Taglines: A 17-year-old girl has a troubled relationship with a 49-year-old man.
Jennifer is a seventeen years old misfit punk teenager that uses piercing, tattoos, wears only black clothes and dyed hair, self-inflicts injures and has fixation for death. She misses a father and a normal mother, since Mrs. Benson has trouble in the communication with her, and feels absolutely rejected.
While looking for a job, she meets the forty-nine years old Randall Harris, a lonely man who owns a shopping store, and he hires her. They are opposites but with loneliness and lack of friends in common. They become close friends, and their interaction changes their behavior for good while secrets and feelings are disclosed.
My First Mister is a 2001 film written by Jill Franklyn and directed by Christine Lahti. The film is the story of an alienated teen (Leelee Sobieski) who forms an unlikely friendship with a lonely clothing store manager (Albert Brooks). The film co-stars Carol Kane, Michael McKean, John Goodman, and Desmond Harrington.
Director Christine Lahti notes that Albert Brooks campaigned vigorously for the role of Randall, and that although initially doubtful about whether he could handle the heavy dramatic aspects of the character, she was won over at their first meeting. Similarly, when Sobieski was considered for the part of “J”, she was initially skeptical that “such a beautiful face” could capture the feeling and look of isolation that was needed for the character, but changed her mind after meeting Sobieski.
Lahti expresses deep disappointment that the film was rated R (for language), despairing that it would likely not be seen by many teenagers who would like and relate to the characters. She also laments that the shooting schedule, constrained by the film’s budget, didn’t give her the opportunity to shoot more “coverage” (camera perspectives, such as “close-ups”), and thus more editing choices to convey the emotional content of some scenes.
Leelee Sobieski’s character, Jennifer, has a number of facial piercings and cartilage piercings in both ears, but does not have her earlobes pierced — to which a reference is made in the movie. At the time the movie was made, Sobieski herself did not have pierced earlobes, as she did not have them done until 2006.
Specially for her part in this movie, she did, however, have both nostrils, both eyebrows and her lower lip pierced, along with her navel and the cartilage of both ears. After filming was completed, she removed the piercings and allowed them to close up again, but kept the jewelry as a souvenir of the movie.
Cast and Characters
Albert Brooks as Randall ‘R’ Harris
Leelee Sobieski as Jennifer “J” Wilson
John Goodman as Benjamin Wilson
Carol Kane as Mrs. Benson
Michael McKean as Bob Benson
Henry Brown as Jack Taylor, Salesman
Desmond Harrington as Randy Harris, Jr.
Mary Kay Place as Nurse Patty
Directed by: Christine Lahti
Starring: Albert Brooks, Leelee Sobieski, John Goodman, Carol Kane, Desmond Harrington, Mary Kay Place, Michael McKean, Henry Brown, Pauley Perrette, Shawn Huff, Natasha Braisewell
Screenplay by: Jill Franklyn
Production Design by: Dan Bishop
Cinematography by: Jeff Jur
Film Editing by: Wendy Greene Bricmont
Costume Design by: Kimberly A. Tillman
Set Decoration by: Kathe Klopp
Art Direction by: Gary Kosko
Music by: Steve Porcaro
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual material.
Distributed by: Paramount Classics
Release Date: October 12, 2001
Visits: 138
