This week, in looking back at the summer box office films of 1999, we take a look at the movie 'Go', plus the round of 32 in the tournament deciding your favorite film from that summer.
[Author's note: The film was released in April of 1999, but is considered for this tournament due to the fact May was a light month that year for film releases.]The landscape of the box office in 1999 was dominated by teen-centered movies, big-name comedians, and a couple of smaller budget films that reaped tons of rewards (see: money!)
And then there was Go.
Written by John August (who recently penned the Aladdin live-action remake) and directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow), Go was an ensemble piece, a story told from three points of view that was a comedy dark in nature. Written and edited in the vein of Pulp Fiction, Go sees the three different stories intersect and is set around the ecstasy and rave scene that was popular in the late 1990's.
The combination of bored youth, drug deals gone bad, bachelors in Vegas, and an undercover sting with actors are central to this story set in and around Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Plus, it has the best thoughts on The Family Circus in the history of film. (Warning: language)
The dialogue is delivered by Todd Gaines, played by Timothy Olyphant. Olyphant was still an up-and-comer at the time, coming off a performance in Scream 2 that he turned in a few years prior. Olyphant's star shined in this movie and the trajectory only continued to rise over the years.
Olyphant was just one of the few actors about to hit superstar status who appeared this film, with a cast that was filled out with other veteran names and teen stars of the time.
Sarah Polley had been in the business for some time but in 1999 was likely most remembered for playing Ramona (in Ramona) as a child actor. In Go, Polley played Ronna, a central figure to the story. Polley would later become an acclaimed director on the indie scene.
Katie Holmes and Scott Wolf were big in the television world at this time, both having hits among the teen and college-aged crowd. Holmes was starring in Dawson's Creek while Wolf was about to enter his final season as Bailey Salinger in Party of Five.
In balancing out the cast, there was also Broadway star Taye Diggs, plus known supporting actor William Fichtner (who has one of the best performances in the film). Throw in the Bob Suga himself aka the man who owned the summer of 1998, Jay Mohr, and what you have is the beginnings of an outstanding film.
Director Liman, in his final film before jumping full swing into the action movie genre, had previously helmed the indie darling Swingers. This would be his chance to show he was more than just "the guy who directed Swingers" and possibly build a career for himself.
Even with all the indie film qualities of Go -- and it certainly plays like an indie film -- the movie had an estimated budget of 20 million, an amount it failed to make back in the domestic box office. Though it did make over 28 million worldwide and had a pretty high rating among critics, the film didn't really gather notoriety until its DVD (and VHS, probably) release.
The soundtrack to this film is also top notch, with appearances by No Doubt, Fatboy Slim, Steppenwolf, Lenny Kravitz, and Len, to name a few.
Twenty years later, Go is still a fairly fun film, with outstanding acting performances and, overall, quite the ensemble. Plus, it served us with the reminder to never eat shrimp from a buffet in Las Vegas.
May region
Voting led to at least one upset in each region, May included. Upset is a term that can be used loosely, as this tournament is based off what film is your favorite but is ranked according to where it finished at the box office.
That being said, the only lower seed in the region to advance was Alexander Payne's Election.
Round of 32 matchups in the May region:
- 1- The Phantom Menace
- 8- Go
- 5- Life
- 4- Entrapment
- 6- Never Been Kissed
- 3 - Notting Hill
- 10- Election
- 2- The Mummy
June region
The upset in June saw the 12th-seed Run Lola Run advance to the round of 32. Everything else played out with the higher seed advance, including, representing the month of September, the film American Beauty.
Round of 32 matchups, June region:
- 1- Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged me
- 8- American Beauty
- 12- Run Lola Run
- 4- Wild, Wild West
- 6- South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut
- 3 - Big Daddy
- 7- Instinct
- 2 - Tarzan
July region
This was the region that had the largest number of lower seeds advance, with ninth-seed The Wood, 11th-seed Muppets from Space, and 12th-seed Drop Dead Gorgeous all advancing.All three have a chance to do it again, with the Round of 32 matchups for July seen below:
- 1- Runaway Bride
- 9- The Wood
- 12- Drop Dead Gorgeous
- 4- Inspector Gadget
- 11- Muppets from Space
- 3- American Pie
- 7- Eyes Wide Shut
- 2 - The Blair Witch Project
August region
Only one lower seed pulled off the upset here in August, with The Muse and its ninth-seed advancing to the round of 32. (Matchups below):- 1- The Sixth Sense
- 9- The Muse
- 5- The 13th Warrior
- 4- Mickey Blue Eyes
- 6- Mystery Men
- 3- Bowfinger
- 7- The Iron Giant
- 2- The Thomas Crown Affair
Voting is taking place over on Twitter. Facebook has still not given me polling power again, for some unknown reason, so feel free to leave comments for your favorites if you don't have a Twitter account.
Thanks for following along and happy voting!
photo credit: pxhere.com
Part 1: The summer box office of 1999: A film tournament
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