Clay Pigeons is a 1998 black comedy film written by Matt Healy and directed by David Dobkin , and starring Joaquin Phoenix , Vince Vaughn and Janeane Garofalo .
49-614: It is the second on-screen collaboration between Vaughn and Phoenix, the first film being Return to Paradise , released in the same year. In a field in Montana Earl, the best friend of young man Clay Bidwell shoots himself dead after confronting Clay over the ongoing affair he had been having with Earl's wife Amanda. Having just found out, he was distraught and wanted to make it look like Clay had murdered him. Rushing back to town, Clay seeks help from Amanda to cover it up but she refuses to help as she doesn't want everyone knowing about
98-462: A better understanding of the film. According to the taxonomy, combining the type with the genre does not create a separate genre. For instance, the "Horror Drama" is simply a dramatic horror film (as opposed to a comedic horror film). "Horror Drama" is not a genre separate from the horror genre or the drama type. Crime dramas explore themes of truth, justice, and freedom, and contain the fundamental dichotomy of "criminal vs. lawman". Crime films make
147-420: A blood-stained knife and put him in jail. There, Lester visits him late without anyone seeing and hints about targeting Kimberly, a young waitress Clay knows. In the meantime, Lester goes to the local bar and hits on Dale, using the name Lloyd. He's charmed her when Kimberly, who he was waiting for, arrives. They abruptly leave and Dale suddenly realises he is suspicious. In the police station, Clay easily dupes
196-551: A death sentence, despite Sheriff's decision to accept his share of the responsibility. He also gives Sheriff an unknown period of jail time. As Lewis is taken to his execution, Sheriff hears his screams and struggles. From a window, he is able to call to him, to assure him repeatedly that he is not alone. Just before he is hanged, Lewis calms in response to these assurances and dies quietly. Sheriff assures Beth that Lewis, despite his emotional deterioration, seemed at peace in his final moments. She becomes emotional and kisses Sheriff as
245-471: A deep-seated skepticism and chilliness that give the story its suspense; he seems quite capable of keeping his distance and leaving Lewis to die. And Mr. Phoenix, though not often seen after the film's vivid Malaysian prologue, conveys the terrible pathos in Lewis's situation. But as Ms. Heche's formidable Beth Eastern does her best to manipulate the other characters on Lewis's behalf, Return to Paradise takes on
294-439: A diner. He gives Lester the cold shoulder, and then Clay watches from the diner as he, introducing himself as Lyle, talks a man who looks like Sheriff Mooney into taking him along. Two police follow as Clay drives off in the opposite direction. Clay Pigeons was developed under filmmakers Ridley and Tony Scott 's company, Scott Free Productions . Vaughn has described his character, Lester, as "a guy who isn’t necessarily from
343-414: A heated love affair, and both men decide to return to Malaysia. Upon their arrival, all seems well until they visit the prison to see Lewis. Lewis appears to have suffered psychological damage from the harsh imprisonment, although it is reported that he has not been tortured or starved as is the case with other prisoners. Beth subsequently reveals that she is Lewis' sister and has been blatantly manipulating
392-558: A large bag of hash from a drug dealer. The three men wind up at their beachfront house on the ocean pondering their future in the island paradise. Tony and Sheriff decide to return to NYC , while Lewis, being a "greenie", wishes to travel to Borneo to save endangered orangutans . On the last day, they toss the remaining hash in the garbage. As time passes in NYC, Sheriff is working as a limo driver and Tony as an architect. A young lawyer named Beth informs them that their friend Lewis has spent
441-685: A more central component of the story, along with serious content. Examples include Three Colours: White (1994), The Truman Show (1998), The Man Without a Past (2002), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), and Silver Linings Playbook (2012). Coined by film professor Ken Dancyger , these stories exaggerate characters and situations to the point of becoming fable, legend or fairy tale. Examples: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and Maleficent (2014). Light dramas are light-hearted stories that are, nevertheless, serious in nature. Examples: The Help (2011) and The Terminal (2004). Psychological dramas are dramas that focus on
490-400: A particular setting or subject matter, or they combine a drama's otherwise serious tone with elements that encourage a broader range of moods . To these ends, a primary element in a drama is the occurrence of conflict —emotional, social, or otherwise—and its resolution in the course of the storyline. All forms of cinema or television that involve fictional stories are forms of drama in
539-633: A person's life and raises their level of importance. The "small things in life" feel as important to the protagonist (and the audience) as the climactic battle in an action film, or the final shootout in a western. Often, the protagonists deal with multiple, overlapping issues in the course of the film – just as we do in life. Films of this type/genre combination include: The Wrestler (2008), Fruitvale Station (2013), and Locke (2013). Romantic dramas are films with central themes that reinforce our beliefs about love (e.g.: themes such as "love at first sight", "love conquers all", or "there
