Gray Matters (2006/I)

Director:

Sue Kramer

Writer (WGA):

Sue Kramer (written by)

Release Date:

13 July 2007 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A romantic comedy about a brother, a sister and the girl of their dreams.

Plot:

They finish each other's sentences, dance like Fred and Ginger, and share the same downtown loft--the perfect couple? Not exactly. Gray and Sam, are a sister and brother so compatible and inseparable that people actually assume they are dating. Mortified, they both agree they must branch out and start searching for love. He'll look for a guy for her and she'll look for a gal for him.

Plot Keywords:

New York City | Advertising Executive | Lesbian Interest | Brother Sister Relationship | Gay Interest

Cast

Heather Graham	...	Gray Baldwin
Bridget Moynahan	...	Charlie Kelsey
Tom Cavanagh	...	Sam Baldwin
Molly Shannon	...	Carrie
Rachel Shelley	...	Julia Barlett
Bill Mondy	...	Jordan Phillips
Don Ackerman	...	Conrad Spring
Warren Christie	...	Trevor Brown
Alan Cumming	...	Gordy
Sissy Spacek	...	Dr. Sydney
Campbell Lane	...	Harry
Samantha Ferris	...	Elaine
Timothy Paul Perez	...	Roberto
Benjamin Ratner	...	Derek
April Telek	...	Lana Valentine (as April Amber Telek)
Alejandro Abellan	...	Juan
Casey Dubois	...	Boy in park
Patti Allan	...	Evelyn
Gloria Gaynor	...	Herself
Dan Joffre	...	Las Vegas Minister
Checo Tohomaso	...	BeBop Choir
Nichole Paris	...	BeBop Choir
Chinwe Cusing	...	BeBop Choir
Lewis Williams	...	BeBop Choir
Kim Smith-Jensen	...	BeBop Choir
Marilyan Clements	...	BeBop Choir
Richard Ian Cox	...	Waiter
Gillian Hutchison	...	Hot Dog Girl
Jack di Blasio	...	Young Sam
Emily Anne Graham	...	Young Gray
Kaaren de Zilva	...	Eva (as Käaren De Zilva)
Kathryn Kirkpatrick	...	Carla

Directed by
Sue Kramer

Writing credits (WGA)
Sue Kramer		(written by) (as Susan Kramer)

Produced by
Jill Footlick	....	producer
Dave Gare	....	associate producer
John J. Hermansen	....	producer
Joey Horvitz	....	executive producer
Sue Kramer	....	producer
Ted Liebowitz	....	executive producer
Raymond Massey	....	line producer
Diane Nabatoff	....	executive producer
Alexander Payne	....	executive producer
Rachel Peters	....	co-producer
Margaret Riley	....	executive producer
Todd Williams	....	co-producer
Bob Yari	....	producer

Original Music by
Andrew Hollander

Cinematography by
John S. Bartley

Film Editing by
Wendey Stanzler

Casting by
Susan Taylor Brouse
Lynne Carrow
Sig De Miguel
Amanda Mackey Johnson
Cathy Sandrich

Production Design by
Linda Del Rosario
Richard Paris

Set Decoration by
Diane Nachlik

Costume Design by
Sheila Bingham

Makeup Department
Kathleen P. Campbell	....	hair stylist
Jayne Dancose	....	makeup artist
Fabian Garcia	....	makeup department head
Julie McHaffie	....	key hair stylist
Faye von Schroeder	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Henrieta Isufllari	....	co-post-production supervisor
Christopher Kenneally	....	post-production supervisor (as Chris Kenneally)
Samara Levenstein	....	post-production supervisor
Barbara Ann Schoemaker	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Melissa Lee Anderson	....	second assistant director
Jared Cauliffe	....	second assistant director: New York re-shoot
Michael Collins	....	third assistant director
Allan Harmon	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Gina Doty	....	set buyer
Dawn Grey	....	lead dresser
Patrick Jennings	....	on-set dresser
Jesse Joslin	....	construction coordinator
Conny Klassen	....	set dresser
Ben Lee	....	set dresser
Anne-Marie Leidl	....	graphic designer
Margo Kaczynska McKenzie	....	key scenic artist
Dave Righton	....	assistant property master
Elizabeth Shelton	....	assistant art director
Maggie Wilson	....	property master
Athena Wong	....	set buyer

Sound Department
Carlie Bergman	....	assistant sound editor
Louis Bertini	....	sound effects editor
Leslie Bloom	....	foley artist
Bob Chefalas	....	sound re-recording mixer
Anthony J. Ciccolini III	....	dialogue editor (as Chic Ciccolini)
Eric Holmgren	....	boom operator
Eric Lamontagne	....	sound mixer
Douglas Murray	....	adr mixer
Alex Raspa	....	adr mixer

Special Effects by
Robert Paller	....	special effects coordinator (as Rob Paller)

Visual Effects by
Jennifer Basnyat	....	title designer
Jennifer Basnyat	....	visual effects

