Quick Links Parker Booth's Role in Bones, Explained Gavin MacIntosh Took Over the Role of Parker in Season 10 Unfortunately, Fans Will Likely Never Know for Sure Why Ty Pantiz Left
Bones is a popular police procedural drama that ran from 2005 to 2017. This incredible series has 12 seasons in total, but one of the series' stars recently spoke about wanting to return to the series. David Boreanaz, who played FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth on the show, talked about how he would never say no to a Bones revival and, if given the opportunity, he would love to explore where his character is now. To be clear, there is no confirmation that Bones is coming back, but Boreanaz's comments got fans buzzing with potential excitement.
After 12 seasons, some things were bound to change or fall out of place. One glaring change that happened during Bones' impressive run revolved around Seeley Booth's son,...
Bones is a popular police procedural drama that ran from 2005 to 2017. This incredible series has 12 seasons in total, but one of the series' stars recently spoke about wanting to return to the series. David Boreanaz, who played FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth on the show, talked about how he would never say no to a Bones revival and, if given the opportunity, he would love to explore where his character is now. To be clear, there is no confirmation that Bones is coming back, but Boreanaz's comments got fans buzzing with potential excitement.
After 12 seasons, some things were bound to change or fall out of place. One glaring change that happened during Bones' impressive run revolved around Seeley Booth's son,...
- 1/2/2025
- by Amber Frost
- CBR
In October 2024, David Boreanaz teased Bones fans about a potential revival, telling Today that he would "consider" a return if he could work with Emily Deschanel again. While nothing is concrete, it's worth wondering who would be cast to play Steely Booth's (Boreanaz) son, Parker Booth. After all, fans hardly noticed that Ty Panitz was replaced in Season 11 after portraying Parker Booth in Seasons 1-7 and Season 9.
Although Bones is no stranger to swapping supporting characters and younger actors during its 245 episodes, Panitz's departure bears closer inspection as a cautionary tale for young performers unsure of making acting a lifelong career. While Panitz's replacement only appeared in three episodes and hardly registered among casual and hardcore Bones fans, the story behind Panitz's departure is fascinating nonetheless.
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Although Bones is no stranger to swapping supporting characters and younger actors during its 245 episodes, Panitz's departure bears closer inspection as a cautionary tale for young performers unsure of making acting a lifelong career. While Panitz's replacement only appeared in three episodes and hardly registered among casual and hardcore Bones fans, the story behind Panitz's departure is fascinating nonetheless.
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Email is sent
Email has already been sent
Bones ComedyCrimeDrama
Where to Watchstreamrentbuy
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*Availability in US Release...
- 12/15/2024
- by Jake Dee
- MovieWeb
Sometimes, actors will tap into their own experiences to improve their work, especially if their character is going through something that they've experienced themselves. Luckily, David Boreanaz, who played FBI agent Seeley Booth on the Fox procedural "Bones," has never — to anyone's knowledge — endured a situation where his real-life child was in danger. Nevertheless, he had to access the emotions he would feel in that situation during a season 2 episode titled "The Man in the Cell."
In "Bones: The Official Companion Book" by Paul Ruditis, Boreanaz recalled a moment during "The Man in the Cell" when Booth's son Parker (Ty Panitz) is approached by a dangerous serial killer (though he's left unharmed), and said that he did use his own knowledge as a parent to feel what Booth would feel in the moment. "Being a dad myself and having that kind of connection, I use that in my work a lot,...
In "Bones: The Official Companion Book" by Paul Ruditis, Boreanaz recalled a moment during "The Man in the Cell" when Booth's son Parker (Ty Panitz) is approached by a dangerous serial killer (though he's left unharmed), and said that he did use his own knowledge as a parent to feel what Booth would feel in the moment. "Being a dad myself and having that kind of connection, I use that in my work a lot,...
- 12/14/2024
- by Nina Starner
- Slash Film
One of the joys of long-running TV shows is their long list of guest and recurring characters and their big ensembles. It's how shows like "The Simpsons" and "Parks and Recreation" feel so lived-in because the many side characters that populate their worlds help immerse audiences into the story. This was also true in the case of "Bones," the hugely popular police procedural about a forensic anthropologist and an FBI agent teaming up to investigate murder mysteries through archeology and forensic anthropology. The show was popular with critics and audiences alike, lasting for 12 seasons and earning two Emmy nominations.
Like most shows that last that long, what made "Bones" appealing and popular was its cast, from the core ensemble of characters that fans fell in love with to the even larger list of guest stars, one-off characters, and even stars who were in the show before they broke big and became superheroes (and villains). Indeed,...
