Hits is a 2014 American comedy-drama written and directed by David Cross. The film is the directorial debut of Cross.[1][2] The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2014.[3][4] The film later screened at 2014 Sundance London Film Festival on April 26, 2014.[5] On February 13, 2015, Hits became the first feature-length film to be released on BitTorrent with a pay-what-you-want model.[6] The Recording Academy's Chapter President Tammy Susan Hurt contributed music to the film via Georgia Music Partners.
| Hits | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Cross |
| Written by | David Cross |
| Produced by | Giles Andrew Ryan A. Brooks Charles Denton Jessica Latham |
| Starring | Matt Walsh James Adomian Meredith Hagner Jason Ritter Jake Cherry Derek Waters Wyatt Cenac Michael Cera |
| Cinematography | Paul Koestner |
| Edited by | Patrick Colman |
Production company | Honora Productions |
| Distributed by | Honora Productions |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editMunicipal worker Dave's life changes completely when videos of his rants about potholes at City Hall go viral on YouTube.
Cast
edit- James Adomian as Donovan
- Amy Carlson as Christina Casserta
- Wyatt Cenac as Babatunde
- Michael Cera as Bennie
- Jake Cherry as Cory
- Meredith Hagner as Katelyn
- Amy Sedaris as Crystal
- Erinn Hayes as Maddy
- Mela Hudson as Juli's Friend
- David Koechner as Rich
- Jason Ritter as Julian
- Russ Tamblyn as Russ
- Matt Walsh as Dave
- Derek Waters as Larson
Reception
editHits received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 35% based on 23 reviews, and an average rating of 5.35/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Hits undermines its undeniably timely message with a darkly bitter tone that makes the movie's caustic humor harder to swallow."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8]
Alee Karim of Under the Radar called it "a terrific film whose (apparently) controversial conclusion is earned."[9] Justin Chang of Variety, said in his review that "David Cross’s scattershot “Hits” resembles early Alexander Payne in its playful (or hateful?) skewering of local yokels and their purportedly dim dreams."[10] David Rooney in his review for The Hollywood Reporter said that "Celebrity in the age of the viral sensation gets broad treatment in this modest effort, unlikely to reflect its title,"[11] while Katherine Kilkenny of IndieWire opined that "the film’s holier-than-thou approach produces laughs in the initial scenes but edges closer to bland misanthropy once Liberty’s developed characters get their unjust deserts."[12]
References
edit- ^ Gocobachi, Pamela (January 21, 2014). "Sundance 2014: 'Hits' director David Cross shares the secret of viral success". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ Peterson, Mark (November 3, 2013). "Photos: Michael Cera on the Set of David Cross's Hits". Vulture. New York Media. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ IndieWire (January 10, 2014). "Sundance 2014: World Cinema Dramatic Competition". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ^ Filmmaker Staff (January 20, 2014). "Hits | Director David Cross". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ Jackson, Helen (April 24, 2014). "Sundance London: David Cross, Ryan Coogler Hit the Launch Party". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ Buhr, Sarah (February 8, 2015). "David Cross Is Letting Fans Name Their Price And Download His First Film Creation Hits On BitTorrent". Techcrunch. Oath Tech Network. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ "Hits (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ "Hits Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ Karim, Alee (February 12, 2015). "Hits". Under the Radar. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ Chang, Justin (January 22, 2014). "Sundance Film Review: 'Hits'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ Rooney, David (January 22, 2014). "Hits: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ Kilkenny, Katherine (January 24, 2014). "Sundance Review: David Cross's Directorial Debut 'Hits' Takes Shots at Brooklyn Hipsters and Libertarians". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
External links
edit- Hits at IMDb
- Hits at Rotten Tomatoes