Expiration Date (film)
Encyclopedia
Expiration Date is an independent black comedy
film that won many film festival awards.
elderly man to a Native American boy who wants to give up dancing and leave the reservation by bus. The story he tells is about a Native American man named Charlie Silvercloud III who thinks that he will be hit by a milk truck on his 25th birthday, like his father and grandfather before him due to a curse. His birthday is two weeks away. Charlie has a checklist of things he wants to do before his two weeks are up, but because he does not have long to live and has no way to do anything extreme, his list is somewhat more practical than most "bucket" lists. His checklist includes canceling his cellphone contract, watering the plants, and returning library books. His mother tries to prevent the curse from killing him by mapping the milk truck route and is trying to stop Charlie from going outside during certain times just in case he might be killed earlier than expected. While looking for a casket to buy for his assumed death, he meets Bessie Smith who is looking for casket for her mother. Bessie owns a dog named Roadkill because he is able to play dead so convincingly that crowds gather when he plays dead. Bessie and Charlie start seeing each other, but Charlie cannot decide if he should continue the relationship because of his impending death. Things become more complicated when Charlie finds out that Bessie is being stalked by a man who drives a milk truck for the local dairy.
. The DVD was released on January 27, 2009. The special features have a making of documentary, deleted scenes, director's commentary, the script, stills, cast and crew bios, the trailer, and a documentary called Family Dancing.
reported that 83% of critics gave positive feedback, based on 6 reviews.
Sean Axmaker of Seattle PI said that the video filmography and pacing isn't very good at times, but that he still likes the film because of the romance, offbeat humor, and gags.
A Los Angeles CityBeat
review said that the director's effort shows a bit too much and that he wasn't able to pull it off. Justin Chang of Variety
said that the film doesn't amount to much because it is too stringy and disjointed.
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
film that won many film festival awards.
Plot summary
The story is told by a Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
elderly man to a Native American boy who wants to give up dancing and leave the reservation by bus. The story he tells is about a Native American man named Charlie Silvercloud III who thinks that he will be hit by a milk truck on his 25th birthday, like his father and grandfather before him due to a curse. His birthday is two weeks away. Charlie has a checklist of things he wants to do before his two weeks are up, but because he does not have long to live and has no way to do anything extreme, his list is somewhat more practical than most "bucket" lists. His checklist includes canceling his cellphone contract, watering the plants, and returning library books. His mother tries to prevent the curse from killing him by mapping the milk truck route and is trying to stop Charlie from going outside during certain times just in case he might be killed earlier than expected. While looking for a casket to buy for his assumed death, he meets Bessie Smith who is looking for casket for her mother. Bessie owns a dog named Roadkill because he is able to play dead so convincingly that crowds gather when he plays dead. Bessie and Charlie start seeing each other, but Charlie cannot decide if he should continue the relationship because of his impending death. Things become more complicated when Charlie finds out that Bessie is being stalked by a man who drives a milk truck for the local dairy.
Production
The film was shot in Seattle and has Seattle actors. The film has important Seattle locations that Kim Voynar of Cinematical said was like a walking tour of the city. Rick Stevenson said that the film was revised more than 17 times in 7 years. Rick and the writer Haming Gunn came up with the idea from talking to people that had fathers and grandfathers that died at 35 because of a heart attack. Rick said that he chose Robert Guthrie for the lead role because he has a good sense of humor and is talented when it comes to black comedy. The Seattle dairy Smith Brothers agreed to supply everything related to the milk trucks because they thought that the plot sounded funny.Release
The film debuted at the Seattle International Film FestivalSeattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
. The DVD was released on January 27, 2009. The special features have a making of documentary, deleted scenes, director's commentary, the script, stills, cast and crew bios, the trailer, and a documentary called Family Dancing.
Reception
Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 83% of critics gave positive feedback, based on 6 reviews.
Sean Axmaker of Seattle PI said that the video filmography and pacing isn't very good at times, but that he still likes the film because of the romance, offbeat humor, and gags.
A Los Angeles CityBeat
Los Angeles CityBeat
Los Angeles CityBeat was an alternative weekly newspaper in Los Angeles, California, debuting June 12, 2003. The publication ceased production with the March 26, 2009 issue. LA CityBeat was available every Thursday at more than 1,500 distribution locations throughout the Los Angeles area, with an...
review said that the director's effort shows a bit too much and that he wasn't able to pull it off. Justin Chang of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said that the film doesn't amount to much because it is too stringy and disjointed.
Awards
- Sedona Film FestivalSedona Film FestivalThe Sedona International Film Festival founded in 1994 is held in Sedona, Arizona, USA each year. A workshop also accompanies the event.The Sedona Film Festival is a five-day festival that features more than 125 films, including features, documentaries, foreign films, shorts, animation and student...
(2006) - Spiritual Cinema Festival-At-Sea (2006)
- American Indian Film FestivalAmerican Indian Film FestivalThe American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated to Native American films and prepared the way for the 1979 formation of the American Indian Film Institute....
for Best Film (2006) - Bluegrass Independent Film Festival for Best Film (2006)
- Method Fest Independent Film FestivalMethod Fest Independent Film FestivalMethod Fest Independent Film Festival is an independent film festival that has currently held over 8 festivals. It is held in Calabasas, California and is dedicated to support the work of those who produce, make and work in independent film and to provide educational opportunities in independent...
for Best Film (2006) - Ojai Film Festival for Best Film (2006)
- Omaha Film Festival for Best Film (2006)
- Rhode Island International Film FestivalRhode Island International Film FestivalFlickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative, a 501 non-profit...
for Best Film (2006) - Durango Film Festival for Best Film (2007)