Spring Breakdown
Encyclopedia
Spring Breakdown is a comedy film
starring Amy Poehler
, Parker Posey
, and Rachel Dratch
. Three years after principal photography
, and after the film's owner, Warner Independent Pictures
, was shut down by its parent company
, it was released direct-to-video
in 2009.
Senator Hartmann announces to her team that she is the potential next vice president. In order to ensure success, she has to make sure that she has a good reputation and background. Ashley, her daughter, just broke up with her boyfriend because she is not slutty enough. In order to win him back and not disappoint her mother, she decides that she will be going to South Padre for her springbreak. She wants her to think that she is 'just like her mother was back in the days' - the most popular girl in her sorority and 'always up for a good time'. In order to make sure that Ashley does not act out, Senator Hartmann sends Becky to go to South Padre to keep an eye on her. Throughout the trip, Gayle becomes very close to a group of girls called The Sevens who are Ashley's Nemesis.
Judi returns home and discovers that William is actually gay and he ended up breaking off with her. Judi meets us with Becky and Gayle and the three of them decide to go to South Padre to relive the college days that they never had. Even though the girls were apalled with the state of the place, Gayle and Judi fit into the crowd easily. They spend the next few days getting wasted while Becky kept to the main reason of her being there. Gayle and Judi eventually persuaded Becky into relaxing.
One night at a foam party, Ashley found out that Becky was actually sent by her mother and she felt betrayed because she thought they were friends. The both of them engage in a cat fight and ends up in jail. That night, William went to find Judi and asked for a second chance. After which, she bails Becky and Ashley out of jail. Judi announces to everyone that she was going to marry William, Gayle declares that she's going to be in the All Girl Talent Show with The Sevens because she is finally going to win. That led to an argument and Judi leaves to get married, while Becky and Gayle prepare separately for the talent contest.
At the airport, Judi finally admits to herself that William is gay and told him she cant marry him. Gayle falls out with Mason, the leader of The Sevens just before their turn. Senator Hartmann appears at the backstage and wanted to bring Ashley back home by force. They had a confrontation and she begs her mum to let her compete in the show. On stage, the appointed pianist fainted and Judi returns just in time to replace him and they proceeds to perform. Their performance turned out to be a great success. The show ends with the three of them at their usual 'make your own pizza party', playing their usual 'movie game'.
Bruce Vilanch
, Christopher Knight, and Alani "La La" Vazquez
play themselves as celebrity judges.
Cast members Amy Poehler, Jane Lynch, Mae Whitman, and Will Arnett also appeared on Arrested Development; Poehler and Arnett are married.
as an "R-rated spring-break
farce
"; it was then sold to Warner Independent Pictures
as a PG-13 film and underwent a long post-production
period.
The score to Spring Breakdown was composed by Deborah Lurie
who recorded her score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Brothers.
In April 2008, co-star Missi Pyle
believed the box-office performance of Baby Mama
would determine whether Warner Bros. released this film theatrically.
The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival
in January 2009 as part of Park City at Midnight before going direct-to-video
.
magazine called the film "energetic but uninspired" with a "party-boatload of comedic talent [that] is fairly wasted" and notes:
Ray Greene of Boxoffice
magazine, after seeing the film at Sundance, gave the film "" (no stars), saying "The annual Sundance “What the f---” moment has arrived in the form of Spring Breakdown, a very bad genre exercise starring some very good comedic actresses."
As of February 2010, 1459 IMDb users gave the film a weighted average vote of 4.9 / 10, with female users across all age demographics rating it higher than the website's mostly male users.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
, Parker Posey
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
, and Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch
Rachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
. Three years after principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
, and after the film's owner, Warner Independent Pictures
Warner Independent Pictures
Warner Independent Pictures was the specialty division of film studio Warner Bros. Entertainment. Established in August 2003, its first release was 2004's Before Sunset...
, was shut down by its parent company
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, it was released direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
in 2009.
Plot
The film begins with Gayle, Becky and Judi performing in McCormick State College's Senior Talent Show in 1992. The three of them are the 'losers' and geeks in college, but were always hopeful about their future. The next scene then jumps to 15 years later. Gayle is now a guide dog trainer for the visually handicapped. She asks her client out on a date but got rejected after he touches her face. Becky is an office manager for Senator Hartmann and Judi and her fiance, William, goes for relationship counseling and insist that there's no secrets between them. Becky returns home only to find her cat, Honey, dead. The three of them hold their usual 'make your own pizza party' and play their usual 'movie game'. They decided to go on a trip to Tempe, Arizona to the Wimmin's Music Festival.Senator Hartmann announces to her team that she is the potential next vice president. In order to ensure success, she has to make sure that she has a good reputation and background. Ashley, her daughter, just broke up with her boyfriend because she is not slutty enough. In order to win him back and not disappoint her mother, she decides that she will be going to South Padre for her springbreak. She wants her to think that she is 'just like her mother was back in the days' - the most popular girl in her sorority and 'always up for a good time'. In order to make sure that Ashley does not act out, Senator Hartmann sends Becky to go to South Padre to keep an eye on her. Throughout the trip, Gayle becomes very close to a group of girls called The Sevens who are Ashley's Nemesis.