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#1732798372253588-662: A profound exploration of the vagaries of the human soul." Two of the actors were nominated for Hungary 's Csapnivaló best performers awards in 2000. Drama film In film and television , drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction ) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-genre, macro-genre, or micro-genre, such as soap opera , police crime drama , political drama , legal drama , historical drama , domestic drama , teen drama , and comedy-drama (dramedy). These terms tend to indicate
637-462: A sign of their love and connection. Beth tells him that the attorney general has said that the Malaysian government will quietly release him within six months, once the media attention dies down, to save face. As the guard takes Sheriff out, Beth says that she will take her brother back home and then return to Malaysia to await his release. The film was directed by Joseph Ruben , and the screenplay
686-464: A specific approach to drama but, rather, consider drama as a lack of comedic techniques. Examples: Ghost World (2001) and Wuthering Heights (2011). According to the Screenwriters' Taxonomy, all film descriptions should contain their type (comedy or drama) combined with one (or more) of the eleven super-genres. This combination does not create a separate genre, but rather, provides
735-526: Is a final fight to the death; the idea of the protagonists facing death is a central expectation in a war drama film. In a war film even though the enemy may out-number, or out-power, the hero, we assume that the enemy can be defeated if only the hero can figure out how. Examples include: Apocalypse Now (1979), Come and See (1985), Braveheart (1995), Life Is Beautiful (1997), Black Book (2006), The Hurt Locker (2008), 1944 (2015), Wildeye (2015), and 1917 (2019). Films in
784-421: Is someone out there for everyone"); the story typically revolves around characters falling into (and out of, and back into) love. Annie Hall (1977), The Notebook (2004), Carol (2015), Her (2013) , and La La Land (2016) are examples of romance dramas. The science fiction drama film is often the story of a protagonist (and their allies) facing something "unknown" that has the potential to change
833-622: Is that in a documentary it uses real people to describe history or current events; in a docudrama it uses professionally trained actors to play the roles in the current event, that is "dramatized" a bit. Examples: Black Mass (2015) and Zodiac (2007). Unlike docudramas, docu-fictional films combine documentary and fiction, where actual footage or real events are intermingled with recreated scenes. Examples: Interior. Leather Bar (2013) and Your Name Here (2015). Many otherwise serious productions have humorous scenes and characters intended to provide comic relief . A comedy drama has humor as
882-763: The western super-genre often take place in the American Southwest or Mexico, with a large number of scenes occurring outdoors so we can soak in scenic landscapes. Visceral expectations for the audience include fistfights, gunplay, and chase scenes. There is also the expectation of spectacular panoramic images of the countryside including sunsets, wide open landscapes, and endless deserts and sky. Examples of western dramas include: True Grit (1969) and its 2010 remake , Mad Max (1979), Unforgiven (1992), No Country for Old Men (2007), Django Unchained (2012), Hell or High Water (2016), and Logan (2017). Some film categories that use
931-493: The Apes (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Blade Runner (1982) and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Children of Men (2006), Interstellar (2014), and Arrival (2016). In the sports super-genre, characters will be playing sports. Thematically, the story is often one of "Our Team" versus "Their Team"; their team will always try to win, and our team will show the world that they deserve recognition or redemption;
980-538: The FBI agent who smokes pot, the small town sheriff who seems slow but is the one who figures [the murders] out in the end." The film received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 61% based on reviews from 54 critics with the consensus: "Joaquin Phoenix, Janeane Garofalo, and Vince Vaughn play for kills in this dark comedy, but the film's aim misses some of those Clay Pigeons ." On Metacritic
1029-465: The West — that’s just an image he’s created of himself. Whatever his reality is — being badly hurt by women or whatever — he’s made it over, taking bits and pieces of things he’s seen in movies. He sees his life as a strange Western movie, with himself as the hero. He thinks he’s a sane person in an insane world." Dobkin said of the characters, "I wanted everyone to be different than what they appear to be —
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#17327983722531078-491: The abstract weightiness of an ethical debate rather than the visceral urgency of a thriller. Though the clock ticks relentlessly enough to sustain the story's tension, the film finally seems to be a character study in search of a gripping plot." Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times gave a negative review, writing: "If it's to be experienced at all, Return to Paradise is best seen as a lively piece of pulp, not
1127-452: The affair. With difficulty, he manages to get the body into his pickup and get it to seem like Earl drove it down the incline, where it crashed and burned. A short time after the funeral, Clay arrives home to find an unapologetic, half-naked Amanda pressing him to continue with their affair as if nothing has happened. Feeling guilty, Clay now resists Amanda's advances when she throws herself at him. Lester Long, who he inadvertently befriends in
1176-407: The audience jump through a series of mental "hoops"; it is not uncommon for the crime drama to use verbal gymnastics to keep the audience and the protagonist on their toes. Examples of crime dramas include: The Godfather (1972), Chinatown (1974), Goodfellas (1990), The Usual Suspects (1995), The Big Short (2015), and Udta Punjab (2016). According to Eric R. Williams ,
