Humboldt County Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Welcome to the Lost Coast
It was a little further out than he thought.
Where the grass is greener
A disillusioned medical student is stranded for a summer in a remote community of counterculture pot farmers, the last place in the world he imagined he would discover himself.
| Fairuza Balk | Bogart |
| Peter Bogdanovich | Professor Hadley |
| Frances Conroy | Rosie |
| Madison Davenport | Charity |
| Brad Dourif | Jack |
| Chris Messina | Max |
| Jeremy Strong | Peter |
| Darren Grodsky | Bob |
| Danny Jacobs | Steve |
| Elayn Taylor | Zelda |
| Roy Marin | Harry |
| Jabari Morgan | Agent Gallant |
| Julia Oliveira | Agent Weiss |
| Bethany Therese | Sophie |
| Nathan Pierce | Deputy Dirksen |
| Darren Grodsky |
6.80 out of 10 (427 votes)
Visitor Reviews
beautiful but predictable
posted on 02 Aug 2009Saw this at the Idaho International Film Festival in Boise last night. Your standard fish-out-of-water-among-the-druggies movie; pretty predictable from the beginning. However, the characters were great and the setting beautiful. Seemed pretty obvious from the get-to that a) they'd get busted b) med student would stay c) Drugs are Bad. There was a lot to like about the lifestyle in general -- those trees, the fog, the sky -- though it reminded me of how annoying I always found stoners. :) I sort of expected one of the dads to get shot defending one or both of the sons.The dad reminded me of the dad in Dirty Dancing. Wonder how long he sat at that table waiting for the son to come back?
OK film, somewhat disturbing
posted on 21 Jul 2009My daughter is her 20's loved this film and wanted us to see it which we did a few days ago. The plot was not bad, but maybe a little unrealistic unless people in Humboldt county are really as unrealistic as the protagonist who ran off with that girl without asking more thorough questions. What I found disturbing is the idealism of this little community portrayed in the film which may not be so unrealistic in the real world. Although living in corporate America may turn many people off, living in la la land may not such a productive life style either. The movie did make me feel that legalizing marijuana would probably be a good move for this country. I didn't know how I felt about this until I saw this movie. I understand billions of our tax dollars are spent fighting the illicit behavior on account this plant. I think if it were a legally controlled substance such as alcohol is there might be less of a black market, less crime and maybe less loss of life. So if any good came out of this movie for me, it was to help make up my mind on this issue. How the young child in this story (as well as the other children) being reared in Humbolt county, I found rather distressing. She was exposed to much more than a child ought to be exposed at her age and more isolated. How productive were their lives really? If everyone lived like that (as hinted by one of the characters) would we have the medicines and the inventions we have that make our lives better or more meaningful. Also these characters are typical of those who live on the edge taking risks that would make a parent cringe and not something you'd not want them to share with their own children. Maybe it is just a phase that will pass with age and maturity.
Wonderful indie romp in the forest
posted on 01 Jul 2009A very square medical student find himself (in both senses of the expression) in the forest with a bunch of hippies. Unpredictable plot, gorgeous setting and music. Wonderful characters and acting; Brad Dourif and Frances Conroy particularly great, and of course Bogdanovich. I could have hung out with these people for hours. It was a little bit like Garden State, but maybe more like the Graduate. And had more of a 70s vibe (in a good way) in its complexity and willingness to not explain and simplify all plot points... Best film I've seen in a while--and I see a lot of movies. My pick of the South by Southwest film festival.
Well done...
posted on 07 Jun 2009This film offered some fascinating character studies. The movie was beautifully shot. I thought the movie held up well for the first three quarters, but some plot turns in the last quarter struck me as being cheats. Nonetheless, the movie delicately handles the complexities of people who have chosen to leave behind their everyday existences in the "straight" world and exile themselves into the "wilderness" of Northern California. The film does a great job of examining the costs of reclusiveness with poignancy and dignity. While regret is a theme that is a constant in this film, self-examination and re-invention are also championed. Despite some sensitive subject matter, I think this movie could get some mainstream traction.
