''Wild About Harry'', also known as ''American Primitive'', is a 2009 American family
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
directed by Gwen Wynne and starring
Tate Donovan
Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in '' The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...
,
Adam Pascal
Adam Pascal (born October 25, 1970) is an American actor, singer, and musician, known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original 1996 cast of Jonathan Larson's musical '' Rent'' on Broadway, the 2005 movie version of the musical, and the ...
,
Danielle Savre
Danielle Kathleen Savre (born August 26, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her television roles, such as her lead performances in the 2007 MTV music drama '' Kaya'', the 2016 TLC drama '' Too Close to Home'', and the ABC ...
,
Skye McCole Bartusiak
Skye McCole Bartusiak (September 28, 1992 – July 19, 2014) was an American child actress and child model. She appeared in '' The Patriot'' (2000), ''Don't Say a Word'' (2001), as Rose Wilder in '' Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura In ...
,
Josh Peck
Joshua Michael Peck (born November 10, 1986) is an American actor and comedian. Peck began his career as a child actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and had an early role on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''The Amanda Show'' from 2000 to 2002. Peck ...
,
Corey Sevier
Corey Daniel Sevier (born July 3, 1984) is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role on the Fox television series '' North Shore'' as Gabriel McKay and as Timmy Cabot in '' Lassie''.
Life and career
Sevier was born in Ajax, Ontari ...
,
Susan Anspach
Susan Florence Anspach (; November 23, 1942 – April 2, 2018) was an American stage, film and television actress, who was best known for her roles in films during the 1970s and 1980s such as ''Five Easy Pieces'' (1970), '' Play It Again, Sa ...
,
Fernando Colunga
Fernando Colunga Olivares () (born 3 March 1966) is a Mexican actor best known for his work in Mexican telenovelas.
Colunga gained international fame for playing Luis Fernando de la Vega in the Mexican soap opera ''Maria la del Barrio''. He is ...
,
James Sikking
James Barrie Sikking (born March 5, 1934) is a former American actor, most known for his role as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s TV series ''Hill Street Blues''.
Early years
Sikking was born in Los Angeles on March 5, 1934 to Andy and Sue (né ...
,
Daniela Castro and
Stacey Dash
Stacey Lauretta Dash (born January 20, 1967) is an American actress. Dash played Dionne Marie Davenport in the 1995 feature film '' Clueless'' and its television series of the same name. She has also appeared in the films '' Moving'', '' Mo' Mo ...
. It was written by Gwen Wynne and
Mary Beth Fielder. The film had the original title ''American Primitive'' and a script titled ''Once in a Very Blue Moon''.
Premise
Teenaged sisters Madeline and Daisy, living on Cape Cod, deal with the implications of their widower father Harry
coming out in 1973.
Cast
*
Tate Donovan
Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in '' The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...
as Harry Goodhart
*
Adam Pascal
Adam Pascal (born October 25, 1970) is an American actor, singer, and musician, known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original 1996 cast of Jonathan Larson's musical '' Rent'' on Broadway, the 2005 movie version of the musical, and the ...
as Theodore Gibbs
*
Danielle Savre
Danielle Kathleen Savre (born August 26, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her television roles, such as her lead performances in the 2007 MTV music drama '' Kaya'', the 2016 TLC drama '' Too Close to Home'', and the ABC ...
as Madeline Goodhart
*
Skye McCole Bartusiak
Skye McCole Bartusiak (September 28, 1992 – July 19, 2014) was an American child actress and child model. She appeared in '' The Patriot'' (2000), ''Don't Say a Word'' (2001), as Rose Wilder in '' Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura In ...
as Daisy Goodhart
*
Josh Peck
Joshua Michael Peck (born November 10, 1986) is an American actor and comedian. Peck began his career as a child actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and had an early role on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''The Amanda Show'' from 2000 to 2002. Peck ...
as Spoke White
*
Corey Sevier
Corey Daniel Sevier (born July 3, 1984) is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role on the Fox television series '' North Shore'' as Gabriel McKay and as Timmy Cabot in '' Lassie''.
Life and career
Sevier was born in Ajax, Ontari ...
as Sam Brown
*
Susan Anspach
Susan Florence Anspach (; November 23, 1942 – April 2, 2018) was an American stage, film and television actress, who was best known for her roles in films during the 1970s and 1980s such as ''Five Easy Pieces'' (1970), '' Play It Again, Sa ...
as Martha
*
Fernando Colunga
Fernando Colunga Olivares () (born 3 March 1966) is a Mexican actor best known for his work in Mexican telenovelas.
Colunga gained international fame for playing Luis Fernando de la Vega in the Mexican soap opera ''Maria la del Barrio''. He is ...
as Danny Walker
*
Cesar Evora Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol
* ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt
* César Award, a French film award
Places
* Cesar, Portugal
* C ...
as Ricardo
*
Francisco Gattorno
Francisco Alejandro Gattorno Sánchez (; born October 12, 1964), better known in the show business world plainly as Francisco Gattorno, is a Cuban-Mexican actor.
