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United States of AmericaA teen’s worst nightmare comes to pass when her parents, and every adult on the planet, instantly desire to be cool – just like teenagers.
SynopsisThe Day My Parents Became Cool is a modern costume-comedy - and every teenager’s worst nightmare. When the one-thousand-year comet crosses the night sky, a brave new world is created where adults instantly adopt every teen trend in attire and body Image. Emo, Goth, Skater, Jock, Metal - tattoos, piercings, thongs, and sagging jeans. On every adult, everywhere, planet-wide.
The Day My Parents Became Cool tells the comic story of how one small group of teenagers fight back when every outward manifestation of their individuality is co-opted - by the enemy. It’s the end of the world as we know it.
The Day My Parents Became Cool has been an astonishing project for me - for many reasons. Perhaps the first is that I'm just happy to have had the opportunity - in a very, very personal sense - to help tell this story, because just one year prior to the first day of our shoot, I was beginning chemotherapy for Hodgkins Lymphoma (and here I am now, upon the release of the film, finally finishing treatment!) With a sincerity that literally goes to my "marrow," I can tell you that showing up on that film set, with a 150 high school kids and a phenomenal crew, was truly special.
I also was amazed at the community support that enveloped the making of this film. We had two Washington State school districts, five schools, two cities, one county, a Rotary, dozens of small businesses, local politicians, and our beloved "become cool" campaign private donors, hundreds of "sweat-equity" supporters, and of course, all those kids, literally hundreds and maybe thousands enveloping our project in a "can do" and "can't fail" environment.
Finally, we somehow discovered a group of special actors led by Megan Joy, that managed, in a very short format, to take characters through a comic, fantasy and somehow bring a poignancy to the journey - as you will imagine, after seeing the film, they were truly funny, fun to work with, and of course, amazingly "cool."
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Directed by
Steve Edmiston -
Written by
Steve Edmiston -
Produced by
Zach Paul, Jacob Leander - The Day My Parents Became Cool Website
Written by: Steve Edmiston
Produced by: Zach Paul, Jacob Leander
Cast
Paige: Megan JoyMadison: Tara Simmons
Mom: Terisa Greenan
Dad: Peter Weinstein
Mr. Gardner: Don Taylor
Katy: Lynne Randall
Emo Parker: Evan Will
Hip Hop Kid 1: Cheikh Davis
Hip Hop Kid 2: Darryl Reese
Crew
Cinematographer: TJ Williams, Jr.Production Designer: Ben Blankenship
Editor: Bobby Bonsey
Costume Design: Gerard Parr
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Heile
Executive Producer: Aaron Willett
Executive Producer: Steve Edmiston
“… a slick-looking comedy that goes beyond image and explores how parents and their kids relate..” - Richard Seven, The Seattle Times
“This little gem of a film… shows the best of what filmmaking is… it’s hard to believe that just 15 minutes could take one on a fun-filled journey so completely, providing the viewer with a total escape…” - Maureen VanWalleghan, PrescotteNews.com
“…a cute, family-safe comedy about high school students’ reactions when all grown-ups suddenly change their looks and personalities to rival that of the most outrageously-dressed teen. Solidly acted and directed, with a fun script, great original music, beautifully shot in HD…” - Scott Schaeffer, B-Town Blog
“…the story of a cosmic catastrophe that causes all adults on the planet to become "cool," adopting teen fashion and body image… high school students are more than just another brick in the wall.” - Lynsi Burton, Seattle Post Intelligencer
“WE LOVE YOUR FILM! I was HOWLING through it (especially having an 11-year-old and 7-year-old myself) ... I could totally relate.” - Patrick Schweiss, Director, Sedona International Film Festival.
"So much fun, we not only showed it at 2009 Big Island Film Festival, but also at our 2009 Summer Series." - Leo W. Sears, Executive Director/Founder, Big Island Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
Sedona International Film Festival
Kids First Video and Film Festival
A key driver behind the making of The Day My Parents Became Cool was working with nearly 150 high school students. We wanted not only to make a great short film, but also provide a great professional film experience for ordinary, public high school teens. So we didn't recruit drama students. We recruited everyone. Jocks, goths, metals, emo's - the more extreme the better. And we didn't just want "extras" - we used high school students to scrub the script, as production assistants, and even to write, perform, and record a song for the closing credits. And we didn't coddle them; they needed to perform at a high level to stay with the project. What did we learn? That if you give a teenager a great challenge, in connection with a project that they are passionate about, they will amaze you.
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Director
Steve Edmiston
