Cold Turkey
Thanksgiving get-together for the eccentric Turner clan, presided over by eminent scholar and patriarch, POPPY (Peter Bogdanovich), turns into a disastrous holiday weekend when black sheep daughter NINA (Alicia Witt) pays her first visit home in 15 years. Nina immediately clashes with stepmother, DEBORAH (Cheryl Hines), and competes with her siblings (Ashton Holmes and Sonya Walger) for Poppy’s affection – and money. Over three days, the family gradually disintegrates over who will get Poppy’s money – only to discover Poppy has his own bad news to share…
COLD TURKEY is about what happens when you set a match to a powder keg. It’s about honesty. It’s about love. It’s about trying your best. Ultimately, it’s about the kind of emotional terrorism that only families can inflict upon one another.
Director:
Will Slocombe
Cast:
Wilson Bethel, Alicia Witt, Sonya Walger
Screenplay:
Will Slocombe
Screening Date:
Nov 09, 2013
Studio:
A Midway Films Production in association with Burn Later Productions
Running Time:
84 min
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.6% | 21.3% | 19.1% | 36.2% | 12.8% |
“COLD TURKEY - what an apt title! Giving up that family was a good move on Deborah’s part. Are there really families that are so boring, screwed up and destructive all the time?”
“Spending even 86 minutes with this family was an hour too much. Enough with the close-ups. Glad I’m single.”
“Adult depiction of dysfunctional family. Poppy could have been shown in much worse ways. Can only recommend to select few.”
“Unpleasant dysfunctional, drunk, boring film. Probably the worst film I’ve seen in years.”
“Our turkey was always piping hot, but the conversation was never so hot! Peter Bogdanovich was fabulous.”
“Thoroughly enjoyed this masterpiece of true to life dysfunction of family tribulations. Loved watching poppy through the hallway, checking each room along the way to getting his glass.”
“My cold turkey Dinner With Andre. Are all professors involved with their grad students?”
“No sugar coating here. All the family dynamics and dirty laundry are exposed. Very real, honest and heartfelt.”
“Rich, drunk, spoiled boring white people. Who cares? Wonderful cast. It was funny.”
“A great cast who take a unspectacular screenplay a level higher than perhaps it even deserves. Solid direction, but for us New Yorkers, we know Californian’s are all crazy already.”
“Other people’s problems always gives me a new perspective on mine. Is that good/bad? Makes my troubles go away? Not sure! So glad that I was invited to that family’s gathering. Also thankfully haven’t gathered for Hanukah.”
Another flat, predictable dysfunctional family drama.”
“COLD TURKEY great name because it left me cold and the ending felt like a turkey.”
“A west coast Greek tragedy.”
“Thanks so much to the guest for joining us and absolutely enhancing the film. The behind-the-scenes stories are almost more interesting than the film itself.”
“Best movie we’ve had so far this fall!”
“All the movies I want to see this season and COLD TURKEY takes up my viewing time. Awful! Not a sympathetic character in the family, horrible soundtrack, choppy editing. I hated it.”
“Great direction. Excellent performances. Intelligent screenplay and painfully relateable. But it felt more like a psychology documentary because it was so completely focused on their dysfunction. The agenda of the film eclipsed the characters, but I respected the messaging.” Jeanne K
“Great casting. Very predictable!”
“All families are dysfunctional, just in different ways - especially so in California. Great cast, not sure why they all signed on. The look of the house was the best character in the film. Waiting for Nina sets up expectation of who she might be. Great opening with snoring wife, he with earplugs sets up the relationship of Bogdanovich and his second wife.”
If you'd like to know more about the film...
Actress Alicia Witt actually surprised Will with this song. She asked if they could show the film to a friend who was interested...that friend was Ben Folds!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6QAVUzEOX1E
Director Will Slocombe and actress Cheryl Hines discuss the movie and their own family experiences.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A71g25hFqpI
Interested in the OTHER Cold Turkey? It really is about a town that tries to give up smoking....check it out here and decide which one you prefer.