Like most shows that last that long, what made "Bones" appealing and popular was its cast, from the core ensemble of characters that fans fell in love with to the even larger list of guest stars, one-off characters, and even stars who were in the show before they broke big and became superheroes (and villains). Indeed,...
- 11/1/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Parker Booth in Bones was originally played by Ty Panitz, then replaced by Gavin MacIntosh in seasons 10-11 without explanation. Ty Panitz had a larger role in Bones as Parker, with 12 appearances, while Gavin MacIntosh only appeared in 3 episodes. Neither Ty Panitz nor Gavin MacIntosh have pursued acting roles since their time on Bones, seemingly ending their acting careers.
In Bones, Parker Booth was originally played by Ty Panitz, but the young actor was later replaced by Gavin MacIntosh. Bones is a police procedural comedy-drama series depicting an office of the FBI primarily interested in investigating murder mysteries through forensic anthropology and archeology. Popular with audiences and reviewed favorably by critics with two Emmy nominations over its run, Bones lasted for 12 seasons before it ended in March 2017. Led by Emily Deschanel as Temperance "Bones" Brennan and David Boreanaz as Seeley Booth, the cast of Bones features several fascinating characters.
One such character is Parker Booth,...
In Bones, Parker Booth was originally played by Ty Panitz, but the young actor was later replaced by Gavin MacIntosh. Bones is a police procedural comedy-drama series depicting an office of the FBI primarily interested in investigating murder mysteries through forensic anthropology and archeology. Popular with audiences and reviewed favorably by critics with two Emmy nominations over its run, Bones lasted for 12 seasons before it ended in March 2017. Led by Emily Deschanel as Temperance "Bones" Brennan and David Boreanaz as Seeley Booth, the cast of Bones features several fascinating characters.
One such character is Parker Booth,...
- 7/27/2024
- by Zachary Moser
- ScreenRant
It's real -- after more than eight seasons, Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) are finally getting married on "Bones." Wedding photos from "The Woman in White" make it look like the event will indeed happen as planned too.
This is a very good thing.
Of course, before any wedding can happen on a show like "Bones," the team has to solve a gruesome murder.
There's also a bit of drama when Booth finds a duffle bag stuffed with cash. Why does Max (Ryan O'Neal) have something like that?
At least Booth has Aldo Clemens (Mather Zickel) to counsel him these days.
They brought Parker (Ty Panitz) back for the wedding! He's getting so big!
Angela (Michaela Conlin) is of course the maid of honor.
Here comes the bride!
It looks like Booth and Max got over the whole bag-of-money thing.
Look who's conducting the ceremony!
Everyone...
This is a very good thing.
Of course, before any wedding can happen on a show like "Bones," the team has to solve a gruesome murder.
There's also a bit of drama when Booth finds a duffle bag stuffed with cash. Why does Max (Ryan O'Neal) have something like that?
At least Booth has Aldo Clemens (Mather Zickel) to counsel him these days.
They brought Parker (Ty Panitz) back for the wedding! He's getting so big!
Angela (Michaela Conlin) is of course the maid of honor.
Here comes the bride!
It looks like Booth and Max got over the whole bag-of-money thing.
Look who's conducting the ceremony!
Everyone...
- 10/15/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Vacation is over. Time to kick off the Fall TV season in style!
Step one: Pick up this monster of an issue. Step two: Program DVR(s). Step 3: Enjoy the scoop below! Step 4: Send me your burning questions (spoilerroom@ew.com)
‘Bones’: Four Burning Questions Answered
+ Tease a cute Bones/Booth moment! — Rita
The end of the premiere is very touching. Watching Bones deal with her hurt feelings throughout the episode is hard (especially since Emily Deschanel is so good!) but it’s worth it for the ending.
+ Anything you can tell me about Pelant’s demise?...
Step one: Pick up this monster of an issue. Step two: Program DVR(s). Step 3: Enjoy the scoop below! Step 4: Send me your burning questions (spoilerroom@ew.com)
‘Bones’: Four Burning Questions Answered
+ Tease a cute Bones/Booth moment! — Rita
The end of the premiere is very touching. Watching Bones deal with her hurt feelings throughout the episode is hard (especially since Emily Deschanel is so good!) but it’s worth it for the ending.
+ Anything you can tell me about Pelant’s demise?...