Stunts
Dan Redford	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Dan Abelson	....	dolly grip (as Daniel Abelson)
Mark G. Alexander	....	lamp operator
Ryan Bailey	....	gaffer
David E. Baron	....	first assistant camera: New York
Matt Blades	....	key grip: New York
Peter Carty	....	first assistant camera
Rusty Deluce	....	first assistant camera
Joshua Gollish	....	digital imaging technician
Dwight Hartnett	....	second assistant camera
Anne Joyce	....	still photographer: New York
Wynne Keing	....	second assistant camera
Harvey Larocque	....	camera operator: 'b' camera (as Harvey La Rocque)
Ludovic Littee	....	assistant camera
Sandy MacDonald	....	grip
Paul Mitchnick	....	camera operator
Tyler Olson	....	key grip
Justin Panzanaro	....	best boy grip
Gord Phillips	....	grip
Andres L. Porras	....	camera operator
Dave Riley	....	best boy electric
Richard Schmon	....	additional first assistant camera
Brian Scholz	....	second assistant camera
Pieter Stathis	....	camera operator
Christopher Tate	....	best boy grip
Tim Vedan	....	generator operator
Brett Walters	....	second assistant camera
John Woods	....	lamp operator
Katie Yu	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Deanna Gallucio	....	extras casting associate: New York
Sondra James	....	adr voice casting
Larkin MacKenzie-Ast	....	casting assistant
Lisa Ratke	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Cathy Darby	....	assistant costume designer
Robyn Hamel	....	truck costumer
Ken Shapkin	....	costume supervisor
Natalie Simon	....	truck costumer

Editorial Department
John Crowley	....	colorist
Agnes Grandits	....	first assistant editor
Benjamin Murray	....	on-line editor
Hilary Peabody	....	associate editor
John Portnoy	....	post-production executive
Charlie Wiel	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Jim Black	....	music supervisor
Richard Glasser	....	music supervisor
Andrew Hollander	....	score producer
Jeff Slutz	....	music editor
Robert L. Smith	....	music mixer
Robert L. Smith	....	music recordist

Transportation Department
Geoff Obadia	....	driver: cast
Peter Road	....	transportation co-captain
Larry Tardif	....	driver: camera car and process trailer
Ray Waechter	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Chera Bailey	....	stand-in: Heather Graham
Jason Bush	....	production assistant
Carson	....	location manager
A.C. Ciulla	....	choreographer (as Anthony Ciulla)
Kyle Doig	....	animal wrangler
Mark Dumas	....	animal coordinator
Sean Grant	....	assistant location manager
Catherine Howard	....	co-production coordinator
Michael J. Linowes	....	legal counsel
Petina Louise	....	second assistant production coordinator
Beth Mercer	....	script supervisor
Patrick Mokrane	....	production accountant
Michael Nickodem	....	location manager: New York
Justin Ritson	....	key production assistant: New York
Linda Sheehy-Brownstein	....	production coordinator
Shelly Strong	....	production executive
Ian Watermeier	....	production executive
Deborah Wettstein	....	finance executive
Todd Williams	....	production executive
Derek Yip	....	additional payroll accountant
Catherine Zappa	....	assistant: John Hermansen

Thanks
Myron Tookes	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Archer Entertainment
• Bella Films
• Bob Yari Productions
• Contagious Entertainment
• El Camino Pictures
• Gray Matters Productions

Distributors

• Viva Films (2007) (Philippines) (theatrical)
• Yari Film Group Releasing (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Blue Sky Media (2006) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• New City Releasing (2007) (USA) (TV)
• Nordisk Film Theatrical Distribution (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Linowes & Burkin  legal counsel
• Soundtrack  post-production sound facility

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material, sexual content and language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Philippines:R-13 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-7

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Archer Entertainment

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The interior scene at Raoul's could not be Raoul's; there is a brass rail behind Gray and her dates, separating them from the bar area. At Raoul's, no such brass rail exists.

Quotes:

Gray: I have to tell you something and it's not easy. It's really major. I don't know how to say it.
Sam: Why don't you take three short breaths and...
Gray: ...and one long.
[Gray takes three short and one long]
Gray: I'm gay!
Sam: What?
Gray: As in Marvin.
Sam: What?
Gray: As in, take the R out of Gray and BINGO!

Movie Connections:

References Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Soundtrack:

Cheek to Cheek

A gem in the mud

Unfortunately, the film is the mud as well as the gem. Two perfect beauties, two usually miscast actors in roles that befit them, a rather original script... it all should have gone great. However, the overall directing of the movie is superficial, most of the support actors play badly and the script oscillates between very good and very bad.

The idea of the movie was nice, the overall setup, but the ending just blew and the hysterical explosions of badly acted emotion over badly written lines were like giants craters in the road to liking the film.

Bottom line: if you are looking for a romantic comedy, this at least has some brain and a definite direction away from stereotypes, even if it doesn't avoid them all. But the quality of it isn't great.