Just caught the premiere
posted on 30 Apr 2009A few friends and I caught the premiere of Humboldt County at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin last night. Quick summary: If you get a chance, go see this movie.Prior to seeing it, there was some debate about whether this was a "drug" movie, especially since a few other premieres at SxSW ("Harold and Kumar II" and "Super High Me") are drug related--it's not. Although there are certainly joints in many (most) of the scenes, they are background and no more the focus of the movie than the gorgeous redwood trees and sweeping coastline that are also omni-present. Humboldt County is all about character development, some fantastic acting, and scenery that takes your breath away. When we were talking about the film after, we all agreed that that most similar movie we had all seen was "Garden State" except tone down the love story and shoot it in one of the most beautiful places on earth instead of Jersey (sorry NJ).The co-directors and script writers (friends since they were 6) took questions after the show which is always interesting. Two of my favorite tid-bits from that: 1) One of the directors has an Uncle and Aunt in Humboldt and much of the script is based on real characters from his summers there as a child. 2) When the directors went to Humboldt to get away and work on a script, they were actually working on a totally different script which they scrapped so they could write this Humboldt-inspired one.One other interesting point came out of the Q&A in which someone pointed out that for a directing debut, Humboldt was pretty ambitious--REAL actors, shot on location in 35mm, full length, etc. etc. It's a good point, and makes the movie all the more impressive...
Is HUMBOLDT COUNTY Trying To Seduce You?
posted on 17 Feb 2009The answer to that question would be a resounding "YES!", and if you let it, it will most definitely succeed. And here's another question: remember Dustin Hoffman as Ben Braddock, the wide-eyed naif who catapulted him into the stratosphere when he was in THE GRADUATE? Well, consider the fate of a latter-day Ben Braddock. What would he look like in the New Millennium, and what kind of temptations would cause him to veer from the straight-and-narrow trajectory of what appears to be an orderly and pre-ordained existence?Well, Ben might look like Peter Hadley (Jeremy Strong, who may be able to have a 'Hoffmanesque' career with this role if there's any justice), aspiring doctor, whose own perfectionist father (a note-perfect Peter Bogdanovich) does the unthinkable: as Peter's teacher as well, when his son fails a critical part of his exam, he flunks him out of class, thereby deep-sixing his plans of actually becoming another "GRADUATE." And very much like Ben, Peter in his utter despair is seduced in his weakest moment of life by two "women" - one literal, one metaphorical. The literal is Bogart (Fairuza Balk in a wonderful, mannerism-free performance), a free-spirited actress/jazz singer who steals Peter's attention (and a lot more than that), and in a sense sweeps him off HIS feet when after a brief romantic encounter, she takes him home to her adoptive parents' place up in the lushly beautiful expanse of the title region. And then promptly strands him there. Where the 'metaphorical' lady picks up where Bogie left off. Many of you might know her better as "Mary Jane", and once you see how "she" changes Peter's life, you'll find it hard not to love this movie and the cast of extraordinary people that happen into his heart - and ours."Fish out of water" doesn't even begin to describe what Peter is, as he meets Bogart's extended family and friends, who are as eccentric as the part of the County in which they live is gorgeous. Character vet Brad Dourif gives one of the best turns of his varied career as Jack, Bogart's "dad", and SIX FEET UNDER'S wonderful Frances Conroy is luminous and hilariously complex as Rosie, her mom. Rosie is about as far a polar opposite to 6FU's Ruth Fisher as you can possibly get, and it's beautiful to see this wonderful actress so liberated, having the time of her life. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE'S Abigail Breslin has some stiff competition with young Madison Davenport, who plays Charity, Bogart's "daughter" and Jack and Rosie's granddaughter who's wise beyond her years, but not in the conventional Hollywood "wiseacre" way that most kids' roles are written in when it comes to quirky indie flicks like this. And Chris Messina shines as Bogart's "main squeeze" Max, Charity's dad and the man who will become a pivotal influence in Peter's life.I could say more about where this movie goes and the beautiful, sad and hysterically funny places it will take you, but it wouldn't be fair. This is one of those cases once again where the pleasure is in discovering all of that for yourself. And the friends and acquaintances you should (and probably will) tell about this movie.I am not at all familiar with the writer/directors of this film, Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs, but the fact that they wrote it, helmed it, assembled and steered this incredible cast and STILL managed to provide two great performances as the film's best comic relief, speaks volumes about their talent. I will welcome the opportunity to see anything these two produce after this. And HUMBOLDT COUNTY, whether you ever visited there or not, is a movie that deserves a much wider audience. And I hope it finds one...much in the way that wandering Peter Hadley goes searching for a purpose, and hopefully will wind up really finding himself.