- 9/14/2013
- by Sandra Gonzalez
- EW - Inside TV
Teen stars from television, film and music will join young people from across North Los Angeles on Saturday, June 18 to help build homes for low-income working families as part of Habitat For Humanity San Fernando/Santa Clarita Valleys’ Youth Build.
The event is being chaired by young television and film stars Doug Brochu (Disney’s “So Random” formerly “Sunny with a Chance”) and Chris Brochu, star of the recent theatrical release “Soul Surfer” and the Disney movie “Lemonade Mouth.” Other young celebrities scheduled to take part include Nolan Gould and Ariel Winter from “Modern Family,” Ty Panitz (“Bones”) and his younger brother Parris Mosteller who plays Stinky on the summer kids movie “Judy Moody & the Not Bummer Summer” and Hayley Pullos from “General Hospital,” to name just a few.
In addition to helping build 10 homes, the volunteers will also create a new neighborhood playground and participate in a home dedication...
The event is being chaired by young television and film stars Doug Brochu (Disney’s “So Random” formerly “Sunny with a Chance”) and Chris Brochu, star of the recent theatrical release “Soul Surfer” and the Disney movie “Lemonade Mouth.” Other young celebrities scheduled to take part include Nolan Gould and Ariel Winter from “Modern Family,” Ty Panitz (“Bones”) and his younger brother Parris Mosteller who plays Stinky on the summer kids movie “Judy Moody & the Not Bummer Summer” and Hayley Pullos from “General Hospital,” to name just a few.
In addition to helping build 10 homes, the volunteers will also create a new neighborhood playground and participate in a home dedication...
- 6/6/2011
- Look to the Stars
"Bones" fans were devastated when it was revealed nearly two years ago that Zack (Eric Millegan) was in cahoots with Gormogon, the serial killer who had terrorized the Jeffersonian gang for an entire season.
The fan-favorite character was subsequently shipped off to a mental institution and we've only seen him a couple times since.
The pain was slightly lessened when Zack later revealed to Sweets that he never actually killed anyone. But it's been over a year and Sweets is still the only one who knows this.
Now, Zack will of course be back for "Bones" upcoming 100th episode, but he will appear solely in flashbacks. So, we want to know, is there any chance "Bones" would have Millegan return to wrap up this present-day storyline?
"There's a hanging chad there," creator Hart Hanson admits in the clip below. "A good show -- which 'Bones' tries to be,...
The fan-favorite character was subsequently shipped off to a mental institution and we've only seen him a couple times since.
The pain was slightly lessened when Zack later revealed to Sweets that he never actually killed anyone. But it's been over a year and Sweets is still the only one who knows this.
Now, Zack will of course be back for "Bones" upcoming 100th episode, but he will appear solely in flashbacks. So, we want to know, is there any chance "Bones" would have Millegan return to wrap up this present-day storyline?
"There's a hanging chad there," creator Hart Hanson admits in the clip below. "A good show -- which 'Bones' tries to be,...
- 3/25/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2it.com - KorbitTV
Because I Said So
This review was written for the theatrical release of "Because I Said So". Like the architectural-wonder cakes Diane Keaton's character constructs in "Because I Said So", the film is a stylishly gooey piece of work that demands to be oohed and aahed over. With its magazine-spread interiors and pretty dresses, this romantic comedy about a meddling mom and her unlucky-in-love youngest daughter might get what it wants. Using a recipe overloaded with adorable, too reliant on slapstick and spiced up with "modern" ideas about sex, the movie is as predictable as a crowd-pleaser can get. But crowds are likely to be pleased nonetheless, especially women who connect with its pat observations about the mother-daughter bond.
It's dispiriting to see a great actress like Keaton buying into this nonsense with such gusto. Still, as Daphne, the control-freak cake entrepreneur nearing her 60th birthday, she's the closest thing to a three-dimensional person in the film. Mandy Moore is an appealing performer, but ultimately she can't turn Milly, the object of Daphne's pathological concern, into more than a collection of comely pouts and tantrums.
The script by Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson, two of the writers of 1998's "Stepmom", is a compendium of cliches. Chief among these is the montage of comical interviewees -- that overused shorthand for L-O-S-E-R that parades across the screen for our condescending enjoyment, a succession of inadequate candidates for a job or a date. In this case, the would-be boyfriends are interviewed not by their potential mate but by her mother. Having placed an online ad, "Mother looking for life partner for daughter" (have more menacing words ever been printed?), Daphne holds court in a hotel lobby bar, driven to drink by the bad and the ugly. The good arrive, too. Jason, Tom Everett Scott) is an architect -- the movie occupation du jour, signaling financially successful and creative -- and Daphne couldn't be more thrilled. There's also bystander Johnny (Gabriel Macht), a musician working in the bar. He observes Daphne with interest, and for a moment it seems this might turn into a younger man/older woman romance. But against Daphne's wishes, the faux bohemian guitarist (he wears a fedora and vest) pursues Milly, a caterer with a snorting laugh not unlike Annie Hall's. After an inventive meet-cute with Johnny involving static cling, Milly finds herself dating both him and Jason.
