Reach the Rock is a 1998 American comedy drama film directed by William Ryan and starring William Sadler and Alessandro Nivola. It was the last film to be written and produced by John Hughes before his death in 2009.
Premise
A small-town troublemaker (Alessandro Nivola), directionless and alienated, ends up spending a night in a jail cell, where he and the police chief (William Sadler) engage in a battle of wills and wit.
Cast
William Sadler as Quinn
Alessandro Nivola as Robin
Bruce Norris as Ernie
Brooke Langton as Lise
Norman Reedus as Danny
Karen Sillas as Donna
Richard Hamilton as Ed
Production
Writer/producer John Hughes originally offered the Reach the Rock script to director Chris Columbus at the same time he offered him Home Alone. Columbus opted to direct the latter.
The soundtrack featured a compilation of Chicago-based post-rock artists, among them Tortoise and associated acts Bundy K. Brown, The Sea and Cake and John McEntire. It was released on Hefty Records, a label owned and operated by Hughes's son, John Hughes III. The film gets its title from a song by the band Havana 3am.
Reception
The film received generally negative reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 38% based on reviews from 8 critics, with an average rating of 4.5/10. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film 1 out of 4 stars. He compared it negatively to Hughes' Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and complained that the movie was "very sad" and felt like it was playing "in slow motion."
References
External links
American comedy-drama films
American independent films
Films produced by John Hughes (filmmaker) Films with screenplays by John Hughes (filmmaker) Gramercy Pictures films Universal Pictures films 1998 independent films 1998 films 1998 comedy-drama films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films 1998 directorial debut films Films set in Chicago