Product Details

• Actors: Aaron Webber, Robert Joy, Rebecca Jenkins, Daniel MacIvor, Kathryn MacLellan
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Picture This, Breaking Glass Pictures
• DVD Release Date: December 14, 2010
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000QQCWJA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,703 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Whole New Thing" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Wolfe Video Release Date: 06/17/2008 Run time: 92 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entirely enjoyable Emmerson!, August 24, 2007

By 

Chris Swanson "I'm just this guy, you know?" (Phoenix) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Whole New Thing (DVD)

Ah, I love a chance to do a little alliteration in my reviews.

This Canadian film is very entertaining and very well done. The story of a young boy coming to grips (often), with his sexuality is handled with good taste and intelligence. The acting, particularly by Aaron Webber, is subperb. If he's not actually gay, he certainly does a good job of conveying some of what it means to be thirteen and dealing with such issues.

The sub-plot involving Emmerson's mother cheating on his father with a Cylon (inside joke), is less interesting, but still good. Frankly, that could have made for a decent stand-alone movie, but here it somewhat drags focus away from the main plot.

I'd like to see a sequel to this film, which is not something I say every day, especially not in the context of a gay film, most of which follow the checklist of gay movie cliches (ie: character dies, usually through suicide, character gets gay bashed or character gets AIDS).

>>> SPOILER WARNING! <<<

To me the movie also raised up some interesting philosophical/ethical issues. Clearly Emmerson has some erotic desires for his teacher. The fact that he IS Emmerson's teacher would make it very touchy for them to follow-through on those deisres. I tend to have the view that not all sexual contact between adults and minors is harmful, and in the context of this story, I found myself wondering what the consequences might have been had the relationship between Emmerson and his teacher been consumated (beyond all the legal issues, that is).

For those seeking further reading on this issue, I invite you to check out Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex, which is a very well done book that covers some of this ground.

Either way, I whole-heartedly recommend this delightful film! Oh, and despite the tags... there's no male full-frontal nudity in the movie. We see Emmerson naked from the side, but that's it, so don't get your hopes (or anything else, you pervert), up and buy it for that reason. :P

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NOT A "COMING OF AGE" MOVIE, August 23, 2007

By 

GEORGE RANNIE "GWRJWMCL" (DENVER, COLORADO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Whole New Thing (DVD)

This Canadian movie "Whole New Thing" is just not another film about a teen's "coming of age" and dealing with the fact that he is gay plus having a terrible crush on one of his teachers. Although the aforesaid is certainly a part of this marvelously directed and acted "little" film. Indeed thirteen year old Emerson is sent out into the cruel world of public middle school after being "home schooled" all of his prior life; there he comes to the realization that he is gay and subsequently has one of those life numbing impossible for it to go anywhere teen crushes on his forty something year old teacher while at the same time dealing with the violence, taunts and bullying that comes with being different and looking a little different in a school that is filled with the so-called "normal" students. The aforesaid scenario is definitely a part of this film; however, it is not, to me, the main focus of the film. To me, the real story of this film is the maturation of the grown ups that surround the 13 year old Emerson (which are, of course, his parents whose marriage is falling into ruin and the object of his affection, his teacher who is a lonely and very closeted gay man that likes to live dangerously by visiting public "johns" for sexual gratification).

As I stated before, this is a marvelously acted (especially by Aaron Webber as Emerson in what I understand is his first film--amazing) and directed film. The movie also is splendidly filmed--one really can feel the bleakness of the area that it is showing. (I assume it's Nova Scotia)

The bottom line is that this is a wonderfully intelligent movie that I, as an old fart, could relate to because, to me, it really is about us older folks coming to grips with our lives.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Bit of a Tease, October 30, 2007

By 

Nicholas D. Butler "nbutler11" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Whole New Thing (DVD)

This film has an interesting premise, executed in a fashion similar to fellow Canadian director Atom Egoyan, but reads like a premium channel television show. Basically, it presses the envelope and asks a lot of questions before quickly ending without a resolution, hoping you'll tune in next week. (6/10)