Who Milly will end up with is as obvious as the contrasts between the two men. Johnny's the single father of a precocious boy (Ty Panitz), and they live with his single dad (Stephen Collins) in a fashionably cluttered house on the Venice canals. Against all that humanity, Jason lives in minimalist splendor and takes Milly to sleek downtown eateries. The dream-date deck is stacked. When Milly accidentally breaks one of Jason's family heirlooms, he gets a bit testy, the brute. But Johnny is all hugs and forgiveness after the accident-prone caterer shatters a plate that he probably got on sale at Pier 1.
Still, they're both decent guys, and what's a girl to do but sleep with both of them? The film pushes a cheery attitude toward sex, complete with cell-phone conference calls about uncircumcised penises between Daphne, Milly and her two married sisters. The sole characteristic of middle sis Mae (Piper Perabo) is her love of sex. It's clear from the get-go that Daphne's sense of urgency over Milly's love life is really about her own regrets as a single woman, but the script milks the notion for all its cheap, orgasm-centric psychology.
Director Michael Lehmann ("Heathers"), who keeps the story moving if not believable, isn't above using Daphne's pet dog for frequent reaction shots. Director of photography Julio Macat showcases L.A. dream locales -- not counting a woeful Korean spa scene -- while the creations of production designer Sharon Seymour and costume designer Shay Cunliffe have pizzazz but never feel lived-in. David Kitay's music score aids and abets the script in pushing emotional buttons.
Amongst the cardboard-cutout supporting characters, Lauren Graham brings a welcome deadpan sensibility to the overeager proceedings as oldest sibling Maggie, a wry psychologist.
BECAUSE I SAID SO
Universal Pictures
A Universal Pictures and Gold Circle Films presentation
Credits:
Director: Michael Lehmann
Screenwriters: Karen Leigh Hopkins, Jessie Nelson
Producers: Paul Brooks, Jessie Nelson
Executive producers: Scott Niemeyer, Norm Waitt, Michael Flynn
Director of photography: Julio Macat
Production designer: Sharon Seymour
Music: David Kitay
Co-producer: Wendy Rhoads
Costume designer: Shay Cunliffe
Editors: Paul Seydor, Troy Takaki
Cast:
Daphne: Diane Keaton
Milly: Mandy Moore
Johnny: Gabriel Macht
Jason: Tom Everett Scott
Maggie: Lauren Graham
Mae: Piper Perabo
Joe: Stephen Collins
Lionel: Ty Panitz
Running time -- 101 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
It's dispiriting to see a great actress like Keaton buying into this nonsense with such gusto. Still, as Daphne, the control-freak cake entrepreneur nearing her 60th birthday, she's the closest thing to a three-dimensional person in the film. Mandy Moore is an appealing performer, but ultimately she can't turn Milly, the object of Daphne's pathological concern, into more than a collection of comely pouts and tantrums.
The script by Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson, two of the writers of 1998's "Stepmom", is a compendium of cliches. Chief among these is the montage of comical interviewees -- that overused shorthand for L-O-S-E-R that parades across the screen for our condescending enjoyment, a succession of inadequate candidates for a job or a date. In this case, the would-be boyfriends are interviewed not by their potential mate but by her mother. Having placed an online ad, "Mother looking for life partner for daughter" (have more menacing words ever been printed?), Daphne holds court in a hotel lobby bar, driven to drink by the bad and the ugly. The good arrive, too. Jason, Tom Everett Scott) is an architect -- the movie occupation du jour, signaling financially successful and creative -- and Daphne couldn't be more thrilled. There's also bystander Johnny (Gabriel Macht), a musician working in the bar. He observes Daphne with interest, and for a moment it seems this might turn into a younger man/older woman romance. But against Daphne's wishes, the faux bohemian guitarist (he wears a fedora and vest) pursues Milly, a caterer with a snorting laugh not unlike Annie Hall's. After an inventive meet-cute with Johnny involving static cling, Milly finds herself dating both him and Jason.
