Viper Club

Last updated
Viper Club
Viper Club film poster.jpg
Directed by Maryam Keshavarz
Written by
  • Maryam Keshavarz
  • Jonathan Mastro
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDrew Daniels
Edited byAndrea Chignoli
Music by Gingger Shankar
Production
companies
  • CounterNarrative
  • MaraKesh Films
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 10, 2018 (2018-09-10)(TIFF)
  • October 26, 2018 (2018-10-26)(United States)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Viper Club is a 2018 American drama film directed by Maryam Keshavarz and starring Susan Sarandon. The film was produced by YouTube Premium in association with CounterNarrative and MaraKesh Films and held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2018. The film was released theatrically in the United States on October 26, 2018.

Contents

Premise

Viper Club follows "a veteran emergency room nurse secretly struggling to free her grown son, a journalist, from capture by a terrorist group. After running into roadblocks with government agencies, she discovers a clandestine community of journalists and advocates who might be able to help her." [1]

Cast

Production

On March 21, 2018, it was announced that YouTube Red had just finished production on a film, then-titled Vulture Club, directed by Maryam Keshavarz. The film was written by Keshavarz alongside Jonathan Mastro and executive produced by Anna Gerb, Neal Dodson, and J.C. Chandor. Cast members were set to include Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Matt Bomer, Julian Morris, Lola Kirke, and Sheila Vand. [1] [2] [3]

Release

The film was distributed by Roadside Attractions and released on October 26, 2018. Following its theatrical run, the film was made available for streaming on YouTube Premium. [4] [5]

On September 10, 2018, the film held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival as a featured selection in the "Special Presentations" series of films. [6] [7] [8] That same day, the official trailer for the film was released. [9] [10]

Controversy

After attending the premiere of the film in Toronto, Diane Foley, the mother of slain journalist James Foley, expressed criticism of the film. Although the production team contacted and spoke to Foley and the parents of other kidnapped journalists during the production process, she felt the plot of the film was inappropriate and misleading from what she said were events from her and her late son's lives. Although the screenplay was researched and written before production commenced, Foley had publicly shared details about the process of locating and negotiating for the release of her son. Foley thinks that although director Maryam Keshavarz claims to have made a fictional work, she used and unfairly manipulated details of her personal life to produce a dramatic story. [11]

Reception

The film was met with a mixed to negative response from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 38% approval rating with an average rating of 5.1/10 based on 34 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Viper Club benefits from Susan Sarandon's committed lead performance, but a treacly script robs this geopolitical drama of any bite." [12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 57 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Anywhere but Here</i> (film) 1999 drama film directed by Wayne Wang

Anywhere but Here is a 1999 American coming-of-age comedy drama film based on the novel of the same name by Mona Simpson. It was directed by Wayne Wang from a screenplay by Alvin Sargent, and stars Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, and Shawn Hatosy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Sarandon</span> American actor (born 1946)

Susan Abigail Sarandon is an American actor. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and nine Golden Globe Awards. In 2002, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

<i>Thelma & Louise</i> 1991 film by Ridley Scott

Thelma & Louise is a 1991 American crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri. The film stars Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis as Louise and Thelma, two friends who embark on a road trip that ends up in unforeseen circumstances. The supporting cast includes Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, and Brad Pitt. Filming took place in California and Utah from June to August 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Bomer</span> American actor (born 1977)

Matthew Staton Bomer is an American actor. His works have earned him various accolades including a Golden Globe Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award, in addition to a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Maryam Keshavarz, is an American filmmaker, of Iranian descent. She is best known for her 2011 film Circumstance distributed by Participant Media and Roadside Attractions, which won the Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival.

<i>Emotional Arithmetic</i> 2007 Canadian film

Emotional Arithmetic is a 2007 Canadian drama film directed by Paolo Barzman, based on the novel by Matt Cohen, about the emotional consequences for three Holocaust survivors when they are reunited decades later. The film stars Gabriel Byrne, Roy Dupuis, Christopher Plummer, Susan Sarandon, and Max von Sydow. It opened at the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 15, 2007, and was released, in Canada, on April 18, 2008.

<i>Tempest</i> (1982 film) 1982 film by Paul Mazursky

Tempest is a 1982 American adventure comedy-drama romance film directed by Paul Mazursky. It is a loosely based, modern-day adaptation of the William Shakespeare play The Tempest. The picture features John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Raúl Juliá and Molly Ringwald in her feature film debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roadside Attractions</span> Film production company

Roadside Attractions, LLC is an American production company and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded on July 27, 2000, by Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff, specializing largely in independent films. Lionsgate bought a portion of Roadside in 2007.

<i>The Normal Heart</i> (film) 2014 film directed by Ryan Murphy

The Normal Heart is a 2014 American television drama film directed by Ryan Murphy and written by Larry Kramer, based on his 1985 play of the same name. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Alfred Molina, Joe Mantello, Jonathan Groff, and Julia Roberts.

Sheila Vand is an American actress and performance artist. She is known for her role in Ben Affleck's 2012 Oscar-winning film Argo. Vand made her Broadway debut alongside Robin Williams in 2011 in the Pulitzer-nominated Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. She has worked with filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour on several projects, including Pashmaloo which premiered at the Berlinale in 2011 and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. She also has an ongoing collaboration with 2013 TED speaker Alexa Meade. Their photo series MILK: What Will You Make of Me? is on exhibit at the Gallery for Contemporary Photography Ingo Seufert, Munich, Germany and was also exhibited in the Grand Palais at Art Paris Art Fair. Vand is also the creator of experimental performance piece Sneaky Nietzsche.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jérôme Charvet</span> French actor

Jerome Charvet is a French actor who has appeared in international films and TV series since 2011.

