Rotten
After the movie scored poorly at a test screening, Miramax vice president Rick Schwartz bullied directors Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin into playing up the comedic elements and soft-pedaling the family drama.
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
The Battle of Shaker Heights
When you're 17, every day is war.
2003 · 1h 19m · PG-13
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Directed by
Kyle Rankin
,
Efram Potelle
Free account saves your watchlist and ratings.
The Battle of Shaker Heights
Overview
A quirky teen with a penchant for war reenactments, Kelly Ernswiler obsesses over military tactics with his buddy Bart. The school bully is one of Kelly's regular headaches, and he also has to deal with a frustrating situation at home, where his father is a recovering drug addict. Kelly's life gets even more complicated when he falls for Tabby, Bart's pretty and soon-to-be-wed older sister.
Director and cast
- Kyle Rankin Director
- Efram Potelle Director
- Shia LaBeouf as Kelly Ernswiler (as Shia La Beouf)
- Elden Henson as Bart Bowland
- Amy Smart as Tabby
- Billy Kay as Lance
- Kathleen Quinlan as Eve
- Shiri Appleby as Sarah
- William Sadler as Abe
- Ray Wise as Harrison
- Jesse Heiman as (uncredited)
- Philipp Karner Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
39%
Tomatometer
Fresh
For most of its length it coasts by with above-average charm and a solid grasp of messy adolescent emotions.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Rotten
The film is well-acted and looks good, but it's so inconsequential and bland that you wonder what was it about the script that made anyone think it would make an interesting movie.
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle
Rotten
Cinematic mush.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Fresh
It's too much going on, but I think that as was the case with Stolen Summer, the actors rise above the material and make it worth seeing.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
More films
Take Me Home Tonight (2011)
Comedy · Drama · Romance · R
Recent MIT grad Matt Franklin should be well on his way to a successful career at a Fortune 500 company, but instead he rebels against maturity by taking a job at a video store. Matt rethinks his position when his unrequited high-school crush, Tori, walks in and invites him to an end-of-summer party. With the help of his twin sister an...
- Runtime
- 1h 37m
- Director
- Michael Dowse
- Cast
- Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler
IMDb
6.3
Rotten Tomatoes
27%
Metacritic
42
Cyrus (2010)
Comedy · Drama · Romance · R
With John's social life at a standstill and his ex-wife about to get remarried, a down on his luck divorcée finally meets the woman of his dreams, only to discover she has another man in her life - her son. Before long, the two are locked in a battle of wits for the woman they both love-and it appears only one man can be left standing ...
- Runtime
- 1h 31m
- Director
- Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
- Cast
- John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei
IMDb
6.3
Rotten Tomatoes
80%
Metacritic
74
Love & Sex (2000)
Comedy · Drama · Romance · R
When her rather explicit copy is rejected, magazine journalist Kate is asked by her editor to come up with an article on loving relationships instead, and to do so by the end of the day. This gets Kate thinking back over her own various experiences, and to wondering if she is in much of a position to write on the subject.
- Runtime
- 1h 22m
- Director
- Valerie Breiman
- Cast
- Famke Janssen, Jon Favreau, Noah Emmerich
IMDb
6.1
Metacritic
44
St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
Comedy · Drama · Romance · R
Reluctant to let go of college life, a close-knit team of seven friends--irresponsible saxophone player Billy, young Republican Alec, his girlfriend Leslie, struggling journalist Kevin, drama queen Jules, lovesick waiter Kirby, and Wendy, a social worker with a heart of gold--realise the party is over. And as the burdens of maturity cl...
- Runtime
- 1h 48m
- Director
- Joel Schumacher
- Cast
- Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe
IMDb
6.4
Rotten Tomatoes
43%
Metacritic
35
Breaking & Exiting (2018)
Comedy · Drama · Romance · N/A
Harry, a charming house thief, gets more than he bargains for during an attempted burglary when he stumbles upon Daisy and decides to save her from herself, sending both of them into a darkly comedic journey of self discovery and love.
- Runtime
- 1h 18m
- Cast
- Milo Gibson, Jordan Hinson, Adam Huber
IMDb
5.7
I Served the King of England (2007)
Comedy · R
Prague, Czechoslovakia, during the inter-war period. Jan Dítě, a young and clever waiter who wants to become a millionaire, comes to the conclusion that to achieve his ambitious goal he must be diligent, listen and observe as much as he can, be always discreet and use what he learns to his own advantage; but the turbulent tides of hist...
- Runtime
- 1h 55m
- Director
- Jiří Menzel
- Cast
- Ivan Barnev, Oldřich Kaiser, Julia Jentsch
IMDb
7.3
Rotten Tomatoes
79%
Metacritic
72
My Sweet Little Village (1985)
Comedy · PG
The movie's main storyline follows the life of Otík, a young man, in a tight-knit village community. The sweet-tempered Otík works as an assistant truck driver with Mr. Pávek, his older colleague and practical-minded neighbor. Pávek's family takes care of Otík, whose parents are dead. However, the two coworkers become at odds over Otík...
- Runtime
- 1h 38m
- Director
- Jiří Menzel
- Cast
- János Bán, Marián Labuda, Zdeněk Svěrák
IMDb
7.8
Rotten Tomatoes
80%
Larks on a String (1990)
Comedy · Drama · Romance · N/A
In post-WWII Communist Czechoslovakia, several characters considered bourgeois are sentenced to work in a junkyard for rehabilitation. Among them is a young man who pines for a female convict.
- Runtime
- 1h 34m
- Director
- Jiří Menzel
- Cast
- Rudolf Hrušínský, Václav Neckář, Jitka Zelenohorská
IMDb
7.3
Cutting It Short (1981)
Comedy · N/A
Francin, manager of a small-town brewery, has a charming wife whose abundant blonde locks are an adornment to the town. Maryska looks ethereal but loves meat and beer, while Francin is an ascetic. The strict members of the brewery board of directors come to audit the accounts, but are diverted from concentrating on Francin's detailed r...
- Runtime
- 1h 33m
- Director
- Jiří Menzel
- Cast
- Magda Vášáryová, Rudolf Hrušínský, Petr Čepek
IMDb
8.0
The Snowdrop Festival (1984)
Comedy · Drama · N/A
An episodic film about the inhabitants of Kersko, their hardships and their joys, most prominently hunting. A lyrical and humorous adaptation of writings by Bohumil Hrabal.
- Runtime
- 1h 23m
- Director
- Jiří Menzel
- Cast
- Rudolf Hrušínský, Jaromír Hanzlík, Josef Somr
IMDb
7.5
Comments
Talk about the film with other members