Product Details

• Actors: Adrian Grenier, Clark Gregg, Aleksa Palladino, Margaret Colin, John Shea
• Directors: Tod Williams
• Writers: Tod Williams
• Producers: Jasmine Kosovic, Karen Barber
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount Home Video
• VHS Release Date: March 21, 2000
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792161939
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,423 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Writer-director Tod Williams's pleasantly flawed film, like his title character, drifts amiably along, full of untapped possibilities. Adrian Grenier has a slouchy charisma as Sebastian, a teenager in upstate New York who is tired of school and realizes that the world only expects him to "get a haircut, pay taxes, [and] die." When his compassionate stepfather Hank (a serenely collected Clark Gregg) decides to live his life as a woman named Henrietta, it's only one more thing to challenge Sebastian's slowly developing worldview ("You care about too many people," his father tells him). Williams can't nudge his quirky musings into something larger, and the sex-change business becomes too much a dramatic contrivance, but the film moves with an affectingly low-key assurance. Better, Williams inspires his lead to convey without sentiment something rare in teen stories: unassuming, real affection for other human beings. --Steve Wiecking

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, July 8, 2000

By 

Jill Matrix (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures of Sebastian Cole (DVD)

From reading the box I really thought this was going to be a movie about a teen-ager coming to terms with his transsexual stepdad. But miraculously the stepdad's gender was not the punchline, the way gayness was in Twilight of the Golds and a million other coming out movies.

It was fun to watch the now-stepmom deal with his discovery of how women are treated. She really worked it and was fast on her feet, but she really wasn't the story.

Anyway, this movie was about a kid with a life and how he did his best to cope with about the upheaval adults brought to it.

Adrian Grenier as Sebastian Cole was beautiful and a good actor. The story and feel of the movie was very '80s, which was fun.

They really nailed what the cast of characters is like in high school, particularly Sebastian's loser friends. And they nailed the kind of stupid stuff you do in high school and hope your parents don't discover.

Worth a look for sure.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's a good movie!, April 1, 2000

By 

"adriennebrooke" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures of Sebastian Cole (DVD)

This movie is a work of art. A little dark for me, but it is really different, and it really makes you think. This movie is worth seeing.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this movie!!, September 23, 2001

By 

Ei "crzybookmoovielover" (Seekonk, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adventures of Sebastian Cole [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I discovered Sebastian Cole on the Sundance channel, and have watched it three times now. It's such a good story, different, quite a diversion from the typical teen movies that are out there lately. It is funny, heartwarming, and at times, serious.
The film brings us back to 1983 - 84, and Sebastian Cole, played superbly by Adrian Grenier, wants to go on adventures. He also wants to get out of school as soon as possible. All the while, his stepfather decides he wants to become a woman, Sebastian's sister leaves and moves to California, and his mom leaves when she finds out her husband wants to be a woman.
It is a little different and offbeat, but that is what makes this movie so unique. The acting by Clark Gregg,who plays Hank/Henrietta is outstanding! I've never seen him act before but I thought he played his characters with such great sensitivity and realness. The performances by both him and Grenier, who I did see in Drive me Crazy, are truly beautiful and you can't help but fall in love with their characters.
Sebastian is a great person who just wants to be good to others and along the way have what he calls 'his adventures'.
You will have to watch to see what these adventures actually consist of. You won't be disappointed.
The soundtrack is great too. Perfect compliment to an 80s' kind of film.