Homeboy (film)
Encyclopedia
Homeboy is a 1988
drama film
, directed by Michael Seresin
. It was written by and stars Mickey Rourke
in the role of self-destructive cowboy
/boxer
Johnny Walker. Christopher Walken
also stars as Walker's slightly corrupt promoter, who encourages him to fight whilst hiding from him the fact that one more punch in the wrong place would kill him.
The film was released on DVD on September 1, 2009.
, with brain damage
who has just recently moved into a sea-side resort. Upon arriving, he falls in love with Ruby, a carnival owner who has a lot in common with Johnny,.
Johnny, who is played by Mickey Rourke
, also befriends Wesley Pendergrass (Christopher Walken
). Wesley and Johnny form a strong friendship, and it's clear that Johnny idolises Wesley.
Later on in the film, Wesley wants to use Johnny as muscle in a robbery and he asks Johnny to help him. Johnny has to choose between the love of Ruby (Debra Feuer
) or the friendship of Wesley.
, the beach, Paramount Theatre, Cookman Avenue. Shots in Belmar
include Alfred's Ice Cream Cafe and Pied Piper Ice Cream. Interior shots in Asbury Park include the Convention Hall and Belmar Barber Shop in Belmar.
Tillie
and the Palace Amusements
building can be seen in the background, a staple of Asbury Park and its culture. During the boxing scenes, the Convention Hall is used as the venue. This is the first of two times Rourke used the famed venue in films. The second time it was used was for 2008's The Wrestler.
Also, a young Stephen Baldwin
appears in a brief scene.
's first memoir, Chronicles Volume One, he writes of a trip to the movies during the recording of the album Oh Mercy
. He writes of Mickey Rourke:
Dylan would later work with Rourke on his film Masked and Anonymous
in 2001.
1988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, directed by Michael Seresin
Michael Seresin
Michael Stephen Seresin, ONZM, is a New Zealand cinematographer, best known for several collaborations with the British director Alan Parker...
. It was written by and stars Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
in the role of self-destructive cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
/boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
Johnny Walker. Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
also stars as Walker's slightly corrupt promoter, who encourages him to fight whilst hiding from him the fact that one more punch in the wrong place would kill him.
The film was released on DVD on September 1, 2009.
Plot
Johnny Walker is a down-and-out boxerBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, with brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
who has just recently moved into a sea-side resort. Upon arriving, he falls in love with Ruby, a carnival owner who has a lot in common with Johnny,.
Johnny, who is played by Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
, also befriends Wesley Pendergrass (Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
). Wesley and Johnny form a strong friendship, and it's clear that Johnny idolises Wesley.
Later on in the film, Wesley wants to use Johnny as muscle in a robbery and he asks Johnny to help him. Johnny has to choose between the love of Ruby (Debra Feuer
Debra Feuer
Debra Feuer is an American actress. She starred in the movies Moment by Moment, The Hollywood Knights, To Live and Die in L.A., MacGruder and Loud, and in the italian movie Il burbero, as well as Homeboy, in which she starred with her then husband Mickey Rourke.Feuer played a minor role in the TV...
) or the friendship of Wesley.
Production
Exterior shots in Asbury Park include the boardwalkBoardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
, the beach, Paramount Theatre, Cookman Avenue. Shots in Belmar
Belmar, New Jersey
Belmar is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,794. The Borough of Belmar is governed under the Faulkner Act system of municipal government....
include Alfred's Ice Cream Cafe and Pied Piper Ice Cream. Interior shots in Asbury Park include the Convention Hall and Belmar Barber Shop in Belmar.
Tillie
Tillie
Tillie is the nickname of two murals of a grinning figure that were painted on the side of the Palace Amusements building in Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States. Tillie is an amusement park "fun face," painted over the winter of 1955-1956. The name Tillie is likely a nod to George C. Tilyou,...
and the Palace Amusements
Palace Amusements
Palace Amusements was an historical indoor amusement park in Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA. Started Monday, Feb. 20, 1888, Ernest S. Schnitzler was soon placing advertisements in the city directory describing his pleasure palace as a place of "refined amusement for Ladies, Gents, and Children....
building can be seen in the background, a staple of Asbury Park and its culture. During the boxing scenes, the Convention Hall is used as the venue. This is the first of two times Rourke used the famed venue in films. The second time it was used was for 2008's The Wrestler.
Cast
- Mickey RourkeMickey RourkePhilip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
as Johnny Walker - Christopher WalkenChristopher WalkenChristopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
as Wesley Pendergass - Debra FeuerDebra FeuerDebra Feuer is an American actress. She starred in the movies Moment by Moment, The Hollywood Knights, To Live and Die in L.A., MacGruder and Loud, and in the italian movie Il burbero, as well as Homeboy, in which she starred with her then husband Mickey Rourke.Feuer played a minor role in the TV...
as Ruby - Thomas QuinnThomas QuinnThomas Quinn may refer to:* T. Vincent Quinn, U.S. Representative from New York*Thomas Quinn , Irish Nationalist politician and builder*Thomas Quinn...
as Lou - Kevin ConwayKevin ConwayKevin Conway is an American actor and film director.-Early life:Conway was born in New York City, the son of Helen Margaret , a sales representative, and James John Conway, a mechanic...
as Grazziano - Antony AldaAntony AldaAntony Alda was an American actor who grew up in a famous acting family. The son of Robert Alda, he was born in France, his early studies were in Rome and he finished at The Juilliard School in New York City. An active actor, he appeared on stage, and in film and television including his role as...
as Ray - Jon PolitoJon PolitoJon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
as Moe Fingers - Bill Slayton as Bill
- David Albert Taylor as Cannonball
- Joseph Ragno as Cotten's Trainer
- Matthew Lewis as Cotten
- Willy DeVilleWilly DeVilleWilly DeVille was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five year career, first with his band Mink DeVille and later on his own, Deville created original songs rooted in traditional American musical styles. He worked with collaborators from across the spectrum of contemporary...
as Moe's Bodyguard - Rubén BladesRubén BladesRubén Blades Bellido de Luna is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, lawyer, actor, Latin jazz musician, and politician, performing musically most often in the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz genres...
as Doctor - Sam Gray as Barber
- Dondre Whitfield as Billy Harrison
Also, a young Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Andrew Baldwin is an American actor, director, producer and author. One of the Baldwin brothers, he is known for his roles as William F. Cody in the western show The Young Riders and as Stuart in the movie Threesome...
appears in a brief scene.
In popular culture
In Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's first memoir, Chronicles Volume One, he writes of a trip to the movies during the recording of the album Oh Mercy
Oh Mercy
Oh Mercy is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's 26th studio album, released by Columbia Records in September 1989.Produced by Daniel Lanois, it was hailed by critics as a triumph for Dylan, after a string of weaker-reviewed albums...
. He writes of Mickey Rourke:
- He could break your heart with a look. The movie traveled to the moon every time he came onto the screen. Nobody could hold a candle to him. He was just there, didn't have to say hello or goodbye.
Dylan would later work with Rourke on his film Masked and Anonymous
Masked and Anonymous
Masked and Anonymous is a 2003 comedy-drama film directed by Larry Charles, who is better known for his writing on successful TV sitcoms, Seinfeld and Mad About You and for executive producing episodes of The Tick and Dilbert. The film was written by Larry Charles and Bob Dylan, the latter under...
in 2001.
External links
- Who Needs an Oscar Anyway? Mickey Rourke's 'Homeboy' at PopMattersPopMattersPopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
.