Biography
Francisco grew up in Santa Clara. He is a son of a Canarian father, an ...
as Jose
*
Daniela Castro as Debbie
*
James Sikking
James Barrie Sikking (born March 5, 1934) is a former American actor, most known for his role as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s TV series ''Hill Street Blues''.
Early years
Sikking was born in Los Angeles on March 5, 1934 to Andy and Sue (né ...
as William Cauldicott
*
Anne Ramsay
Anne Elizabeth Ramsay is an American actress best known for her role as Lisa Stemple on ''Mad About You'', for which she shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Ensemble in a Comedy series.
Early life
Ramsay was raised in La H ...
as Katrina Brown
*
Stacy Dash as Joy Crowley
*
Johanna Braddy
Johanna Elizabeth Braddy (born August 30, 1987) is an American actress. She played the leading role in the 2009 horror film ''The Grudge 3'', and has appeared in '' Hurt'' (2009), '' Easy A'' (2010), ''Paranormal Activity 3'' (2011), and ''The Lev ...
as Lucy Carmichael
*
Jordan-Claire Green
Jordan-Claire Green (born October 31, 1991) is an American actress. She is most well known for her role as Michelle in the film '' School of Rock''. Ten years after the film's release, the cast, together with Jack Black, gathered in Austin, Texas ...
as Bridget
*
Blythe Auffarth
Blythe Auffarth (born April 23, 1985, in Pleasant Valley, New York
Pleasant Valley is a town in Dutchess County, within the Hudson Valley of New York, United States. The population was 9,799 at the 2020 census. The town is centrally located i ...
as Eliza
*
Suzan Crowley
Suzan Jane Crowley (; born 1953) is an English-American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and natio ...
as Gertie
*
John Savage as Horace White
*
Paul Sass
Paul Sass (born 4 August 1988) is a retired English mixed martial artist who competed in UFC's and Bellator's Lightweight division.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Sass' professional record stands at 14–2 with eight of the victori ...
as Mr. Brown
*
Kristina Klebe
Kristina Klebe ( ; born 1979–1982) is an American actress, director, producer and writer who came to prominence for her portrayal of Lynda Van Der Klok in Rob Zombie's '' Halloween'' (2007). Her other film roles include ''Proxy'' (2013), Nei ...
as Eliza Cauldicott
*
Jason Stuart
Jason Stuart (born Stuart Ted Greif; January 13, 1959) is an American actor and comedian.
Life and career
Born in The Bronx, New York, Stuart was raised in Los Angeles, California. He is openly gay, and is the chair of the Screen Actors Guil ...
as Randolph
*
Helen Carey as Mrs. Yates
*
Suzan Crowley
Suzan Jane Crowley (; born 1953) is an English-American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and natio ...
as Gertie
*
John Franchi
John Franchi (born July 16, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist. He previously competed in WEC's featherweight division.
Background
Franchi was a standout wrestler at Edison High School. He then went on to graduate from the State ...
as Dancer
* Geno Monteiro as Michael
* Lili Barsha as Tiger Lady
* Veronica Blake as Heidi Lotito
* Victor Warren as Marcus Brown
Production
Reception
Tom Gregory of ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' wrote, "American Primitive is the “why” that drove early activists like Harvey Milk and the Stonewall demonstrators to demand equality. It’s a film about the struggle to redefine a peaceful, safe home against hatred, misunderstanding, and family law at the time when homosexuality was classified as mental illness. Set in 1973, this indie gem personalizes the mistrust, alienation, and prejudice that same-sex families still fight against today."
Like Tom Gregory, ''
Quiet Earth
''The Quiet Earth'' is a 1981 science fiction novel by New Zealand writer Craig Harrison (writer), Craig Harrison. The novel was adapted into a 1985 New Zealand science fiction The Quiet Earth (film), film of the same name directed by Geoff Mu ...
'' wrote "the acting was top notch", and praised the performance of
Josh Peck
Joshua Michael Peck (born November 10, 1986) is an American actor and comedian. Peck began his career as a child actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and had an early role on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''The Amanda Show'' from 2000 to 2002. Peck ...
. They wrote the film had fantastic "beginning feeling and production style", and spoke well of the film's theme and storyline.
Seattle Gay News
The ''Seattle Gay News'' is a weekly newspaper aimed at the Seattle and Puget Sound area LGBT community in the U.S. state of Washington.
History
''Seattle Gay News'' was founded in 1974 by Jim Tully and Jim Anderson. As of 2022, the SGN is dist ...
'' praised the film, writing "I love that this Queer love story is told through the eyes of Madeline. It's an unusual way into a Queer story and one that provides interesting insights from a fresh perspective. American Primitive is a nicely turned out little film that I highly recommend".
References
External links
*
as archived August 18, 2012
* {{IMDb title, 0435711, Wild About Harry
2009 films
2009 drama films
American drama films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films
English-language drama films