How to Make the Cruelest Month
How to Make the Cruelest Month is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Kip Koenig and starring Clea DuVall.
| How to Make the Cruelest Month | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Kip Koenig |
| Produced by | Alison Dickey Mark Lipson |
| Written by | Kip Koenig |
| Starring | Clea DuVall |
| Music by | Jeff Martin |
| Cinematography | Julian Whatley |
| Edited by | Chris Figler |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Cast
- Clea DuVall as Bell Bryant
- Gabriel Mann as Leonard Crane
- J.D. Souther as Uncle Jerry
- Mary Kay Place as Mary Bryant
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Christina Parks
- Dennis Haysbert as Manhattan Parks
- John Voskamp as Fryer Crane
- Amy Smart as Dot Bryant
- James Duval as Westy
- Jorja Fox as Sarah Bryant
- Christopher Gartin as Dr. Rutledge
- Fred Weller as Rickey
Release and reception
How to Make the Cruelest Month premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival,[1] where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. It won the Best of Fest prize at the 1998 Long Island Film Festival.
Writing for Variety, Emanuel Levy gave the film a mixed review. He praised the director's ideas and characters, as well as his sensitivity to the issues faced by young Americans. He drew comparisons between the film and Woody Allen's early films ("in spirit and ambition, if not in execution"). He enjoyed DuVall's performance, although said it was "occasionally too intensely mannered", and praised the rest of the cast. However, Levy also described the film as uneven, with a "messy structure and lack of discipline".[2]
References
- "CMJ FilmFest: Thin On Docs, Big On Names", indieWIRE, SnagFilms, November 4, 1998, retrieved February 17, 2011
- Levy, Emanuel (January 20, 1998), "How to Make the Cruelest Month", Variety, Reed Business Information, retrieved February 17, 2011