If you liked Garden State>>>>>>
posted on 05 Feb 2009I had the privilege of seeing this movie at SXSW in Austin. The theater couldn't have expected the incredible turnout. They had to open a second theater and still turn away many more people. We were there an hour early and the place was already packed and buzzing with anticipation.I wasn't sure what to expect, but I viewed with an open mind and was blown away. I also had some insider information about the various characters portrayed. Most of which are based on actual people known by the writers/directors which somehow made the movie more personal, but took something away from the anticipation of character development throughout the film. The incredibly divergent paths of each character, which ultimately seems to unite them all at various points, is the heart of the story.I heard a ton of laughter and saw many (including myself) trying to conceal tears at several times throughout this story you hate to see conclude. We left the theater with much to discuss regarding some great lines and some powerful scenes. Great film....Great Soundtrack....Great Story!!!I will see this one again when it comes to a local screen and I can't wait to see the next project.
Incredible Cinematography!!!
posted on 26 Jan 2009This film is worth seeing whether you've ever been to Humboldt or not. In fact, its greatest transcendence is that of a move that features pot culture without exploiting it, over-stating it, supporting it or protesting it. The acting is all pitch-perfect, seriously admirable performances especially by the couple who own the ranch that the star finds himself at. See and support this film for Humboldt & Arcata, CA;St. Louis, MO; off-the-grid living, and taking the path that moves you. Awesome film, look for this director duo to release a screen adaptation of the Cardinals vs. Cubs novel "Three Night in August." Who will play the corrupt-yet-lovable Tony LaRussa?
Must See!
posted on 26 Oct 2008Humboldt County is fantastic. It's sensitive, complex and is one of the best films I've seen in many years. It doesn't chose sides, instead it allows the audience to draw their own conclusions and it trusts its audience is savvy enough to follow. The performances are really surprising, especially if you're used to seeing Brad Dourif as Wormtongue. I really enjoy the ambiguous ending as well, since you're not really sure where the main character is headed. It feels very 70's and at the same time manages to be fresh and unexpected. Also, I was struck by the natural surroundings of the place and the score really supports this quiet beauty. For newcomer filmmakers, it looks like these guys have been doing this for quite a while. If you want something beautiful and paradoxical, go see this film!
It was not a comedy
posted on 22 Oct 2008Is it any good? Yeah, but in an average way. It is all about finding yourself when caught between the pressures of "you have to be something" and "you don't have to be anything". Frankly, I wanted to see Fairuza Balk again when I got the film, but she only plays a marginal role and then she is gone.Is it a pot movie? No. The marijuana farming is just a side story, one that I thought was a bit unfortunate for the film. I am not against it, I just don't think it had much to do with the subject of the movie.Bottom line: it has a nice idea, but it was a poorly constructed film. I couldn't relate with any of the characters and the emotional conflicts depicted were totally unconvincing. Since it was clearly a low budget film, I expected more in terms of plot cohesion and character depth.
