Almost Heroes

Almost Heroes (1998)

Two hapless explorers lead an ill-fated 1804 expedition through the Pacific Northwest in a hopeless, doomed effort to reach the Pacific Ocean before Lewis and Clark.

Data di uscita
1998-05-29
TMDB
5.5 / 10 (230)
Durata
1 h 30 min
Generi
Avventura, Commedia, Western
Regista
Christopher Guest

Cast

Curiosità

  • Girato a: San Diego

Almost Heroes is a 1998 American adventure comedy Western film directed by Christopher Guest, narrated by Guest's friend and frequent collaborator Harry Shearer, and starring Chris Farley and Matthew Perry. The film marked Farley's last leading film role and was released posthumously, five months after his death in 1997. The film also marked Turner Pictures' final film after the company folded into Warner Bros. on November 14, 1996. Almost Heroes was produced by Turner Pictures and DiNovi Pictures and released by Warner Bros. on May 29, 1998. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing $6.1 million against a $30 million budget.

Production

The script was written under the title Edwards & Hunt. The screenwriters' agent, Rob Carlson, also represented Steve Oedekerk, who was able to help the script circulate; it was ultimately purchased by Turner Pictures.

Chris Farley was the first actor to be cast. The writers originally wanted to offer the role of Leslie Edwards to Hugh Laurie; at that point, he was a star only in the United Kingdom, so Turner executives wished for a more recognizable actor. The role was turned down by Hugh Grant and Bill Murray before Matthew Perry accepted the part.

The film had a budget of US$30 million. Feeling that the humor of the story was in putting the goofball protagonists against a historical backdrop, the filmmakers opted for realism in the art design. Principal photography began in the summer of 1996. Four weeks were spent shooting in the Big Bear region of Northern California. A town representing St. Louis c.

Filming was completed in the fall of 1996, with a 1997 release target. However, the film was delayed a full year due to the pending merger between Turner and Time Warner. Farley died on December 18, 1997, of a drug overdose. By the time the film was released on May 29, 1998, Chris Farley had been dead nearly six months.

Writer Tom Wolfe (not the author of the same name) stated that the script was intended to be more of an ensemble piece than the buddy comedy the studio saw it as. Farley's assistant, Ted Dondanville, stated that in post-production, cuts were made around the star and targeted peripheral characters. He felt that the lost material would have helped Farley's performance. "They cut the ensemble scenes first, Matthew Perry's second, and Chris's never."

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