Henry Gamble's Birthday Party

Henry Ramble's Birthday Party

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Stephen Cone
Produced by Stephen Cone
Bryan Hart
Laura Klein
Michael A. Leppen
Shane Simmons
Written by Stephen Cone
Starring Pat Healy
Tyler Ross
Kelly O'Sullivan
Francis Guinan
Elizabeth Laidlaw
Music by Page Campbell
Daniel Donahue
Heather McIntosh
Cinematography Jason Chiu
Edited by Stephen Cone (uncredited)
Distributed by Wolfe Video[1]
Release dates
May 7, 2015
Running time
87 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Henry Gamble's Birthday Party is a 2015 drama film written and directed by Stephen Cone.

Cast

Production

The film had a principle production schedule of 18 days.[2]

Release

The film was premiered on May 7, 2015 at the Maryland Film Festival.[3] The film later premiered in New York City at the BAMcinemaFest on June 25, 2015.[4][5]

Home media

On September 8, 2015, it was reported that Wolfe Video had acquired the rights to Henry Gamble's Birthday Party with plans to distribute the film on VOD and DVD in early 2016.[1]

Reception

Critical response

Henry Gamble's Birthday Party received a generally positive response from critics. The film holds a 71% positive "Fresh" rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 59 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as a "somewhat less successful" work than Cone's similarly themed 2011 film The Wise Kids, but nevertheless lauded, "The film works best in its quieter moments, especially in its touching climactic scene in which Henry, sensitively portrayed by Doman in his film debut, finally allows himself to act on his suppressed impulses. It adds a welcome hopeful note to the preceding turmoil, reminding us yet again that the heart inevitably wants what it wants."[8] Carson Kohler of Vox also praised the film, writing, "There are so many substantial issues that this birthday party illuminates. Sexuality. The church. Sexuality and the church. And that’s one line of the issues."[9] Joe Ehrman-Dupre of Indiewire praised the film as "miraculous" and wrote:

"It's very difficult for me to hate people," Stephen Cone tells me, and I believe him. If he were a vengeful writer, or an angry director—if he didn’t care so damn much about each and every one of his characters—this "Birthday Party" would quickly devolve into stereotypical zealot madness. As it stands, though, Henry Gamble has surrounded himself with complex, difficult, frustrated people. Essentially, people with stories, just like you and me.[10]

Ben Kenigsberg The New York Times gave the film a more mixed review, however, describing Cone as "not a sophisticated writer" and remarking, "Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party feels sincere but not accomplished, empathetic but not deep."[11]

Accolades

The film was awarded the SHOUT Jury Award and the Audience Narrative Award at the 2015 Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.[1][12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sharf, Zack (September 8, 2015). "Exclusive: Wolfe Releasing Acquires Gay Coming-Of-Age Drama 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party'". Indiewire. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  2. Radish, Christina (August 22, 2014). "Tyler Ross Talks THE KILLING Season 4, Moving to Netflix, Where His Character Ends Up, HENRY GAMBLE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY, and More". Collider.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  3. Newman, Nick (May 1, 2015). "Pat Healy and More Celebrate In First Images from Stephen Cone's 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party'". The Film Stage. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  4. Weston, Hillary (June 25, 2015). "Director Stephen Cone & Actor Cole Doman on Their New Queer Coming of Age Film 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party'". BlackBook Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  5. Feinstein, Howard (June 16, 2015). "Chronicle of a Dream Foretold: BAMcinemaFest 2015". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  6. "Henry Gamble's Birthday Party". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  7. "Henry Gamble's Birthday Party reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  8. Scheck, Frank (July 7, 2015). "'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  9. Kohler, Carson (June 12, 2015). "Homebrewed Movie & Beer: Henry Gamble's Birthday Party". Vox. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  10. Ehrman-Dupre, Joe (June 19, 2015). "'A Lot Of Stories:' Christianity and the Queer Human Condition At 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party'". Indiewire. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  11. Kenigsberg, Ben (January 7, 2016). "Review: In 'Henry Gamble's Birthday Party,' Sexual Repression (and Clothes) Start to Fall Away". The New York Times. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  12. Carlton, Bob (August 30, 2015). "Sidewalk Film Festival 2015 announces winners; here's the list". The Huntsville Times. Retrieved September 10, 2015.

External links

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