A Gem Called Humboldt County
posted on 31 Aug 2008I rented this film a week or so back and just got around to watching it last night. What a pleasant and refreshing surprise. Definite to make the shelves of my home DVD collection. What resonated with me was how effortlessly this family totally embraced this introvert that was Peter, basically a stray that was dropped on their lap by Bogart. And the sense of community the main family and their friends depicted. It reminded me of my college days and just how wonderfully communal my friends at that time and others from this segment of our society tend to be. I too appreciated the intelligence of this film given the subject matter. Not your typical stoner film at all. The one thing I would liked to have seen to make the film even more of a gem, would've been to be able to witness an even deeper bond between Peter and Max. I don't feel like we got to see the full extent or depth of their relationship that ultimately cause Peter to transform as he did by the end of the film. Their on screen exchanges were my favorites and I just wanted there to be more of them. And while I can agree that there may have been some liberties taken with the film's background and even decision choices regarding some of the characters, it is a fictional story. Overall, I loved the main message that I perceived, about our ability to be receptive and implement change when it comes to self preservation. I live in the DC Metro Area, work for Corporate America and believe me, Humboldt County would be a refreshing change of pace. Great film!
Great Film!
posted on 28 Jul 2008I saw Humboldt County at South By Southwest, and I love it! It was well written, beautifully shot, and had an outstanding cast. I've never been to northern California, but after seeing this film, I really want to visit. This is the filmmakers' first film and I am blown away by the complexity of the characters and the film's surprising emotional depth. The characters are all interesting and honest, but flawed, just like the rest of us. There is a warmth among this cannabis farming family that is engaging and intriguing.(And it doesn't hurt that both Jeremy Strong and Chris Messina are deliciously handsome men.) Madison Davenport's performance as young Charity is also outstanding. I can't wait to see it again!
Creative Film, Good Performances
posted on 06 Jul 2008This is one of the better movies I have seen lately. A coming of age story in the same vein as Garden State, this film has a rarely found mixture of comedy and drama that doesn't disappoint in either realm.Jeremy Strong plays Peter very well, but the breakout performances come from Chris Messina and Madison Davenport.Messina is able to show his character's confusion and frustration in trying to provide his daughter with the best possible life. The scene where Max encounters Peter shows the depth that this actor has.Great Movie, great soundtrack. If you want a smart film with good performances, this movie is it.
Great movie with complex characters
posted on 21 May 2008I went into this movie not knowing much about it. I actually chose to go into it that way. My friend Guff knows Darren and Danny from high school and Guff is pretty cool so by association, I assumed they were too! :)I enjoyed the characters and their development throughout the story. One part that did confuse me was his decision to stay there. He went from missing the bus to being "part of the family" which in itself was cool. I guess I wanted more of Peter's personal thoughts about staying. In hindsight, he didn't really have any cemented thoughts about it. He was floating along in his other life and this seemed no different. He couldn't make up his mind in either "life" that he had.I really liked when Max's Dad finally said no to him when they were hiding from the feds in the woods. It was a brief moment of clarity for that character. I liked that. It didn't dwell on it too much.Overall, I was very pleased with this movie and have recommended it to friends and family already.I can't wait to see their next work.Dawn Guff's friend Austin
Crafted cinematography and character development
posted on 13 Apr 2008This was a surprisingly good movie - You should see it on a big screen. The filmmakers revealed as many shades of people as the landscape revealed shades of green. It is a slow- form character development movie about the transition of a man who is initially stuck in his own head. Not moralistic, not a stoner film, not what I expected. It carefully uses a unique place to interrupt your expectations about how characters should develop. This is one of those independent films which the power-house actors signed onto for the story and experience. Although it relies on a few caricatures of humboldt, it is carefully constructed and respectful. There are some amazing illustrations of the balance between wasting time and doing nothing vs connectedness and community. It is respectful of values that matter, while not cleaning up the messy parts. The cinematography is well done - a large part of living on the north coast is the incredible darkness. The houses with windows that are dark at night. It is definitely an element of the landscape which helps tell the story. I wasn't expecting to write a review, but it would be a good use of your time to watch this movie. It is very much about waking up. Well done.
