The Sum of Us (film)

This article is about the film. For the play, see The Sum of Us. For the album, see The Sum of Us (album).

The Sum of Us
File:The Sum of Us FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by	Geoff Burton Kevin Dowling
Written by	David Stevens
Starring	Jack Thompson Russell Crowe John Polson Deborah Kennedy
Music by	Brad Fiedel
Cinematography	Russell Carpenter
Edited by	Frans Vandenburg
Distributed by	The Samuel Goldwyn Company Australian Film Commission
Release dates	12 July 1994 (1994-07-12) (Australia) 3 March start date (start date-1995-03T08) (UK & US)
Running time	100 min.
Country	Australia
Language	English
Box office	$3,827,456

The Sum of Us is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film version of the play The Sum of Us. Directed by Kevin Dowling and Geoff Burton, the film starred Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson. The screen adaptation mimics the play's device of breaking the fourth wall with direct to camera conversational asides by both Harry and Jeff.

Plot

Widower Harry Mitchell (Thompson) lives with his gay son Jeff (Crowe), with both men struggling in their searches for true love. Harry is completely comfortable with his son's sexuality, and is almost over-eager in his support for his son's search for a boyfriend. Harry meets an attractive but judgemental divorcee through a dating service, and this leads to some conflict between the two main characters. However, when Harry suffers a stroke and loses the power of speech, the story takes a darker turn, becoming a meditation on the enduring strength of love, both familial and romantic, in the face of adversity.

Box Office

The Sum of Us grossed $3,827,456 at the box office in Australia.

Awards

Stevens' screenplay won awards from the Australian Film Institute and the Montréal World Film Festival, and the movie was named Best Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival.

See also

• Cinema of Australia

External links

• The Sum of Us at IMDb