Judi returns home and discovers that William is actually gay and he ended up breaking off with her. Judi meets us with Becky and Gayle and the three of them decide to go to South Padre to relive the college days that they never had. Even though the girls were apalled with the state of the place, Gayle and Judi fit into the crowd easily. They spend the next few days getting wasted while Becky kept to the main reason of her being there. Gayle and Judi eventually persuaded Becky into relaxing.
One night at a foam party, Ashley found out that Becky was actually sent by her mother and she felt betrayed because she thought they were friends. The both of them engage in a cat fight and ends up in jail. That night, William went to find Judi and asked for a second chance. After which, she bails Becky and Ashley out of jail. Judi announces to everyone that she was going to marry William, Gayle declares that she's going to be in the All Girl Talent Show with The Sevens because she is finally going to win. That led to an argument and Judi leaves to get married, while Becky and Gayle prepare separately for the talent contest.
At the airport, Judi finally admits to herself that William is gay and told him she cant marry him. Gayle falls out with Mason, the leader of The Sevens just before their turn. Senator Hartmann appears at the backstage and wanted to bring Ashley back home by force. They had a confrontation and she begs her mum to let her compete in the show. On stage, the appointed pianist fainted and Judi returns just in time to replace him and they proceeds to perform. Their performance turned out to be a great success. The show ends with the three of them at their usual 'make your own pizza party', playing their usual 'movie game'.
Cast
- Amy PoehlerAmy PoehlerAmy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
- Gayle, a guide dogGuide dogGuide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
trainer - Parker PoseyParker PoseyParker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
- Becky, office manager for Senator Hartmann - Rachel DratchRachel DratchRachel Susan Dratch is an American comic actress best known for her roles as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006.-Early life:...
- Judi - Amber TamblynAmber TamblynAmber Rose Tamblyn is an American actress and poet. She first came to national attention in her role on the soap opera General Hospital as Emily Quartermaine, followed by a starring role on the prime-time series Joan of Arcadia portraying the title character...
- Ashley, Senator Hartmann's daughter - Sophie MonkSophie MonkSophie Charlene Akland Monk is a London-born Australian pop singer, actress and model. Monk was a member of female pop group Bardot and released a solo album Calendar Girl...
- Mason - Jonathan SadowskiJonathan SadowskiJonathan Sadowski is an American actor. He is best known for playing Viola Hasting's best friend Paul Antonio in the movie She's The Man, Trey in Live Free or Die Hard, and Blake in the 2009 film The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. In July 2010, he joined the cast of the CBS comedy $#*! My Dad...
- Doug - Missi PyleMissi PyleAndrea Kay "Missi" Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Big Fish, 50 First Dates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...
- Charlene - Jane LynchJane LynchJane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
- Senator Kay Bee Hartmann - Sarah HaganSarah HaganSarah Margaret Hagan is an American television and movie actress.-Life and career:Hagan was born in Austin, Texas. She has been acting since the age of six, when her mother first signed her up for musical theater...
- Truvy - Mae WhitmanMae WhitmanMae Margaret Whitman is an American television, movie and voice actress. She is known for her role as Ann Veal in the TV series Arrested Development, her role as Amber on the TV series Parenthood, her role as Roxy Richter in Scott Pilgrim vs...
- Lydia - Seth MeyersSeth MeyersSeth Adam Meyers is an American actor and comedian. He currently serves as head writer for Saturday Night Live and hosts its news parody segment Weekend Update.-Early life:...
- William, Judi's fiancé - Will ArnettWill ArnettWilliam Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
- Ted - Justin HartleyJustin HartleyJustin Scott Hartley is an American actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles of Fox Crane on the NBC daytime soap opera Passions, and as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on the WB/CW Superman-inspired series Smallville....
- Todd - Ricarte Rivera - Drunk Guy
- Mathew Botuchis - Drunk Guy
- Danny Arroyo - Juan Carlos
- LuenellLuenellLuenell Campbell , known professionally as Luenell, is an American comedienne and actress.She was born in Tollette, Arkansas and uses only her first name. She is the youngest of eight children...
