Sonny

R

Released Dec 27, 2002

1 hr. 50 min.

Drama

List

21%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

41%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

After a stint in the army, former male prostitute Sonny Phillips (James Franco) returns to his home in a run-down New Orleans in search of a stable life. However, the financial difficulties faced by his mother, Jewel (Brenda Blethyn), who is also a prostitute, make escaping his former life difficult. With few job prospects, Sonny reluctantly begins working the streets. The only bright spot in his otherwise difficult life is his relationship with Carol (Mena Suvari), Jewel's new protégé.

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Critics Consensus

Sonny is sunk by debuting director Nicolas Cage's evident inability to locate the heart of his movie's story - or properly modulate his cast's performances.

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andrew h

It's this type of story and dynamic that I gravitate to... when I'm in the mood for it. Desperate characters with flaws and humility. Set in New Orleans (I used to live there.) Maybe that has something to do with the attraction. It reminds me of a modern day Tennessee Williams story. Definitely not a waste of a couple of hours.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

andrew p

Written well and very interesting from start to finish. Full of the extreme raw emotion, drama and eroticism you'd expect in a world of prostitution in New Orleans. James Franco gives a convincing performance, the guy that played his mother and her boyfriend were also good. Never a dull moment in this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of my favorite Nicholas Cage performances.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

arrem s

Well, at least I tried it I was so excited to see Nic Cage making a directorial debut and even more so to learn that James Franco was taking the lead. God what a let down. Franco may has well have been on sleeping pills the entire movie, which never really goes anywhere. I appreciate Cage's love of New Orleans and can get down with the atmosphere of the story, but unless you have to watch this at gunpoint, I wouldn't waste your time. If you're thinking of buying it, don't. Just message me and you can have my copy. I don't want it back.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great acting by Franco!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The movie lost me the moment Nicolas Cage (the film's director) shows up....being Nicolas Cage.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

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Nicolas Cage

Director

James Franco

Sonny

Brenda Blethyn

Jewel

Mena Suvari

Carol

Harry Dean Stanton

Henry

Scott Caan

Jesse

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Glenn Kenny

Premiere Magazine

Too defensive and earnest about its topic to be either fun or illuminating.

Rated: 1/4

Sep 17, 2003

Full Review

Jan Stuart

Newsday

Actors generally make good actor's directors, but Sonny is a mixed bag in that department.

Rated: 2/4

Dec 27, 2002

Full Review

Michael Agger

Slate

Nicolas Cage isn't the first actor to lead a group of talented friends astray, and this movie won't create a ruffle in what is already an erratic career.

Dec 27, 2002

Full Review

Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

Cage the director makes as many baffling decisions as Cage the actor, but the effect is significantly less entertaining. Sonny is low-lighted by a full-tilt boogie turn from an impossibly brassy Brenda Blethyn that simply took my "Bleth" away.

Rated: 1/5

Aug 8, 2023

Full Review

Chase Burns

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

...this film is impossibly white, like Elvis's King Creole. New Orleans is a Black city, but you wouldn't know it from watching Cage's NOLA...

Dec 9, 2021

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

This overlooked drama by Nic Cage packs an emotional wallop.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 20, 2006

Full Review

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Synopsis

After a stint in the army, former male prostitute Sonny Phillips (James Franco) returns to his home in a run-down New Orleans in search of a stable life. However, the financial difficulties faced by his mother, Jewel (Brenda Blethyn), who is also a prostitute, make escaping his former life difficult. With few job prospects, Sonny reluctantly begins working the streets. The only bright spot in his otherwise difficult life is his relationship with Carol (Mena Suvari), Jewel's new protégé.

Director: Nicolas Cage
Executive Producer: Norm Waitt
Screenwriter: John Carlen
Distributor: IDP Distribution
Rating: R (Violence|Language|Strong Sexuality|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 27, 2002, Original
Release Date (DVD): Aug 19, 2003
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.6K
Sound Mix: Surround

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