<i>The Death & Life of John F. Donovan</i> 2018 Canadian film

The Death & Life of John F. Donovan is a 2018 Canadian drama film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Xavier Dolan, in his English-language debut. The film stars Kit Harington, Jacob Tremblay, Natalie Portman, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Thandiwe Newton, Ben Schnetzer, and Jared Keeso. It deals with themes of celebrity, tabloid media in Hollywood, mother-son relationships, and homosexuality.

<i>3 Generations</i> (film) 2015 American film

3 Generations is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Gaby Dellal and written by Nikole Beckwith and Dellal. The film stars Elle Fanning, Naomi Watts, Susan Sarandon, Tate Donovan and Sam Trammell. It premiered in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, under the title About Ray. The film was released on May 5, 2017, by the Weinstein Company. In the film, teenager Ray (Fanning) realizes and pursues his true identity as male and his mother Maggie (Watts), lesbian grandmother Dolly (Sarandon), and absent father Craig (Donovan) must learn to accept him for who he is.

<i>The Meddler</i> 2015 American film directed by Lorene Scafaria

The Meddler is a 2015 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lorene Scafaria. The film stars Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne and J. K. Simmons. Principal photography began on March 30, 2015 in Los Angeles. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released on April 22, 2016, by Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films.

<i>Aardvark</i> (2017 film) 2017 film by Brian Shoaf

Aardvark is a 2017 American drama film directed and written by Brian Shoaf. The film stars Zachary Quinto, Jenny Slate, Sheila Vand, and Jon Hamm. Principal photography began on November 30, 2015 in New York City. It premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. It was released on April 13, 2018. Emily Milburton is a therapist who is struggling with personal problems. Things change when she meets her new patient, Josh Norman, who is mentally ill. Josh starts to develop feelings for Emily but things get interesting when Emily falls for Josh's brother, Craig.

<i>Papi Chulo</i> (film) 2019 film by John Butler

Papi Chulo is a 2018 comedy-drama film written and directed by John Butler, starring Matt Bomer and Alejandro Patiño. It premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>Blackbird</i> (2019 film) 2019 American drama film

Blackbird is a 2019 American drama film directed by Roger Michell and written by Christian Torpe. It is a remake of the 2014 Danish film Silent Heart, also written by Torpe. It stars Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska, Lindsay Duncan, Rainn Wilson, Bex Taylor-Klaus, and Sam Neill. A family of three generations gather over a weekend to say goodbye to its matriarch Lily, who suffers from an incurable disease. With the help of her husband Paul, Lily has chosen to pursue euthanasia when the weekend is over. But as the end approaches, their mother's decision becomes more and more difficult to handle for her two daughters, and old conflicts resurface.

<i>The Mustang</i> 2019 drama film

The Mustang is a 2019 drama film written by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Mona Fastvold, and Brock Norman Brock, and directed by Clermont-Tonnerre in her feature directorial debut. It stars Matthias Schoenaerts as an incarcerated inmate who participates in a rehabilitation program centered around training of wild horses. Jason Mitchell, Gideon Adlon, Connie Britton, and Bruce Dern appear in supporting roles. The Mustang is based on an actual rehabilitation program in Carson City, Nevada.

Niousha Noor is an American actress of Iranian descent.

<i>The Persian Version</i> 2023 film by Maryam Keshavarz

The Persian Version is a 2023 American comedy drama film directed and written by Maryam Keshavarz. The film stars Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Bijan Daneshmand, Bella Warda, and Tom Byrne. It follows the struggles of a young Iranian-American woman who is often at odds with her family, particularly with her mother.

References

  1. 1 2 Vlessing, Etan (March 21, 2018). "YouTube Buys Susan Sarandon Thriller 'Vulture Club'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  2. ↑ Spangler, Todd (March 21, 2018). "YouTube Announces Drama 'Vulture Club' Starring Susan Sarandon In Oscars Bid". Variety . Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  3. ↑ Marotta, Jenna (March 21, 2018). "YouTube Red Shifts Feature Strategy, Says It Will Release Susan Sarandon-Starring 'Vulture Club' in Theaters". IndieWire . Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ Spangler, Todd (August 15, 2018). "YouTube's 'Viper Club' Starring Susan Sarandon to Get Theatrical Release by Roadside Attractions". Variety. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  5. ↑ White, Peter (August 15, 2018). "YouTube Partners With Roadside Attractions To Launch Susan Sarandon Thriller 'Viper Club' Theatrically". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  6. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 14, 2018). "TIFF Adds Sam Taylor-Johnson's 'A Million Little Pieces,' Paul Greengrass' '22 July', Joel Edgerton's 'Boy Erased' To Preem List". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  7. ↑ Erbland, Kate (August 14, 2018). "TIFF Adds More High-Profile Titles, Including Jonah Hill's 'Mid90s,' 'Boy Erased,' 'Hold the Dark,' and Many More". IndieWire. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Viper Club". Toronto International Film Festival . Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  9. ↑ Holub, Christian (September 10, 2018). "Susan Sarandon tries to save her kidnapped son in 'Viper Club' trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  10. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (September 10, 2018). "'Viper Club' Trailer Reveals Susan Sarandon in a 'Proof of Life'-Style Drama". Collider . Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  11. ↑ Harris, Shane (September 12, 2018). "Mother of slain journalist James Foley says filmmaker took their story". The Washington Post . Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Viper Club (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Viper Club (2018)". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved December 22, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.