Who Milly will end up with is as obvious as the contrasts between the two men. Johnny's the single father of a precocious boy (Ty Panitz), and they live with his single dad (Stephen Collins) in a fashionably cluttered house on the Venice canals. Against all that humanity, Jason lives in minimalist splendor and takes Milly to sleek downtown eateries. The dream-date deck is stacked. When Milly accidentally breaks one of Jason's family heirlooms, he gets a bit testy, the brute. But Johnny is all hugs and forgiveness after the accident-prone caterer shatters a plate that he probably got on sale at Pier 1.
Still, they're both decent guys, and what's a girl to do but sleep with both of them? The film pushes a cheery attitude toward sex, complete with cell-phone conference calls about uncircumcised penises between Daphne, Milly and her two married sisters. The sole characteristic of middle sis Mae (Piper Perabo) is her love of sex. It's clear from the get-go that Daphne's sense of urgency over Milly's love life is really about her own regrets as a single woman, but the script milks the notion for all its cheap, orgasm-centric psychology.
Director Michael Lehmann ("Heathers"), who keeps the story moving if not believable, isn't above using Daphne's pet dog for frequent reaction shots. Director of photography Julio Macat showcases L.A. dream locales -- not counting a woeful Korean spa scene -- while the creations of production designer Sharon Seymour and costume designer Shay Cunliffe have pizzazz but never feel lived-in. David Kitay's music score aids and abets the script in pushing emotional buttons.
Amongst the cardboard-cutout supporting characters, Lauren Graham brings a welcome deadpan sensibility to the overeager proceedings as oldest sibling Maggie, a wry psychologist.
BECAUSE I SAID SO
Universal Pictures
A Universal Pictures and Gold Circle Films presentation
Credits:
Director: Michael Lehmann
Screenwriters: Karen Leigh Hopkins, Jessie Nelson
Producers: Paul Brooks, Jessie Nelson
Executive producers: Scott Niemeyer, Norm Waitt, Michael Flynn
Director of photography: Julio Macat
Production designer: Sharon Seymour
Music: David Kitay
Co-producer: Wendy Rhoads
Costume designer: Shay Cunliffe
Editors: Paul Seydor, Troy Takaki
Cast:
Daphne: Diane Keaton
Milly: Mandy Moore
Johnny: Gabriel Macht
Jason: Tom Everett Scott
Maggie: Lauren Graham
Mae: Piper Perabo
Joe: Stephen Collins
Lionel: Ty Panitz
Running time -- 101 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 2/2/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Because I Said So
Like the architectural-wonder cakes Diane Keaton's character constructs in "Because I Said So", the film is a stylishly gooey piece of work that demands to be oohed and aahed over. With its magazine-spread interiors and pretty dresses, this romantic comedy about a meddling mom and her unlucky-in-love youngest daughter might get what it wants. Using a recipe overloaded with adorable, too reliant on slapstick and spiced up with "modern" ideas about sex, the movie is as predictable as a crowd-pleaser can get. But crowds are likely to be pleased nonetheless, especially women who connect with its pat observations about the mother-daughter bond.
It's dispiriting to see a great actress like Keaton buying into this nonsense with such gusto. Still, as Daphne, the control-freak cake entrepreneur nearing her 60th birthday, she's the closest thing to a three-dimensional person in the film. Mandy Moore is an appealing performer, but ultimately she can't turn Milly, the object of Daphne's pathological concern, into more than a collection of comely pouts and tantrums.
The script by Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson, two of the writers of 1998's "Stepmom", is a compendium of cliches. Chief among these is the montage of comical interviewees -- that overused shorthand for L-O-S-E-R that parades across the screen for our condescending enjoyment, a succession of inadequate candidates for a job or a date. In this case, the would-be boyfriends are interviewed not by their potential mate but by her mother. Having placed an online ad, "Mother looking for life partner for daughter" (have more menacing words ever been printed?), Daphne holds court in a hotel lobby bar, driven to drink by the bad and the ugly.The good arrive, too. Jason, Tom Everett Scott) is an architect -- the movie occupation du jour, signaling financially successful and creative -- and Daphne couldn't be more thrilled. There's also bystander Johnny (Gabriel Macht), a musician working in the bar. He observes Daphne with interest, and for a moment it seems this might turn into a younger man/older woman romance. But against Daphne's wishes, the faux bohemian guitarist (he wears a fedora and vest) pursues Milly, a caterer with a snorting laugh not unlike Annie Hall's. After an inventive meet-cute with Johnny involving static cling, Milly finds herself dating both him and Jason.
