The Discoverers is a 2012 American dark comedy directed and written by Justin Schwarz. The film stars Griffin Dunne, Madeleine Martin, and Cara Buono.
| The Discoverers | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Justin Schwarz |
| Written by | Justin Schwarz |
| Produced by | Bob Gosse Laura Kleger Louise Lovegrove Justin Schwarz |
| Starring | Griffin Dunne Madeleine Martin Cara Buono David Rasche Stuart Margolin Devon Graye Dreama Walker Scott Adsit Becky Ann Baker Ann Dowd John C. McGinley |
| Cinematography | Christopher Blauvelt |
| Edited by | Geraud Brisson |
| Music by | Aaron Mirman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Quadratic Media |
Release dates |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editWashed-up history professor Lewis Birch (Oscar and Emmy nominated Griffin Dunne) takes his begrudging teenage kids – Zoe (Madeleine Martin, “Californication”) and Jack (Devon Graye, “American Horror Stories”) – on a road trip to a conference in hopes of putting his career back on track. But, when Lewis’s estranged father Stanley (Emmy Award-winning Stuart Margolin) goes AWOL on a Lewis and Clark historical reenactment trek, Lewis is forced to make a family detour. The Birch family find themselves on a journey of discovery and connection as they make their own passage west.[1]
Cast
edit- Griffin Dunne as Lewis Birch
- Madeleine Martin as Zoe Birch
- Cara Buono as Nell Pope
- John C. McGinley as Bill Birch
- Stuart Margolin as Stanley Birch
- Devon Graye as Jack Birch
- Ann Dowd as Patti
- Dreama Walker as Abigail Marshall
- David Rasche as Cyrus Marshall
- Becky Ann Baker as Mary Marshall
- Scott Adsit as Harry Hardcore
- Todd Susman as Dr. Salter
- Hannah Dunne as Student
Reception
editThe film was a New York Times Critic's Pick.[2] As of June 2020[update], the film holds an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 26 reviews with an average rating of 6.24 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Discoverers is occasionally guilty of contrived silliness, but its humor and genuine warmth are more than enough to compensate for its modest shortcomings."[3]
References
edit- ^ "About | the Discoverers Movie".
- ^ Kenigsberg, Ben (15 May 2014). "What Lewis and Clark Inspired". The New York Times.
- ^ "The Discoverers (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
