''Contest'' is a 2013 American
comedy-drama
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
film written and directed by Anthony Joseph Giunta and starring
Kenton Duty,
Daniel Flaherty,
Katherine McNamara, and
Mary Beth Peil. The film premiered at the 2013
Mill Valley Film Festival, and aired on
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
on October 6, 2013, as part of their ''Stop Bullying, Speak Up'' promotion.
Plot
A bullied teen chef wants to save his grandmother's business by entering a TV cooking contest to win the prize money, only to find his worst bully, Matt Prylek, suddenly pushing to become his new friend—and contest teammate. Meanwhile, Matt's brother Kyle wants him to do some villainous stuff.
Cast
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Kenton Duty as Matt Prylek
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Daniel Flaherty as Tommy Dolen
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Katherine McNamara as Sarah O'Malley
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Mary Beth Peil as "Gran" Angela Maria Tucci
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Kyle Dean Massey as Kyle Prylek
*
Alex Boniello
Alex Boniello (born October 5, 1990) is an American actor, musician, author, and producer best known for his portrayal of the voice of Moritz in the 2015 Broadway revival of '' Spring Awakening,'' as well as his performance as Connor Murphy in the ...
as Joe Grasso
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Owen Teague as Bobby Butler
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Talon G. Ackerman as Will Terkin
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Chris Riggi
Christopher Riggi (born September 18, 1985) is an American actor, known for his role as Scott Rosson in the teen drama television series ''Gossip Girl'', and Jacob White in the ''Twilight'' parody film, ''Vampires Suck'', which was released in th ...
as Ned
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Jan Uczkowski as Philip King
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Tina Benko
Tina Benko is an American actress and acting teacher known for her roles in film, theatre, and television.
Early life
Benko was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Career
Benko was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for her portrayal of Jacq ...
as Rhonda
* Morgan B. Ackerman as Lada Bartosh
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Marc John Jefferies as Xav
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Robert Wuhl as Zack Conti
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Ricky Ullman as Rip
Production
The film began pre-production on February 1, 2012 and ended pre-production on June 12, 2012. Production occurred in Liberty, NY and Fallsburg, NY on June 13, 2012 through July 13, 2012. Post-production concluded at the end of September 2013 shortly before the movie's October 5, 2013 debut at Mill Valley Film Festival and the premiere the following evening, October 6, 2013 on Cartoon Network.
Reception
On
Rotten Tomatoes the film has 2 reviews listed, both positive.
The movie won an Audience Award at Mill Valley Film Festival. It also won a Family Choice Award.
Trivia
Maria Ciuffo, known as
Barstool Sports' "Ria", auditioned for and was offered a role in Contest. She ended up having to turn it down so as not to miss high school exams.
References
External links
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2013 films
2010s coming-of-age comedy-drama films
2010s teen comedy-drama films
American coming-of-age comedy-drama films
American teen comedy-drama films
Films about bullying
Films shot in New York City
American independent films
2013 independent films
2010s English-language films
2010s American films
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