Storytelling (film)

Plot

The film consists of two stories that are unrelated and have different actors, titled "Fiction" and "Non-Fiction". College and high school serve as the backdrop for these two stories about dysfunction and personal turmoil.

"Fiction", starring Selma Blair, is about a group of college students in a creative writing class taught by a professor (Robert Wisdom), who has affairs with his students.

"Non-Fiction", starring Paul Giamatti and John Goodman, is about the filming of a dysfunctional suburban New Jersey family as their teenage son (Mark Webber) goes through the college application process.

The original version of the film featured a third story entitled "Autobiography", concerning, among other things, a closeted football player (James van der Beek). The main character has an explicit sex scene with a male partner (Steven Rosen); the entire story was cut from the final version.

Release

Storytelling premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 2001 before receiving a limited North American theatrical release on January 25, 2002.

Red box controversy

During the sex scene in the Fiction entry, a "red box" was added for the American version of the film, blocking the audience's view of a rough sex scene between Blair and Wisdom. This was used to bend the rules of the MPAA's rating system, allowing the film to obtain the R rating instead of NC-17. The box is not present in the international version of the film, although in the American DVD release, both options are available.

Box office

The film earned $73,688 in its opening weekend in a mere four venues, ranking number 42 in the domestic box office. By the end of its run, on March 28, 2002, the film grossed $921,445 domestically and $397,500 overseas for a worldwide total of $1,318,945.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 53% of 89 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.6/10. On Metacritic, the film has a 50 out of 100 rating based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".