Our Very Own
Encyclopedia
Our Very Own is a 2005
American drama film
written and directed by Cameron Watson
. The screenplay focuses on five small town teenagers whose dreams of a better life have been inspired by the Hollywood success of one-time local girl Sondra Locke
.
The film premiered on June 22, 2005 at the Los Angeles Film Festival
. It was shown at the Bluegrass Independent Film Festival, the Puerto Vallarta Film Festival, the Sarasota Film Festival
, and the Rome International Film Festival, but never went into theatrical release in the US. It was released on DVD
on July 3, 2007.
in 1978, the film centers on high school student Clancy Whitfield, whose family is facing financial ruin due to his father Billy's inability to hold a job because of his drinking. His mother Joan desperately is trying to make ends meet while their dining room furniture is repossessed
and the bank is threatening to foreclose
on the house. She finds herself the subject of gossip
but supported by Sally Crowder, her friend since childhood.
A rumor that former resident Sondra Locke will be returning to town to attend the annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and the opening of her film Every Which Way but Loose at the local movie house has Clancy and his friends Melora, Bobbie, Ray, and Glen eagerly anticipating her arrival. In the hope she'll see it and help them escape their small town and achieve fame of their own, the quintet decides to present a musical tribute to her at the Chamber of Commerce
-sponsored talent show. Their performance is applauded wildly by the audience, but they have less success meeting the elusive Locke.
called the film "a sensitive if not fully developed dramatization of the downside of the American Dream
" and added, "An authentic sense of place - as well as a stirring performance by Allison Janney leading an impressive cast - aid an otherwise light and unresolved novelistic film."
for Allison Janney and Keith Carradine. Janney was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female but lost to Amy Adams
in Junebug
.
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
American 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...
written and directed by Cameron Watson
Cameron Watson
Cameron Watson is an American actor, screenwriter, and director, best known for playing Bart Fallmont in the TV miniseries Dynasty: The Reunion....
. The screenplay focuses on five small town teenagers whose dreams of a better life have been inspired by the Hollywood success of one-time local girl Sondra Locke
Sondra Locke
Sondra Locke is an American actress, singer and film director.She made her film debut in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter , for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress...
.
The film premiered on June 22, 2005 at the Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
. It was shown at the Bluegrass Independent Film Festival, the Puerto Vallarta Film Festival, the Sarasota Film Festival
Sarasota Film Festival
The Sarasota Film Festival has been held annually since 1999 in Sarasota, Florida. The festival is held in April and has become one of the top ten independent festivals in North America...
, and the Rome International Film Festival, but never went into theatrical release in the US. It was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on July 3, 2007.
Plot
Set in Shelbyville, TennesseeShelbyville, Tennessee
Shelbyville is a city in Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. It had a local population of 16,105 residents at the 2000 census. Shelbyville, the county seat of Bedford County, was laid out in 1810 and incorporated in 1819...
in 1978, the film centers on high school student Clancy Whitfield, whose family is facing financial ruin due to his father Billy's inability to hold a job because of his drinking. His mother Joan desperately is trying to make ends meet while their dining room furniture is repossessed
Repossession
Repossession is generally used to refer to a financial institution taking back an object that was either used as collateral or rented or leased in a transaction. Repossession is a "self-help" type of action in which the party having right of ownership of the property in question takes the property...
and the bank is threatening to foreclose
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
on the house. She finds herself the subject of gossip
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
but supported by Sally Crowder, her friend since childhood.
A rumor that former resident Sondra Locke will be returning to town to attend the annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and the opening of her film Every Which Way but Loose at the local movie house has Clancy and his friends Melora, Bobbie, Ray, and Glen eagerly anticipating her arrival. In the hope she'll see it and help them escape their small town and achieve fame of their own, the quintet decides to present a musical tribute to her at the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
-sponsored talent show. Their performance is applauded wildly by the audience, but they have less success meeting the elusive Locke.
Cast
- Allison JanneyAllison JanneyAllison Brooks Janney is an American actress, best known for her role as C.J. Cregg on the television series The West Wing.- Personal life :...
as Joan - Keith CarradineKeith CarradineKeith Ian Carradine is an American actor who has had success on stage, film and television. In addition, he is a Golden Globe and Oscar winning songwriter. As a member of the Carradine family, he is part of an acting "dynasty" that began with his father, John Carradine.-Early life:Keith...
as Billy - Jason RitterJason RitterJason Morgan Ritter is an American actor, son of the late actor John Ritter and actress Nancy Morgan. Ritter is probably best known for his role as Kevin Girardi in the television series Joan of Arcadia and as Sean Walker in the NBC series The Event.-Early life:Ritter was born in Los Angeles,...
as Clancy - Autumn ReeserAutumn ReeserAutumn Alicia Reeser is an American actress and blogger. She has portrayed Taylor Townsend on the Fox series The O.C., Lizzie Grant on HBO's Entourage and most recently appeared as Katie Andrews on ABC's No Ordinary Family....
as Melora - Hilarie BurtonHilarie BurtonHilarie Ross Burton is an American actress. A former host of MTV's Total Request Live, she portrayed Peyton Sawyer on The CW drama One Tree Hill for six seasons...
as Bobbie - Michael McKee as Glen
- Derek Carter as Ray
- Cheryl HinesCheryl HinesCheryl Ruth Hines is an American actress and director, known for her role as Larry David's wife Cheryl on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. She currently appears on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory...
as Sally Crowder - Mary BadhamMary BadhamMary Badham is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird , for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. At the time, Badham was the youngest actress ever nominated in this category...
as Mrs. Nutbush
Critical reception
Robert Koehler of VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called the film "a sensitive if not fully developed dramatization of the downside of the American Dream
American Dream
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
" and added, "An authentic sense of place - as well as a stirring performance by Allison Janney leading an impressive cast - aid an otherwise light and unresolved novelistic film."
Awards and nominations
The movie was named Best Feature Film at the Bluegrass Independent Film Festival, won an award for Ensemble Acting at the Sarasota Film Festival, and garnered Prism AwardsEntertainment Industries Council
The Entertainment Industries Council is a United States non-profit organization founded in 1983 that promotes the depiction of accurate health and social issues in film, television, music, and comic books...
for Allison Janney and Keith Carradine. Janney was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female but lost to Amy Adams
Amy Adams
Amy Lou Adams is an American actress and singer. Adams began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 black comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous...
in Junebug
Junebug (film)
Junebug is a 2005 American comedy-drama film directed by Phil Morrison. It was released on August 3, 2005 and stars Amy Adams, Alessandro Nivola, Embeth Davidtz, and Benjamin McKenzie...
.