Taglines: in the middle of nowhere they had everything.
Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 movie storyline. Small-town America is the key setting for this tale of four West Texas high-school pals who vowed to leave their tiny town after graduation and head for L.A. Keller (Breckin Meyer) is ready to walk, but his goals are formless. Wealthy Terrell Lee Lusk (Peter Facinelli) knows his parents (Patricia Wettig, Michael O’Neill) want him to work in their family oil business.
Squirrel (Ethan Embry), who lives with his alcoholic father in a rundown trailer, should find escape easy, but he finds reasons to stay, as does John Hemphill (Eddie Mills), a young man more suited for life as a rancher. Leaving was something the quartet dreamed about since age 11, but the actual departure requires ripping up some roots. Will they do it? Director Tim McCanlies shot this film in 25 days at Fort Davis, Texas. Shown at the 1998 South by Southwest Film Festival (Austin, Texas).
Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 is a 1998 comedy-drama film starring Breckin Meyer, Peter Facinelli, Ethan Embry, Eddie Mills, Ashley Johnson, Patricia Wettig, Michael O’Neill, Alexandra Holden, Shawn Weatherly and Keith Szarabajka.
Cast and Characters
Breckin Meyer as Keller Coleman
Peter Facinelli as Terrell Lee Lusk
Eddie Mills as John Hemphill
Ethan Embry as Squirrel
Ashley Johnson as Josie Hemphill
Patricia Wettig as Mrs. Lusk
Michael O’Neill as Mr. Lusk
Eddie Jones as Earl
Wayne Tippit as Keller’s grandfather
Alexandra Holden as Vivian
Keith Szarabajka as Squirrel’s father
Shawn Weatherly as Sue Ann
Michael Crabtree as Mr. Hemphill
Lashawn McIvor as Mrs. Hemphill
Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 (1998)
Directed by: Tim McCanlies
Starring: Breckin Meyer, Peter Facinelli, Ethan Embry, Eddie Mills, Ashley Johnson, Patricia Wettig, Michael O’Neill, Alexandra Holden, Shawn Weatherly, Keith Szarabajka
Screenplay by: Tim McCanlies
Production Design by: Dawn Snyder
Cinematography by: Andrew Dintenfass
Film Editing by: Rob Kobrin
Costume Design by: Susan Matheson
Set Decoration by: Wanda ‘Beau’ Peterson
Art Direction by: Jeff B. Adams Jr., Jeffrey Michael Adams
Music by: Steve Dorff
MPAA Rating: PG for language.
Distributed by: TriStar Pictures
Release Date: May 1, 1998
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