1225-450: The bar witnesses Amanda's behaviour. After a jealous Amanda kills Gloria, a waitress Clay briefly dates, while they are making love she convinces him not to report it. He dumps the body in the lake, and the next day Clay and Lester go fishing. A body floats to the surface which Clay can only assume is Gloria. Lester asks him to report it on his own so he isn't late for work. Later on, Clay comes across Lester at his ex's place. Lester spends
1274-440: The box office) for a per theater average of $ 2,554. The film's eventual domestic gross of $ 8,341,087 failed to recoup its $ 14 million budget. The film received mostly positive reviews from film critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 72% approval rating, based on 46 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. On Metacritic it has a rating of 54 out of 100 based on reviews from 22 critics. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave
1323-412: The broader sense if their storytelling is achieved by means of actors who represent ( mimesis ) characters . In this broader sense, drama is a mode distinct from novels, short stories , and narrative poetry or songs . In the modern era, before the birth of cinema or television, "drama" within theatre was a type of play that was neither a comedy nor a tragedy . It is this narrower sense that
1372-533: The characters' inner life and psychological problems. Examples: Requiem for a Dream (2000), Oldboy (2003), Babel (2006), Whiplash (2014), and Anomalisa (2015) Satire can involve humor, but the result is typically sharp social commentary that is anything but funny. Satire often uses irony or exaggeration to expose faults in society or individuals that influence social ideology. Examples: Thank You for Smoking (2005) and Idiocracy (2006). Straight drama applies to those that do not attempt
1421-473: The course of the film. Thematically, horror films often serve as morality tales, with the killer serving up violent penance for the victims' past sins. Metaphorically, these become battles of Good vs. Evil or Purity vs. Sin. Psycho (1960), Halloween (1978), The Shining (1980), The Conjuring (2013), It (2017), mother! (2017), and Hereditary (2018) are examples of horror drama films. Day-in-the-life films takes small events in
1470-427: The deputy, locking him in the cell and getting his car keys. He heads to the lake, where he finds Lester with his intended victim with a knife. As Dale approaches, Kimberly runs by and she searches for Lester in the woods. Considered cleared of all the charges, Clay packs up his truck as he prepares to leave town. Dale checks in to make sure he doesn't have an inkling of Lester. However, on the road, he follows Clay into
1519-481: The family as a whole reacts to a central challenge. There are four micro-genres for the family drama: Family Bond , Family Feud , Family Loss , and Family Rift . A sub-type of drama films that uses plots that appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. Melodramatic plots often deal with "crises of human emotion, failed romance or friendship, strained familial situations, tragedy, illness, neuroses, or emotional and physical hardship". Film critics sometimes use
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1568-475: The film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4, writing: " Return to Paradise has been compared to Midnight Express , another film about a thoughtless American facing the forfeit of his life in prison far from home. That was more of a visceral film. This one is more cerebral. Like Sheriff and Tony, we're pulled both ways by
1617-409: The film and television industries, along with film studies , adopted. " Radio drama " has been used in both senses—originally transmitted in a live performance, it has also been used to describe the more high-brow and serious end of the dramatic output of radio . The Screenwriters Taxonomy contends that film genres are fundamentally based upon a film's atmosphere, character and story, and therefore
1666-470: The film has a score of 49/100 based on 26 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Return to Paradise (1998 film) Return to Paradise is a 1998 American drama - thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben , written by Wesley Strick and Bruce Robinson , and starring Vince Vaughn , Anne Heche , and Joaquin Phoenix . Return to Paradise is a remake of the 1989 French film Force majeure . The film had its premiere on August 10, 1998, and
1715-416: The future of humanity; this unknown may be represented by a villain with incomprehensible powers, a creature we do not understand, or a scientific scenario that threatens to change the world; the science fiction story forces the audience to consider the nature of human beings, the confines of time or space or the concepts of human existence in general. Examples include: Metropolis (1927), Planet of
1764-416: The hallmark of fantasy drama films is "a sense of wonderment, typically played out in a visually intense world inhabited by mythic creatures, magic or superhuman characters. Props and costumes within these films often belie a sense of mythology and folklore – whether ancient, futuristic, or other-worldly. The costumes, as well as the exotic world, reflect the personal, inner struggles that the hero faces in
1813-408: The labels "drama" and "comedy" are too broad to be considered a genre. Instead, the taxonomy contends that film dramas are a "Type" of film; listing at least ten different sub-types of film and television drama. Docudramas are dramatized adaptations of real-life events. While not always completely accurate, the general facts are more-or-less true. The difference between a docudrama and a documentary
