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The Caveman's Valentine
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Wikipedia article
'The Caveman's Valentine' is a 2001 American mystery-drama film directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Samuel L. Jackson based on George Dawes Green's 1994 novel of the same name. The film was released by Universal Focus, a subsidiary of Universal Studios, which would later become Focus Features.
Plot
A former family man and pianist studying at Juilliard music school, Romulus Ledbetter (Samuel L. Jackson), now suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and lives in a cave in Inwood Park, New York. He believes that a man named Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant is controlling the world with rays from the top of the Chrysler Building, and that his mind is inhabited by moth-like seraphs. On Valentines Day, he discovers the frozen body of a young man, Scotty Gates (Sean MacMahon), left in a tree outside his cave. The police, including Romulus's daughter Lulu (Aunjanue Ellis), dismiss the man's death as an accident. However, a homeless ex-lover of Scotty tells Romulus that he was murdered by the famous photographer David Leppenraub (Colm Feore). Determined to discover the truth behind Scottys death and prove his worth to his daughter, Romulus manages to get an invitation through a former friend to perform one of his compositions at Leppenraubs farm. What unfolds thereafter is a twisted tale of mystery, deception, and a man's struggle against his own mind.
Cast
* Samuel L. Jackson - Romulus Ledbetter
* Colm Feore - David Leppenraub
* Aunjanue Ellis - Officer Lulu Ledbetter
* Tamara Tunie - Sheila Ledbetter
* Jay Rodan - Joey Peasley
* Ann Magnuson - Moira Leppenraub
* Anthony Michael Hall - Bob
* Sean MacMahon - Scotty Gates
* Jeff Geddis - Paul
Release
Box office
Domestic summary:* Budget: $13.5 million
* Opening Weekend: $112,041 (16 theaters)
* Widest release: 59 theaters
* % of total gross: 16.3%
* Close date: June 14, 2001 (15 weeks in release)
* Total U.S. gross: $687,194
** Worldwide gross: $687,194
Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 45% based on 84 reviews, with an average score of 5.17/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Caveman's Valentine has an intriguing premise, but the film falls flat under the weight of its ambition." On Metacritic, which uses an average of critics' reviews, the film has 44 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews".Awards
In 2002, Tamara Tunie was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.References
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