Welcome to Paradise
3rd Golden Reel Awards
1 Nomination
Genre: Drama
Director: Ethan Hawke
Writer: Billy Armstrong
Cast:
Asa Butterfield .... Eli
Angourie Rice .... Lora
Harry Styles .... Davey
Finn Wolfhard .... Nelson
Max Records .... Scart
David Mazouz .... Mikey
Devon Bostick .... Fran
Ethan Hawke .... Lora's father
Plot: A teenage runaway, Eli (Asa Butterfirld), leaves his suburban home and alcoholic mother, ending up at a punk rock concert. Scrat (Max Records) slips drugs into his drink, and the concert ends abruptly when a female attendee has her clothes torn off by the punks in the audience. Davey (Harry Styles) offers Eli a place to stay at a punk house in the abandoned tract housing district off the interstate. Along the way they pick up Mikey (David Mazouz), who also intends to move into the house. Mikey begins to form a romantic relationship with Lora (Angourie Rice), who has also moved into the house.
Davey, Eli, and their friend Fran (Devon Bostick) steal food for the house by raiding the garages of a nearby suburban neighborhood. When Eli sees on the news that his mother has been arrested for drunk driving, he collects his younger brother Nelson (Finn Wolfhard) and brings him to live at the house, where Lora gives him a mohawk. Lora admits to Mikey that she was physically and sexually abused by her father.
During a concert, the gang get into a fight defending Fran. The men they were fighting with enter the concert and stab a security guard. The gang vandalizes a convenience store, stealing food and beer in the process. A police officer implores the teens to stay out of trouble. The next morning, the kids find that Lora has killed herself by overdosing on Scrat's drugs. Not knowing what to do, they bring her body back to her parents. When the gang comes to the funeral, Lora's father (Ethan Hawke) insists that they leave. Mikey reveals his knowledge of Lora's abuse, and a fight breaks out, hospitalizing Lora's father.
When the gang gets back to the house, the cops show up and tell the kids to clear out by morning or they will be arrested. Eli, Nelson and Davey pack up their stuff and leave, but Mikey, Scrat and Fran decide to stay and deal with the cops.
1 Nomination
- Best Production Design
Genre: Drama
Director: Ethan Hawke
Writer: Billy Armstrong
Cast:
Asa Butterfield .... Eli
Angourie Rice .... Lora
Harry Styles .... Davey
Finn Wolfhard .... Nelson
Max Records .... Scart
David Mazouz .... Mikey
Devon Bostick .... Fran
Ethan Hawke .... Lora's father
Plot: A teenage runaway, Eli (Asa Butterfirld), leaves his suburban home and alcoholic mother, ending up at a punk rock concert. Scrat (Max Records) slips drugs into his drink, and the concert ends abruptly when a female attendee has her clothes torn off by the punks in the audience. Davey (Harry Styles) offers Eli a place to stay at a punk house in the abandoned tract housing district off the interstate. Along the way they pick up Mikey (David Mazouz), who also intends to move into the house. Mikey begins to form a romantic relationship with Lora (Angourie Rice), who has also moved into the house.
Davey, Eli, and their friend Fran (Devon Bostick) steal food for the house by raiding the garages of a nearby suburban neighborhood. When Eli sees on the news that his mother has been arrested for drunk driving, he collects his younger brother Nelson (Finn Wolfhard) and brings him to live at the house, where Lora gives him a mohawk. Lora admits to Mikey that she was physically and sexually abused by her father.
During a concert, the gang get into a fight defending Fran. The men they were fighting with enter the concert and stab a security guard. The gang vandalizes a convenience store, stealing food and beer in the process. A police officer implores the teens to stay out of trouble. The next morning, the kids find that Lora has killed herself by overdosing on Scrat's drugs. Not knowing what to do, they bring her body back to her parents. When the gang comes to the funeral, Lora's father (Ethan Hawke) insists that they leave. Mikey reveals his knowledge of Lora's abuse, and a fight breaks out, hospitalizing Lora's father.
When the gang gets back to the house, the cops show up and tell the kids to clear out by morning or they will be arrested. Eli, Nelson and Davey pack up their stuff and leave, but Mikey, Scrat and Fran decide to stay and deal with the cops.
BOX OFFICE
Budget: $15,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $17,583,029
Foreign Box Office: $10,047,641
Total Profit: -$6,500,748
Domestic Box Office: $17,583,029
Foreign Box Office: $10,047,641
Total Profit: -$6,500,748
REVIEWS
"While the plot, what little of it there is, is unbelievable, the interaction and relationships between the characters are spot-on. When the kids are just hanging out or going to punk shows is when the film really works. - Vincent Kerr, Washington Post
"Ethan Hawke directs the film with a lot of energy, surprising given his last minute hiring. He leads his young actors well, even if some aren't quite able to believably do what the script asks of them." - Charles Triano, Los Angeles Times
"Some of the young cast really struggles with the angry, angst-driven material, leading to some very uneven performances. Surprisingly, the young actor who comes off best is pop star Harry Styles, but he can't save the ensemble himself." - Rick Green, New Yorker
Rated R for some violence, drug use, strong language and sexual content - all involving minors
Filming Locations:
Oakland, California, USA
Oakland, California, USA