Bart Got a Room

Director: Brian Hecker Brian Hecker

Overview

With prom right around the corner, a young man not only has to worry about finding a date, but is forced to wrestle with the crumbling marriage of his parents (William H. Macy and Cheryl Hines) in this Plum Pictures comedy from writer/director Brian Hecker (Family Attraction).

Product Details

Release Date:	07/28/2009
UPC:	0013131642995
Original Release:	2008
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Starz / Anchor Bay
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:19:00
Sales rank:	56,834

Special Features

Pop-up production notebook; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Steven Kaplan	Danny Stein
Alia Shawkat	Camille
William H. Macy	Ernie Stein
Cheryl Hines	Beth Stein
Brandon Hardesty	Craig
Ashley Benson	Alice
Chad Jamian Williams	Bart
Jennifer Tilly	Melinda
Kate Micucci	Abby
Jon Polito	Bob
Dinah Manoff	Mrs. Goodson
Michael Mantell	Dr. Goodson
Jamie Lawrence	Composer

Technical Credits

Brian Hecker

Brian Hecker	Director,Screenwriter
Jai Stefan	Producer
Tony Shawkat	Producer
Celine Rattray	Producer
Daniela Taplin Lundberg	Producer
Galt Niederhoffer	Producer
Pamela Hirsch	Executive Producer
Mario Fallone	Executive Producer
Michael LaFetra	Executive Producer
Stephen Benedek	Executive Producer
Brenda Rhodes	Executive Producer
Dina Burke	Executive Producer
Randy Simon	Executive Producer
Bruce Lunsford	Executive Producer
Ed Hart	Executive Producer
Reagan Silber	Executive Producer
Lori S. Wyman	Casting
John Bair	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Bart got a room -- a hotel room -- and he's booked it for senior prom night. Though the title character of Bart Got a Room only appears in one brief scene toward the end of the film, it's his über-geek specter that hangs over writer-director Brian Hecker's comedy, a semi-autobiographical ode to teenage angst that aims for American Pie-style yucks with a light edge of Philip Roth's comic neuroticisms. The plot is centered on the hopelessly dateless Danny (Steven Kaplan), a gawky band nerd who must decide between taking his best friend, Camille (Alia Shawkat), to the prom, and attempting to woo the date of his dreams, a pretty blonde cheerleader. Along the way he endures derision and peer pressure from friends, as well as uncomfortably frank advice from his divorced parents, played by Cheryl Hines and William H. Macy (who sports a fantastically bad Jewfro). Set in the geriatric environs of terminally sunny South Florida, Danny's world offers constant reminders of the road he's headed down should he not solidify this one life-defining event: Macy's Ernie grapples with loneliness by seeking women in chat rooms, while Hines' Beth sees relationships as a shortcut to financial security. Kaplan gives a winning performance as the feckless, desperate Danny, coming across like a hormone-driven mix of Jason Biggs and Woody Allen. And while Hecker's subtle screenplay doesn't offer outsized laughs, it's notable for its lack of raunch and snark, a quality that sets this sweet indie comedy apart from the usual teen sex-romp fare.