Grey'". CBN News. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b Santos, Karee (7 February 2015). "Restraints or Self-Restraint?: 50 Shades of Grey vs. Old Fashioned". Catholic Match Institute. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ Toto, Christian Faith-Based Romance 'Old Fashioned' Battles 'Fifty Shades of Grey' on Valentines Day 28 July 2014 Retrieved 17 January 2019
- ^ "Old Fashioned". Rotten Tomatoes. February 6, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
- ^ Rothman, Lily (30 July 2014). "Make Chaste: How the Faith-Based Counterpart to 50 Shades of Grey Came to Be". Time. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (12 February 2015). "Review: 'Old Fashioned' an unrepentantly faith-based romance". LA Times. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ Leydon, Joe (17 February 2015). "'Old Fashioned' Review: An Early Contender for the Year's Creepiest Faith-Based Movie". Variety. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
- ^ a b Kenny, Glenn (February 2015). "Old Fashioned". Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Old Fashioned". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.