Product Details

• Actors: Shia LaBeouf, Elden Henson, Amy Smart, Anson Mount, Billy Kay
• Directors: Efram Potelle, Kyle Rankin
• Writers: Erica Beeney
• Producers: Alex Keledjian, Ben Affleck, Chris Moore, Jeff Balis, Joel Hatch
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English, German
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• VHS Release Date: December 9, 2003
• Run Time: 79 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000E6FPA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #489,296 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This perfectly pleasant, if minor, coming-of-age comedy-drama is the second feature released via the Miramax/HBO/Ben Affleck-Matt Damon TV program Project Greenlight. Series viewers watched Heights directors Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle struggle to get their vision of screenwriter Erica Beeney's story past an intractable producer. If the process was not pretty, the final result--i.e., this film--has some nice things. Leading the list is rising star Shia LaBeouf (Holes) as likable, 17-year-old misfit Kelly Ernswiler, coasting through life and fascinated by simulated war games. He befriends a sweet but cynical preppie, Bart Bowland (Elden Hensen), whose sexy older sister, Tabby (Amy Smart), offers Kelly a glimpse of adult passions and heartache. The cast is strong, including Kathleen Quinlan and William Sadler as the Caulfield-esque hero's troubled parents. There are solid moments of comedy and affecting, better-than-average drama. If Heights fails to ignite, at least it doesn't fail to move. --Tom Keogh

From The New Yorker

Not as bad as you might think, considering the infighting captured on "Project Greenlight 2," the television show that chronicled the making of this movie. Throughout the series, the tag-team directors Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle locked horns with the producer Chris Moore about whether the film should make 'em laugh or make 'em cry. Moore dropped vague comments like "I'm worried about the melodrama," while Rankin and Potelle huddled around the camera like twins lost in their own language. In the film itself, Shia LaBeouf is the young star and the hero, and he's very good at acting raw and confused-imagine a Mark Ruffalo, Jr. He also gets off a few good lines, but the coming-of-age story feels so jumbled up and patched together that it never acquires any emotional coherence. Then there are the little things, like the palm trees that grow in Ohio. But if you saw the show, you probably have to see the movie so think of your ticket price as a donation for "Project Greenlight 3." -Michael Agger
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Battle of Shaker Heights - For Lovers of Independent Film Making and Acting, May 1, 2008

By 

Mark "Technology, Music and Movies" (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)   

This review is from: The Battle of Shaker Heights (DVD)

The Battle of Shaker Heights

I have never watched Project Greenlight. There I said it. I happened upon this movie and I'm glad I did. To me it's only of minor importance how this movie was funded and made, because the end product matters most. And the end product is much better than many would lead you to believe. You just have to know what kind of movie watcher you are. If you love independent films and don't mind slow and nuanced acting and a story with no cheap thrills, you can enjoy this. If you like more traditional movie experiences, you might find this treatment a bit slow.

Shia LaBoeuf shows why he is the "next big thing" of his generation in a very subtle and impressive portrayal of the main character. As Kelly he's an extremely over-intelligent high school kid who channels his brain power into nerdy pursuits like World War II history and military memorablia. Elden Henson is Bart, his fast friend from the better-off side of town. When he meets Bart's older sister Tabby, he develops a crush for a girl way out of his league, something every boy in high school is familiar with.

All the while, he works at the supermarket with Sarah, played well by Shiri Appleby, who would have clearly been an easier target for him. All of these relationships are a back drop to the frustration we see Kelly experience from his family life, with a father battling his demons and a mother fighting to hold it together.

William Sadler and Ray Wise round out what really is an all star cast. And even though the slow is made in a slow and deliberate way, the cast of this movie is really one of the treats. They all perform exceptionally well, even in parts that are written sparsely.

I think they definitely captured the angst of high school in a way that was honest and real. These are not typical kids, but that makes it all the more easy to understand why a character like Kelly might not fit in and might act out. Sure they could have fleshed this one out more, but I guess all those Damon and Affleck connections helped to cast this one well enough to more than make up for it.

If you enjoy slow and introspective independent films, or are a fan of Shia LaBoeuf, you will find lots to like in this movie.

Enjoy!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you watched Project Greenlight, this is great, September 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Battle of Shaker Heights (DVD)

Under normal circumstances, one would not think much of this movie. It's a nice coming-of-age story about a 17-year-old boy (wonderfully played by Shia LaBeouf), but there's nothing spectacular about it. His relationships with his parents and his potential love interests are not fully developed, and the viewer doesn't necessarily buy into what they try to tell us. It's been done before, and it's been done better.

But, if you watched the Project Greenlight series on HBO, it's a must-see. It's fun to see how all the scenes turned out. The much-debated group hug no longer exists--if it did, you'd walk out of the theater or turn of the TV. A big thank you to producer Chris Moore for getting rid of that.

All in all, it's a "Sunday Afternoon Movie". It's the kind of movie you watch on a Sunday afternoon when it's raining outside and all you want to do is sit on the recliner and eat popcorn while someone tells you a story for an hour or so.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very well-done coming of age flick, December 20, 2003

By 

P. Solinger (Yuma, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Battle of Shaker Heights (DVD)

Shia Lebeouf plays Kelly Ernswiler, a high school senior trying to just survive life in this comedy-drama by directors Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin in what is arguably there biggest job yet.

Kelly is a young man who enjoys reinacting famous battles from past wars. This is partly a way of reliving history, and a partly a way of escaping life with his recovering drug addict father, played by William Sadler of The Green Mile, and his mother, played by Kathleen Quinlen from Apollo 13. Kelly still hasn't found a way to forgive his father for his past abuses, so he prefers to spend the day with his new friend Bart Rowland and his wealthy family. Bart and Kelly strike up a friendship over their shared love of history and Kelly's desire to strike back at a school bully. Along the way, Kelly finds himself attracted to Bart's older sister, Tabby, a girl engaged to another man, which threatens to destroy their friendship.

This is a very rich coming-of-age story with characters you can't help falling in love with. Kelly's character is complex, and there are times you want to strangle him, but you feel his heart is in the right place. Shia Lebeouf does a tremendous job in his role. After Holes and Charlie's Angels, you can feel that this young man has a great future ahead of him. The supporting cast played their roles perfectly, and the script was very welldone. From the minute you start watching this film, you can't take your eyes off of it. It didn't get 5 stars due to the lack of extras. Being a Project Greenlight winner, you would think that they would have had plenty of material. Given that and the short 77 minute running time, it loses a star.

Overall though, I highly recommend this film if you want to see a perfectly well-rounded movie that has very few flaws.