Billy Boy (previously Juvenile) is a 2017 American drama film directed by Bradley Buecker and written by Blake Jenner. The film stars Jenner, Melissa Benoist, Greg Germann, Melissa Bolona, Jim Beaver, Grant Harvey, and Aramis Knight. Billy Boy premiered at the Fantastic Fest on September 23, 2017, before a simultaneous release by Gravitas Ventures on June 15, 2018.
| Billy Boy | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Bradley Buecker |
| Written by | Blake Jenner |
| Produced by | Bradley Buecker Blake Jenner Mike Jenner Cooper Ulrich Robert J. Ulrich |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Joaquin Sedillo |
| Edited by | Bradley Buecker |
| Music by | James S. Levine |
Production companies | Fiction Pictures Stay Relevant Productions Seasick Pictures |
| Distributed by | Gravitas Ventures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editTroublemaker Billy Forsetti falls for the beautiful Jennifer. But when a carjacking takes a turn for the worse, Billy finds himself in for trouble.
Cast
edit- Blake Jenner as Billy Forsetti
- Melissa Benoist as Jennifer
- Jim Beaver as Crabtree
- Greg Germann as Mr. Langdon
- Andre Royo as Mr. Adams
- Brenda Bakke as Margarette
- Aramis Knight as Carlos
- Melissa Bolona as Jules
- Nick Eversman as Greg Basualdo
- Blaine Saunders as Young Girl
- Grant Harvey as Mikey Valentino
- Cole Bernstein as Miranda
- Derek Mio as Jimmy
- Brad Hunt as Frank
- Jack Foley as Boy
Release
editThe film premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 23, 2017. It later was shown at the San Diego International Film Festival on October 6, 2017 and the Miami International Film Festival on March 14, 2018.[1] It was scheduled to be released on June 15, 2018.
The film was originally scheduled to premiere on March 4, 2017 at the 2017 Miami International Film Festival under its original title Billy Boy, but was cancelled later on, amid speculation that this was linked to the star Melissa Benoist having recently filed for divorce from her co-star and writer Blake Jenner.[2][3][4][5]
Reception
editAmelia Emberwing from "Birth Movies Death" gave the film a bad review. She praised its premise, but criticized its development. Emberwing also praised the actor's performances, but wrote: "At the end of the day, Juvenile is a bad film filled with some exceptional performances. Each actor shines in their role, and adds to the tone of the movie. Those performances aren’t enough to salvage questionable editing choices and an empty story direction, but do manage to make a bit more of a palatable watch."[6]
Dennis Harvey of Variety Magazine harshly criticized the film for having a "shallow muddle of a screenplay", and said "it's exasperatingly undercooked and arted-up, failing on basic levels of character definition and narrative coherence, too often feeling like a classic indulgence for pretty-boy actors playing tough". He complimented the actors for having talent, but summed up his review saying, "this is a film whose theoretical good intentions feel as inorganic as its choppy storytelling".[7]
References
edit- ^ "Release Info". IMDB. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "Miami Film Festival Caught in Middle of Couple's Split". Hollywood Reporter. February 14, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ Rodriguez, Rene (February 16, 2017). ""Billy Boy" drops out of Miami Film Festival". Miami.com. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ Markowitz, Douglas (January 11, 2017). "Blake Jenner's Billy Boy Will Screen at Miami Film Festival 2017". Miami New Times.
- ^ Rodriguez, Rene. "The writing debut of actor Blake Jenner will premiere at Miami Film Festival". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ Emberwing, Amelia (September 28, 2017). "Fantastic Fest Review: JUVENILE Is Raw But Without Growth". Birth Movies Death. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ Harvey, Dennis (June 10, 2018). "Film Review: 'Billy Boy'". Variety.