What is wrong with you people?!
posted on 05 Apr 2008It was a great movie! The development was awesome! First, see, he wanted to go home and nothing was gonna stop him! Then this creepy hippie gives him a single hit from a joint, and he's totally hip and down to the crunchy Earth with a bunch of first outhouse shitting hippies. There was no development, just a puff of smoke, if you will, and he's ditched the sweater vest and opted for a dirty-off-the-rack t-shirt.Gross old hippies 'living in harmony with the land' but shooting deer for eating their flowers was about the only thing that rang true about Humboldt to me. But hey, what do I know? I only spent 21 years growing up in Arcata.Christ! A square lead who is afraid of pot at the start of the movie is trying to pick a bar fight with gruff old Trinidad (that's where the bar was) locals because he thinks that they stole something from some groovy hippies he doesn't know? Where was the 'development' that led to that? I will say this much good about it : I loved Seeing Ruth Fischer in another role, and I loved to see Clair Fischer's future husband playing a dirty hippie. I also loved the droning monologues about some of character's past that had no bearing on anything else in the movie.I don't think people who go to film fests are going to understand my desire for things happening in movies, but there was a lack of things happening. Character development is something that takes some time, or needs to be brought on by something. Taking a single hit off of a joint, even if it IS the fabled Humboldt Kind, will not turn that square ass kid into another kid from LA into an unemployed, dirty shirt wearing Humboldt waste (though he DID have the rich ass father in LA thing going for him). Point being, pretty much the only thing that happened in that movie was The Dork and The Tweedledum Twins finding out about Max's 'other' garden. Before that, after that? Not a damn thing happened. Till the obligatory raid. Which you can hide from if you're 12 feet away behind a big log. Because they don't bring DOGS on drug operations.Christ. All you people who liked it are morons who either know nothing of Humboldt County, nothing about character development in film, nothing about story telling, or any combination of the above. You're all morons. Am I alone in hating this trend in movies to have the lead guy be too awkward to say anything at the start and is all about getting on a bus headed anywhere at the end? AAARRRGGGHHH! YOU FILM FEST PEOPLE MAKE ME SICK!
Big hearted movie about what gives life it's value
posted on 18 Aug 2009The previews for this film make it look like a formulaic Square-among-Freaks stoner comedy about an uptight medical student who falls in with a bunch of potheads and discovers What Really Matters in the process. Up to a point that is exactly how "Humboldt County" plays out. However, that is not the whole story either.To briefly summarize the plot: a repressed, emotionally muted young man- with the people skills of a lawnmower- fails one of his med school finals (BTW his father is the examiner-Ouch!) and is suddenly adrift in his life for what is apparently the first time ever. He has an unlikely hookup with an attractive, free spirit named Bogart (Fairuza Balk) and accompanies her to her home in the title county up in the far north of California. Bogart then disappears and Peter, completely stranded, is slowly but surely absorbed by her eccentric, stoner family and their equally baked friends and neighbors. Exposed to their initially alien values, lifestyle, and worldview- and away from his overbearing father- Peter finds the freedom and safety to actually start being himself. However, the dark side of the drug world (in the form of violent thieves and the DEA) is never far away and it threatens to destroy Peter's refuge...Even though there is a lot of pot smoked by nearly all of the characters, this is not really a stoner movie. Much of the humor is low-key but there are some absolutely hilarious moments along the way.The film's view of marijuana is actually rather realistic, it's pleasurable effects are shown but so are the downsides- particularly with regard to the violence and legal problems that accompany cultivation. Additionally, it is made clear that being born into the rustic stoner life, for all of it's freedoms, can be as much of a prison as the middle-class existence that was suffocating Peter at the film's beginning."Humboldt County" is really all about how somebody discovers the things that are truly going to touch their heart and give their life meaning. The various characters represent the different paths that people choose in order to find a sense of connection to others and a purpose to their existence. The characters are very human, and all the more lovable for that.The ensemble cast are excellent and their interactions with other seem touchingly real. However special mention should go to Brad Dourif as the stoner clan's patriarch. The film preaches the values of simplicity, humility, how materialism is meaningless, the importance of caring for others, and recognizing how small individuals are in the bigger scheme of things. It is also very honest about the reality that, for adults, there are fewer and fewer easy answers to any of life's questions. An added bonus is the setting, Humboldt county looks absolutely gorgeous and is filmed with deep love. In conclusion, this is a funny, serenely paced slice of cinema that has a big, beautiful heart.