Who Milly will end up with is as obvious as the contrasts between the two men. Johnny's the single father of a precocious boy (Ty Panitz), and they live with his single dad (Stephen Collins) in a fashionably cluttered house on the Venice canals. Against all that humanity, Jason lives in minimalist splendor and takes Milly to sleek downtown eateries. The dream-date deck is stacked. When Milly accidentally breaks one of Jason's family heirlooms, he gets a bit testy, the brute. But Johnny is all hugs and forgiveness after the accident-prone caterer shatters a plate that he probably got on sale at Pier 1.
Still, they're both decent guys, and what's a girl to do but sleep with both of them? The film pushes a cheery attitude toward sex, complete with cell-phone conference calls about uncircumcised penises between Daphne, Milly and her two married sisters. The sole characteristic of middle sis Mae (Piper Perabo) is her love of sex. It's clear from the get-go that Daphne's sense of urgency over Milly's love life is really about her own regrets as a single woman, but the script milks the notion for all its cheap, orgasm-centric psychology.
Director Michael Lehmann ("Heathers"), who keeps the story moving if not believable, isn't above using Daphne's pet dog for frequent reaction shots. Director of photography Julio Macat showcases L.A. dream locales -- not counting a woeful Korean spa scene -- while the creations of production designer Sharon Seymour and costume designer Shay Cunliffe have pizzazz but never feel lived-in. David Kitay's music score aids and abets the script in pushing emotional buttons.
Amongst the cardboard-cutout supporting characters, Lauren Graham brings a welcome deadpan sensibility to the overeager proceedings as oldest sibling Maggie, a wry psychologist.
BECAUSE I SAID SO
Universal Pictures
A Universal Pictures and Gold Circle Films presentation
Credits:
Director: Michael Lehmann
Screenwriters: Karen Leigh Hopkins, Jessie Nelson
Producers: Paul Brooks, Jessie Nelson
Executive producers: Scott Niemeyer, Norm Waitt, Michael Flynn
Director of photography: Julio Macat
Production designer: Sharon Seymour
Music: David Kitay
Co-producer: Wendy Rhoads
Costume designer: Shay Cunliffe
Editors: Paul Seydor, Troy Takaki
Cast:
Daphne: Diane Keaton
Milly: Mandy Moore
Johnny: Gabriel Macht
Jason: Tom Everett Scott
Maggie: Lauren Graham
Mae: Piper Perabo
Joe: Stephen Collins
Lionel: Ty Panitz
Running time -- 101 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
It's dispiriting to see a great actress like Keaton buying into this nonsense with such gusto. Still, as Daphne, the control-freak cake entrepreneur nearing her 60th birthday, she's the closest thing to a three-dimensional person in the film. Mandy Moore is an appealing performer, but ultimately she can't turn Milly, the object of Daphne's pathological concern, into more than a collection of comely pouts and tantrums.
The script by Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson, two of the writers of 1998's "Stepmom", is a compendium of cliches. Chief among these is the montage of comical interviewees -- that overused shorthand for L-O-S-E-R that parades across the screen for our condescending enjoyment, a succession of inadequate candidates for a job or a date. In this case, the would-be boyfriends are interviewed not by their potential mate but by her mother. Having placed an online ad, "Mother looking for life partner for daughter" (have more menacing words ever been printed?), Daphne holds court in a hotel lobby bar, driven to drink by the bad and the ugly.The good arrive, too. Jason, Tom Everett Scott) is an architect -- the movie occupation du jour, signaling financially successful and creative -- and Daphne couldn't be more thrilled. There's also bystander Johnny (Gabriel Macht), a musician working in the bar. He observes Daphne with interest, and for a moment it seems this might turn into a younger man/older woman romance. But against Daphne's wishes, the faux bohemian guitarist (he wears a fedora and vest) pursues Milly, a caterer with a snorting laugh not unlike Annie Hall's. After an inventive meet-cute with Johnny involving static cling, Milly finds herself dating both him and Jason.
Who Milly will end up with is as obvious as the contrasts between the two men. Johnny's the single father of a precocious boy (Ty Panitz), and they live with his single dad (Stephen Collins) in a fashionably cluttered house on the Venice canals. Against all that humanity, Jason lives in minimalist splendor and takes Milly to sleek downtown eateries. The dream-date deck is stacked. When Milly accidentally breaks one of Jason's family heirlooms, he gets a bit testy, the brute. But Johnny is all hugs and forgiveness after the accident-prone caterer shatters a plate that he probably got on sale at Pier 1.