- Woman in Jail - Leslie GrossmanLeslie GrossmanLeslie Erin Grossman is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Mary Cherry on the television series Popular and as Lauren in What I Like About You.-Early life and education:...
- Blonde Woman in Jail - Jack McBrayerJack McBrayerJack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
- Stage Manager - Mindy SterlingMindy SterlingMindy Lee Sterling is an American actress. Although she had worked in film for over 30 years, she only began to garner attention after playing Frau Farbissina, the diminutive and domineering Germanic cohort of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, and has a recurring role as Ms...
Bruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show...
, Christopher Knight, and Alani "La La" Vazquez
La La (entertainer)
Alani Vazquez Anthony is an American actress, disc jockey, and television personality.-Early years:Vazquez's parents were both Nuyorican. They lived in Brooklyn, where Alani, Vazquez's brother, and her two sisters were born...
play themselves as celebrity judges.
Cast members Amy Poehler, Jane Lynch, Mae Whitman, and Will Arnett also appeared on Arrested Development; Poehler and Arnett are married.
Production and release
Spring Breakdown was filmed in 2006 and was initially created by Rogue PicturesRogue Pictures
Rogue is a subsidiary of Relativity Media. The company has about 25 titles in its library.- Background :In 1997, Rogue Pictures was formed as a division of PolyGram Pictures but the name was dropped in 2000 after Universal Pictures bought PolyGram...
as an "R-rated spring-break
Spring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
"; it was then sold to Warner Independent Pictures
Warner Independent Pictures
Warner Independent Pictures was the specialty division of film studio Warner Bros. Entertainment. Established in August 2003, its first release was 2004's Before Sunset...
as a PG-13 film and underwent a long post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
period.
The score to Spring Breakdown was composed by Deborah Lurie
Deborah Lurie
Deborah Lurie is an American composer, string arranger, and producer from Palto Alto, CA best known for her scores in the films Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Dear John, and 9. Most recently, Lurie was honored with an ASCAP Film and Television Music Award in June 2011 for a Top Box Office Film...
who recorded her score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Brothers.
In April 2008, co-star Missi Pyle
Missi Pyle
Andrea Kay "Missi" Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Big Fish, 50 First Dates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...
believed the box-office performance of Baby Mama
Baby Mama (film)
Baby Mama is a 2008 comedy film from Universal Pictures written and directed by Michael McCullers and starring Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear, and Dax Shepard.-Plot:...
would determine whether Warner Bros. released this film theatrically.
The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in January 2009 as part of Park City at Midnight before going direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
.
Reception
Sundance called Spring Breakdown an "outlandish, quick-witted romp that jubilantly leaves none immune to ridicule" and a film that "chews up our geeky gals and spits them out triumphant powerhouses—confident that being who they truly are is way cooler than fitting in." VarietyVariety (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...
magazine called the film "energetic but uninspired" with a "party-boatload of comedic talent [that] is fairly wasted" and notes:
There are funny lines scattered about, and the pacey pic has an aptly cheesy look dominated by the neon hues of tropical drinks and thong wear. But the situations offer no real satiric finesse on familiar genre tropesTrope (literature)A literary trope is the usage of figurative language in literature, or a figure of speech in which words are used in a sense different from their literal meaning...
— wet T-shirt contestWet T-shirt contestA wet T-shirt contest is an exhibitionistic beauty contest that typically features young women performing at a nightclub, bar, or resort. They have traditionally been a staple of college spring break celebrations at locations such as Daytona Beach and Cancún.Contest participants generally wear...
, drunken puke-outs, a climactic talent show triumph — and the rote girl-powerGirl PowerThe phrase "girl power", as a term of empowerment, expressed a cultural phenomenon of the 1990s and early 2000s. It is also linked to third-wave feminism...
message rings unironically hollow.
Ray Greene of Boxoffice
Boxoffice (magazine)
Boxoffice is a film industry magazine dedicated to the movie theatre business published by Boxoffice Media LP. It started in 1920 as The Reel Journal, taking its current name in 1931 and still publishes today, with an intended audience of theatre owners and film professionals.Boxoffice is the...
magazine, after seeing the film at Sundance, gave the film "" (no stars), saying "The annual Sundance “What the f---” moment has arrived in the form of Spring Breakdown, a very bad genre exercise starring some very good comedic actresses."
As of February 2010, 1459 IMDb users gave the film a weighted average vote of 4.9 / 10, with female users across all age demographics rating it higher than the website's mostly male users.