Searching for Sonny

2011 American film
  • October 22, 2011 (2011-10-22) (Austin Film Festival)
CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Searching for Sonny is a 2011 independent film and the feature film debut of writer/director Andrew Disney.[1] The film released on October 22, 2011 and stars Jason Dohring as one of several people involved in a murder mystery.[2]

Plot

Elliott (Jason Dohring), Calvin (Nick Kocher), Gary (Brian McElhaney) and Eden (Minka Kelly), find themselves chief suspects in a murder mystery at their ten-year high school reunion. The events surrounding the disappearance of their friend Sonny (Masi Oka), is reminiscent of a high school play they once performed, coincidentally written by Sonny himself. Deception leads to scandal and the truth surfaces as the friends learn that shady businessmen and school officials are involved in a complex scheme of money and murder.

Cast

  • Jason Dohring as Elliot Knight
  • Minka Kelly as Eden Mercer
  • Masi Oka as Sonny Bosco
  • Michael Hogan as Principal Faden
  • Nick Kocher as Calvin Knight
  • Brian McElhaney as Gary Noble
  • Clarke Peters as The Narrator
  • Mackinlee Waddell as Maggie Phillips
  • Brandon Thornton as Zack Hayes
  • Kristin Sutton as Cynthia Schubert

Reception

Critical reception for Searching for Sonny has been mostly positive and The Hollywood Reporter summed the film up as "Quirky, comic film noir proves yet again that high school reunions never turn out well."[3][4] Much of the film's praise centered around the film's acting and directing,[5][6] and the Oklahoma Gazette commented that Disney's work helped to make the film look "like several million dollars were poured into the thing".[7]

Awards

  • Best Screenplay at the Phoenix Film Festival (2012, won)[8]
  • Best Ensemble at the Phoenix Film Festival (2012, won)[8]
  • Best Narrative Feature at the Festivus Film Festival (2012, won)[9]

References

  1. ^ Topel, Fred. "Genius, Dude: Jason Dohring on Searching for Sonny". Crave Online. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Searching for Sonny". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  3. ^ Scheck, Frank (29 August 2012). "Searching for Sonny: Film Review". THR. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  4. ^ Arbeiter, Michael. "'Searching for Sonny' Review: Veers Too Dark, But Good for Some Wacky Fun". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  5. ^ Foster, Tyler. "Searching for Sonny (review)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  6. ^ Sullivan, Gordon (14 September 2012). "Searching for Sonny (review)". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  7. ^ Lott, Rodd. "Searching for Sonny: At least two-thirds of it is worth seeking out". OK Gazette. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Feature Film Awards". PFF. Archived from the original on 30 July 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  9. ^ Festivus Film Festival (2012). "Festivus Film Festival Archives". festivusfilmfestival.com. Retrieved 2012-12-26.

External links

  • Official website
  • Searching for Sonny at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • Kickstarter campaign