Still, they're both decent guys, and what's a girl to do but sleep with both of them? The film pushes a cheery attitude toward sex, complete with cell-phone conference calls about uncircumcised penises between Daphne, Milly and her two married sisters. The sole characteristic of middle sis Mae (Piper Perabo) is her love of sex. It's clear from the get-go that Daphne's sense of urgency over Milly's love life is really about her own regrets as a single woman, but the script milks the notion for all its cheap, orgasm-centric psychology.
Director Michael Lehmann ("Heathers"), who keeps the story moving if not believable, isn't above using Daphne's pet dog for frequent reaction shots. Director of photography Julio Macat showcases L.A. dream locales -- not counting a woeful Korean spa scene -- while the creations of production designer Sharon Seymour and costume designer Shay Cunliffe have pizzazz but never feel lived-in. David Kitay's music score aids and abets the script in pushing emotional buttons.
Amongst the cardboard-cutout supporting characters, Lauren Graham brings a welcome deadpan sensibility to the overeager proceedings as oldest sibling Maggie, a wry psychologist.
BECAUSE I SAID SO
Universal Pictures
A Universal Pictures and Gold Circle Films presentation
Credits:
Director: Michael Lehmann
Screenwriters: Karen Leigh Hopkins, Jessie Nelson
Producers: Paul Brooks, Jessie Nelson
Executive producers: Scott Niemeyer, Norm Waitt, Michael Flynn
Director of photography: Julio Macat
Production designer: Sharon Seymour
Music: David Kitay
Co-producer: Wendy Rhoads
Costume designer: Shay Cunliffe
Editors: Paul Seydor, Troy Takaki
Cast:
Daphne: Diane Keaton
Milly: Mandy Moore
Johnny: Gabriel Macht
Jason: Tom Everett Scott
Maggie: Lauren Graham
Mae: Piper Perabo
Joe: Stephen Collins
Lionel: Ty Panitz
Running time -- 101 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 2/2/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
How to Eat Fried Worms
OK, so this is not a movie for the Food Channel. New Line Cinema has no promotional tie-ins with a recipe book. But the title of "How to Eat Fried Worms" will certainly excite the gross-out joys in adolescent males. Plus, this is actually the title of a popular young-adult book that has remained in print since its 1973 publication, so there is a built-in audience for these cooked worms.
The movie doesn't pitch itself to any demographic beyond its target audience, which might be enough as families will turn out in sufficient numbers to ensure average or better business. Boys will be happy at the mild grossness; parents will tolerate anything that entertains their hyperkinetic boys; and sisters will agree with the film's lone girl, who murmurs on two occasions, "Boys are weird". They are.
The story, adapted from Thomas Rockwell's novel by director Bob Dolman ("The Banger Sisters"), centers on Billy Forrester (Luke Benward), who suffers from all the angst and trepidation felt by any boy who finds himself the New Kid at school. Seemingly every-one picks on him. Everyone except Erika Hallie Kate Eisenberg), who can empathize because as an early-blooming youngster she towers above all her classmates.
When bully Joe (Adam Hicks) and his "team" of insecure but blustery fifth-graders mock Billy by loading his lunch Thermos with wiggly, disgusting worms, Billy reacts without thinking. He flings one of the crawlers into Joe's face. The unintended consequence is that Joe challenges Billy to a bet: Come Saturday, Billy will eat 10 worms by 7 p.m. without heaving his guts. Billy, wouldn't you know, has a weak stomach.
His parents are taking Saturday off for mixed doubles in tennis -- the film presents this match as a challenge from an intimidating co-worker not unlike Joe's challenge to Billy. So Billy must solicit Erika to watch over his annoyingly popular Little Brother Woody (Ty Panitz), then travel around the town to dine on a series of increasingly distasteful dishes concocted by Joe's gang.
Worms get fried in pig's fat and hot chili sauce. The wiggly creatures find their way into omelets, microwaves and food processors. The meals have such names as Barfmallow and Radioactive Slime Delight.
The film aspires to etch a portrait in perseverance and courage in Billy's determination of overcome fear and face up to the unappetizing grub. Meanwhile, Joe's team members shift alliances as more and more kids admire Billy's pluck and fewer and fewer appreciate Joe's bullying. And Billy comes to see in Erika a moral force and alternative approach to life. Indeed one problem about the latter subplot is that young Eisenberg is such a smart and talented actress with a character that's perhaps the best realized of the bunch she virtually steals the movie away from the boys.
