Here On Earth (film)

''Here on Earth'' is a 2000 American romantic drama film directed by Mark Piznarski from a screenplay by Michael Seitzman. The film stars Chris Klein, Leelee Sobieski, and Josh Hartnett. The original music score was composed by Kelly Jones and Andrea Morricone.

The single from the film's soundtrack, " Where You Are" by Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, reached 23 at the US Mainstream Top 40.

Plot

Kelvin "Kelley" Morse and Jasper Arnold become involved in a car race and accidentally damage Mable's Table, a restaurant owned by Samantha "Sam" Cavanaugh's parents. Both are sentenced to perform community service by repairing the damage.

Although Kelley comes from a wealthy family and Jasper's parents are working-class, they soon find themselves fighting over the same girl, Sam. While Jasper and Sam have been dating publicly for years, in secret, Kelley and Sam begin to spend time together. They soon find that they have more in common than they imagined, and they fall in love. Eventually, Jasper learns of their relationship and doesn't like it.

During a trip to Kelley's home in Boston, Kelley reveals to Sam that his mother killed herself. Sam brings Kelley into the house and they sleep together. In the morning, after Sam makes Kelley breakfast, Kelley's father arrives and informs him he must attend college early and give up his fling with Sam.

Upon returning to the small town, Sam's parents soon learn that their daughter's osteosarcoma has relapsed, which was initially discovered after a track injury, and now has only a few months to live. Sam tells Kelley that she thinks everyone has their own heaven and it is made of a combination of all the things they loved in life. She says that his mother has Kelley with her in her heaven. When Kelley learns the awful truth about Sam, he must decide if he should obey his father's wishes and go to college or stay by the side of the first girl he's ever loved.

Kelley and Jasper finish rebuilding the diner and their probation is up. In the end Kelley returns to be with Sam during her final months of life. At her funeral, Kelley recites a passage from a poem he and Sam loved. The film closes with a shot of Sam running through a field in her version of heaven.

Cast

Reception

Box office

The film opened at #5 at the North American box office, making 4.5 million in its opening weekend.

Critical response

''Here on Earth'' received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 18% based on reviews from 68 critics. The website's critics consensus reads: "Critics say ''Here on Earth''s weakness comes from its script. The story may appeal to young teenage girls, but it suffers from being overly sentimental and formulaic. The cinematography, however, is lovely in how it captures its Massachusetts setting." On Metacritic the film has a score of 25% based on reviews from 24 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.

Mick LaSalle of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' praised Leelee Sobieski for her performance.

Roger Ebert criticized the film for its sentimentality.
Paul Cullum of ''L.A. Weekly'' called the film "Complete and utter horseshit."

Soundtrack

The single " Where You Are" by Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey reached 22 at the US Mainstream Top 40.

" Black Balloon" by Goo Goo Dolls and " Breakout" by Foo Fighters are played during the film, but do not appear on the soundtrack album.

References

External links

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2000 films
2000 romantic drama films
2000s teen romance films
American romantic drama films
American teen romance films
Films shot in Minnesota
2000s English-language films
20th Century Fox films
2000 directorial debut films
2000s American films
English-language romantic drama films