The director and co-writer Ishmael Chawla never make their characters venal.
The New Twenty (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:13
Fresh:7
Rotten:6
Average Rating:5.4/10
Synopsis:
Writer-director Chris Mason Johnson's award-winning first feature (Best Lead
Actress, Nicole Bilderback, Outfest; Best Director, First Feature, Ft. Lauderdale)
charts the lives of five New...
Writer-director Chris Mason Johnson's award-winning first feature (Best Lead
Actress, Nicole Bilderback, Outfest; Best Director, First Feature, Ft. Lauderdale)
charts the lives of five New Yorkers, a mix of gay and straight best friends about to
turn thirty. With emotionally vivid performances and nuanced characters,
The New Twenty paints the portrait of a generation living the highs and lows of
a Wall Street world destined to disappear overnight.
The year is 2006 and prosperity seems unending: two of the five are investment
bankers, another works in advertising, another does freelance database design, and
only one of the five might be called a slacker. But they all suffer from, as loner Felix
puts it, "a touch of existential malaise courtesy of late capitalism. You know, the
usual." So if money isn’t the root of their discontent, what is? Whatever they’re
searching for - love, meaning in work - they won’t find it in each other. On TV,
friendship lasts forever. In real life, not so much.--© Official Site
Starring: Bill Sage, Terry Serpico, Nicole Bilderback, Colin Fickes
Starring: Bill Sage, Terry Serpico, Nicole Bilderback, Colin Fickes, Andrew Wei Lin, Ryan Locke, Thomas Sadoski
Director: Chris Mason Johnson
Director: Chris Mason Johnson
Producer: Aina Abiodun, Chris Mason Johnson
Composer: Jeff Toyne
Studio: Wolfe Releasing
Reviews for The New Twenty
Writer/director Chris Mason Johnson is a sharp observer of urban life, and his story moves along so briskly that you won't spend much time considering the fact that it should have been set in 1999
Johnson provides them with plenty of challenges and reasons to question their values, priorities and goals.
Co-writer/director Chris Mason Johnson's amateur debut effort could be credited with creating a new genre of pretentious triteness tailored to define of the pop slang word "Redonkulous."
Has interesting characters and a terrific cast, but feels somewhat contrived, bland and lacking an authentic emotional resonance.
Chris Mason Johnson directs from a script he co-wrote, giving us little reason to care for his physically attractive, emotionally empty characters.
Lacing timeless group dynamics with current concerns, Johnson straddles the line between glossy fluff and serious generational inquiry.
There's nothing particularly new or moving in this study of friends growing up and apart from one another, which only makes you want to yell, "Move on! College was ten years ago!"
The movie is admirable for taking these people seriously, even if it does little to illuminate their individual or cultural significance.
Chris Mason Johnson’s ensemble drama could’ve been just another earnest time capsule about friends in their late twenties; what saves it from devolving into mere mumblecore is a broader-than-average outlook.
Johnson and co-writer Ishmael Chawla have a light touch that keeps things from turning overly melodramatic.
Latest News for The New Twenty
April 19, 2009:
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