The Mark Johnson production, shot in Austin, is smooth and watchable, but the film never reaches that comic or dramatic high point you yearn for in a classic children's film. Think of it more as a milder, more palatable version of "Fear Factor".
HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS
New Line Cinema
Walden Media presents a Mark Johnson production
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Bob Dolman
Based on the book by: Thomas Rockwell
Producers: Mark Johnson, Philip Steuer
Executive producer: Toby Emmerich
Director of photography: Richard Rutkowski
Production designer: Caty Maxey
Music: Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh
Co-producers: Cale Boyter, Michael Disco, Bob Dolman
Costume designer: Kathleen Kiatta
Editor: Janice Hampton
Cast:
Billy: Luke Benward
Erika: Hallie Kate Eisenberg
Joe: Adam Hicks
Adam: Austin Rogers
Twitch: Alexander Gould
Benjy: Ryan Malgrini
Bradley: Philip Daniel Bolden
Uncle Ed: Clint Howard
Woody: Ty Panitz
Boiler Head: James Bebhorn
Dad: Tom Cavanagh
Mom: Kimberly Williams-Paisley
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 83 minutes...
The movie doesn't pitch itself to any demographic beyond its target audience, which might be enough as families will turn out in sufficient numbers to ensure average or better business. Boys will be happy at the mild grossness; parents will tolerate anything that entertains their hyperkinetic boys; and sisters will agree with the film's lone girl, who murmurs on two occasions, "Boys are weird". They are.
The story, adapted from Thomas Rockwell's novel by director Bob Dolman ("The Banger Sisters"), centers on Billy Forrester (Luke Benward), who suffers from all the angst and trepidation felt by any boy who finds himself the New Kid at school. Seemingly every-one picks on him. Everyone except Erika Hallie Kate Eisenberg), who can empathize because as an early-blooming youngster she towers above all her classmates.
When bully Joe (Adam Hicks) and his "team" of insecure but blustery fifth-graders mock Billy by loading his lunch Thermos with wiggly, disgusting worms, Billy reacts without thinking. He flings one of the crawlers into Joe's face. The unintended consequence is that Joe challenges Billy to a bet: Come Saturday, Billy will eat 10 worms by 7 p.m. without heaving his guts. Billy, wouldn't you know, has a weak stomach.
His parents are taking Saturday off for mixed doubles in tennis -- the film presents this match as a challenge from an intimidating co-worker not unlike Joe's challenge to Billy. So Billy must solicit Erika to watch over his annoyingly popular Little Brother Woody (Ty Panitz), then travel around the town to dine on a series of increasingly distasteful dishes concocted by Joe's gang.
Worms get fried in pig's fat and hot chili sauce. The wiggly creatures find their way into omelets, microwaves and food processors. The meals have such names as Barfmallow and Radioactive Slime Delight.
The film aspires to etch a portrait in perseverance and courage in Billy's determination of overcome fear and face up to the unappetizing grub. Meanwhile, Joe's team members shift alliances as more and more kids admire Billy's pluck and fewer and fewer appreciate Joe's bullying. And Billy comes to see in Erika a moral force and alternative approach to life. Indeed one problem about the latter subplot is that young Eisenberg is such a smart and talented actress with a character that's perhaps the best realized of the bunch she virtually steals the movie away from the boys.
The Mark Johnson production, shot in Austin, is smooth and watchable, but the film never reaches that comic or dramatic high point you yearn for in a classic children's film. Think of it more as a milder, more palatable version of "Fear Factor".
HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS
New Line Cinema
Walden Media presents a Mark Johnson production
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Bob Dolman
Based on the book by: Thomas Rockwell
Producers: Mark Johnson, Philip Steuer
Executive producer: Toby Emmerich
Director of photography: Richard Rutkowski
Production designer: Caty Maxey
Music: Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh
Co-producers: Cale Boyter, Michael Disco, Bob Dolman
Costume designer: Kathleen Kiatta
Editor: Janice Hampton
Cast:
Billy: Luke Benward
Erika: Hallie Kate Eisenberg
Joe: Adam Hicks
Adam: Austin Rogers
Twitch: Alexander Gould
Benjy: Ryan Malgrini
Bradley: Philip Daniel Bolden
Uncle Ed: Clint Howard
Woody: Ty Panitz
Boiler Head: James Bebhorn
Dad: Tom Cavanagh
Mom: Kimberly Williams-Paisley
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 83 minutes...
- 8/22/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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