Gardener of Eden
[2007]
Synopsis
With a fresh and darkly comic spin on the suburban loser tale, Kevin Connolly (star of Entourage) makes an impressive feature directorial debut. Working from an offbeat script by rising screenwriter Adam "Tex" Davis (Just Friends), Connolly paints an honest yet strange portrait of a vigilante-with a slightly distorted view of the world. Adam Harris (Lukas Haas) was leading a promising life, until his addiction to prostitutes got him kicked out of college. Now his life consists of living in Jersey with his parents, working at the local deli and hanging out with old high school buddies, none of whom has any ambition. Instead they put themselves in the "Loop," hooking each other up with free stuff from their various menial jobs. Then Adam's world comes to halt. He gets kicked out of his parents' house and the "Loop," just as he loses his job. Frustrated and drunk one night, he vows to beat up the next guy he sees on the street-and does, ruthlessly, with a bottle. Instead of getting punished for the attack, he ends up being rewarded; his victim is a serial-rapist hunted by police, and the attack saved Mona (Erika Christensen) from becoming the latest victim. Now the town hero, Adam has finally found a purpose: to protect good helpless people. Though well-intentioned, his questionable Good Samaritan ways cross the line. Haas plays the absurd Adam perfectly, and the chemistry among Haas, Jerry Ferrara, Jon Abrahams and Jim Parsons makes for a truly great group of friends. Giovanni Ribisi as the town drug dealer and "mentor" to the guys injects another delicious dose of irony.
---David KwokAbout The Director(s)
KEVIN CONNOLLY made his directorial debut in 2003 with the short film Whatever We Do, which starred Robert Downey, Jr., Amanda Peet and Zooey Deschanel, and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He currently appears as Eric in the hit HBO series Entourage, for which he has been nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and a Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. His film credits include The Notebook, Antwone Fisher, John Q, The Beverly Hillbillies and Rocky V. Gardener of Eden is Connolly's feature directorial debut.
Director Statement
When I first read "Gardener of Eden" I was blown away by how bold it was. Adam "Tex" Davis took small town suburban life, and put a totally new spin on it. He captured the humor and the darkness of this all too familiar world in his words. The challenge for me was to put it on the screen.
I grew up in a small suburban town out on Long Island, NY so I could easily relate to Tex's script. I knew the place, the people, and the texture of that world. I was fascinated by the main character, Adam Harris. I wanted to explore Adam's unique vision of the world around him and allow audiences to relate to that offbeat yet honest perspective. There is an honesty in his character which I wanted to explore and put in context against the world at large. Everyone thinks they know someone like Adam Harris but what I set out to show is that you can never really know someone.
I never want to force an audience to think a certain way, I'd rather put my ideas out there and let the viewer participate and draw their own conclusions. I hope that I succeeded with this film.
As a long time actor, having spent almost my entire life on set, the most surprising thing I learned making this film is what a giant collaboration the process is. Sitting in the director's chair put a whole new perspective on the art of filmmaking for me.
