''Smitty'' is a 2012 American family drama film directed by

David Mickey Evans David Mickey Evans (born October 20, 1962) is an American film director and screenwriter. His films tend to focus on children and the challenges of childhood. A baseball fan, Evans directed and co-wrote ''The Sandlot'' (1993). Life and career ...

and starring

Mira Sorvino Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born September 28, 1967) is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's ''Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995). She also starred in the films ...

Peter Fonda Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor. He was the son of Henry Fonda, younger brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget Fonda. He was a prominent figure in the counterculture of the 1960s. Fond ...

and

Louis Gossett Jr. Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (born May 27, 1936) is an American actor. Born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, He had his stage debut at the age of 17, in a school production of '' You Can't Take It with You.'' Shortly after he successfully ...

Plot

Amanda leaves her son Ben with her estranged father Jack, a grumpy Iowa farmer, after he gets in trouble too many times in Chicago. Jack successfully straightens the boy out with good food, farm chores, and a dog; the dog's former owners could not afford to keep him, and Ben names him after Mr. Smith, a wise storekeeper who befriends him.

Cast

as Jack *

as Amanda * as Ben *

as Mr. Smith *

Jason London Jason Paul London (born November 7, 1972) is an American actor, known for his roles as Randall "Pink" Floyd in director Richard Linklater's film '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993), as Jesse in '' The Rage: Carrie 2'' (1999) and as Rick Rambis in '' O ...

as Russell * Gabrielle Bui as Tia *

Booboo Stewart Nils Allen "Booboo" Stewart Jr. (born January 21, 1994) is an American actor. He is known for playing Seth Clearwater in '' The Twilight Saga'', Warpath in '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'', Jay in the Disney television film franchise '' Descenda ...

as Peebo *

Lolita Davidovich Lolita Davidovich ( sr-Latn, Lolita Davidović, italic=unset; born July 15, 1961) is a Canadian-born film and television actress, best known for portraying Blaze Starr in the 1989 film '' Blaze'', for which she received a Chicago Film Critics Ass ...

as Judge Greenstein

Production

Filming occurred in Iowa.

Release

The film premiered at the WorldFest-Houston International Film/Video Festival in April 2012.

Reception

Tracey Moore of

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

awarded the film three stars out of five. Nancy Adamson of the ''

Midland Reporter-Telegram The ''Midland Reporter-Telegram'' is a daily newspaper in Midland, Texas. It is located in the heart of the vast 54-county Permian Basin of West Texas, a geological region which produces 70 percent of the oil in Texas. The newspaper's special ...

'' graded the film a C. Duane Byrge of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' gave the film a positive review and wrote, “...but there is a great big Middle American audience out there for this heartfelt entertainment.“

References

External links

* * * 2012 films American drama films Films about dogs Phase 4 Films films Films set in 2010 2012 drama films Films set in Iowa Films shot in Iowa 2010s English-language films 2010s American films {{2010s-drama-film-stub