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Geography Club
- Director: Gary Entin
- Writer: Edmund Entin; Brent Hartinger
- Producer: Anthony Bretti; Joe Dain
CGiii Comment
A film full of good intentions that gently taps rather than slaps...and that, unfortunately, is its failing.
The potential was there, as in the source material...alas, the talent was not, as in behind the camera. This is the 'Entins' first feature and their inexperience obviously overwhelmed them.
The by-the-book direction is bog-standard, perfectly acceptable for daytime TV, not so for a feature...Entin 1 injected nothing into Entin 2's lacklustre script...the bullying scene was a perfect vehicle for a gamut of emotions to explode on and from the screen - instead, it simply fizzled out. The 'cello kid' was - by far - the most interesting character and yet...nothing.
No character development, no backstories, storylines left dangling - an amazing lack of parents, and...drama.
Look, it's not a terrible film...it's just a passionless disappointment...just like the ending.
Geography Club is part 1 of The Russel Middlebrook Series (a series of Young-adult fiction novels written by Brent Hartinger)...if the film series is to continue, then it would be more than wise to change both screenwriter and director.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
"GEOGRAPHY CLUB" is based on Brent Hartinger's best-selling critically acclaimed novel: "What am I looking for?" asks 16-year old Russell Middlebrook of himself as he heads off on his newest adventure. Russell is still going on dates with girls, while Kevin will do anything to prevent his football teammates from finding out what he is concealing, Min and Terese tell everyone they're really just good friends, and Ike can't figure out who he is or what he wants to be. But the truth is too hard to hide - at least from each other - so they form the Geography Club. Nobody else will discover the truth about them as no other students in their right minds would ever join a club that sounds so boring. Their secrets will be safe from classmates. But are they? "Geography Club" is a smart, fast, moving and funny account of contemporary teenagers as they discover their own sexual identities, dreams and values and not merely live out their parents' desires and ambitions.
Cast & Characters
Scott Bakula as Carl Land;
Ana Gasteyer as Mrs. Toles;
Marin Hinkle as Barbara Land;
Meaghan Martin as Trish;
Alex Newell as Ike;
Nikki Blonsky as Terese;
Cameron Deane Stewart as Russell;
Justin Deeley as Kevin;
Allie Gonino as Kimberly;
Andrew Caldwell as Gunnar