1862-511: The last two years in Penang prison in Malaysia, because of hash found at their Malaysian house. She reveals that he will receive the death sentence unless one or both of the men return to share responsibility. Beth assures both of them that they will not suffer in prison, be tortured, or harmed in any way. After a gruelling eight days, during which they must make a decision, Beth and Sheriff begin
1911-534: The story does not always have to involve a team. The story could also be about an individual athlete or the story could focus on an individual playing on a team. Examples of this genre/type include: The Hustler (1961), Hoosiers (1986), Remember the Titans (2000), and Moneyball (2011). War films typically tells the story of a small group of isolated individuals who – one by one – get killed (literally or metaphorically) by an outside force until there
1960-525: The story." Examples of fantasy dramas include The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003), Pan's Labyrinth (2006), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), and Life of Pi (2012). Horror dramas often involve the central characters isolated from the rest of society. These characters are often teenagers or people in their early twenties (the genre's central audience) and are eventually killed off during
2009-511: The story: We want them to go back and save Lewis, but we're not exactly sure we'd do the same. That's the prisoner's dilemma in a nutshell." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote: " Return to Paradise sounds as gimmicky as a Twilight Zone episode, but it's not. The film tracks the week in which Sheriff struggles to discover his conscience, and it puts us right in touch with his squirmy, divided soul." Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote: "As Sheriff, Mr. Vaughn projects
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2058-533: The supporting role of Kerrie. Jada Pinkett Smith was cast in the supporting role of M.J. Major, and David Conrad was cast in the supporting role of Tony Croft. Principal photography began in November 1997, in locations including New York City , Philadelphia , Hong Kong , Phuket and Macau . Return to Paradise made $ 2,465,129 in its opening weekend in the United States (ranking 14th overall at
2107-578: The term "pejoratively to connote an unrealistic, pathos-filled, camp tale of romance or domestic situations with stereotypical characters (often including a central female character) that would directly appeal to feminine audiences". Also called "women's movies", "weepies", tearjerkers, or "chick flicks". If they are targeted to a male audience, then they are called "guy cry" films. Often considered "soap-opera" drama. Focuses on religious characters, mystery play, beliefs, and respect. Character development based on themes involving criminals, law enforcement and
2156-566: The two men. Her lie makes Tony fearful of the Malaysian justice system, so he abandons Lewis and flies back to the US. Sheriff initially follows Tony, but decides to face jail to save his friend and returns to the courtroom in which Lewis is being tried. The judge seems heartened by this act of courage, until he discovers a news clipping from an American newspaper blaming the Malaysian justice system and condemning them for their harsh sentencing of Lewis. Because of this, he becomes infuriated and gives Lewis
2205-468: The whole day with Amanda, at the end of which he stabs her several times. Unbeknownst to Clay, he happens to be a serial killer. The following morning, Clay follows police cruisers to Amanda's and finds out she's been stabbed to death. Soon enough, FBI agent Dale Shelby and her partner Reynard come to town and examine the unprofessionally controlled crime scene. They zero in on Clay as the prime suspect as they have video footage of his affair with Amanda, he
2254-498: The word "comedy" or "drama" are not recognized by the Screenwriters Taxonomy as either a film genre or a film type. For instance, "Melodrama" and "Screwball Comedy" are considered Pathways, while "romantic comedy" and "family drama" are macro-genres. A macro-genre in the Screenwriters Taxonomy. These films tell a story in which many of the central characters are related. The story revolves around how
2303-479: Was dating a now missing Gloria and he reported finding a third. Lester has Clay meet him by the lake. He tells him he murdered the nagging Amanda in an attempt to "help" his "fishing buddy", leaving Clay horrified. The next day another body is found, so they drag the lake and find several more. Clay finally tells the feds all he knows about Lester, but when they enquire at the trucking company they don't know him as he goes by Bobby there. Searching his house, they find
2352-463: Was released to theaters on August 14, 1998. It is the first film on-screen collaboration between Vaughn and Heche, the second film being Psycho , which was released in the same year. Three friends, Lewis McBride, Sheriff and Tony, are seen vacationing in a Malaysian paradise. Their adventures include being almost run over by a car while riding a bicycle, and being pressured into buying some rhinoceros horn from Malaysian locals. They also purchase
2401-750: Was written by Wesley Strick and Bruce Robinson . Propaganda Films , Tetragram and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment produced the feature, which was distributed by the latter in the United States, Universal Pictures in Germany, Warner Bros. in France and 20th Century Fox in Argentina. Anne Heche , Joaquin Phoenix and Vince Vaughn were cast in the three leading roles of Beth Eastern, Lewis McBride and John "Sheriff" Volgecherev, respectively. Vera Farmiga made her feature film debut with this film, in
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