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''The Naked Brothers Band'' is a 2005 American
children's A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...
musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
written and directed by
Polly Draper Polly Carey Draper (born June 15, 1955) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. Draper has received several awards, including a Writers Guild of America Award (WGA), and is noted for speaking in a "trademark throaty voice." She g ...
, which stars her sons,
Nat Wolff Nathaniel Marvin Wolff (born December 17, 1994) is an American actor and musician. He gained recognition for composing the music for '' The Naked Brothers Band'' (2007–2009), a Nickelodeon television series he starred in with his younger bro ...
and
Alex Wolff Alexander Draper Wolff (born November 1, 1997) is an American actor and musician. He first gained recognition for starring alongside his older brother Nat in the Nickelodeon musical comedy series '' The Naked Brothers Band'' (2007–09), which ...
, who portray members of a fictional rock group. It tells of the boys' struggles with their fame and an internal dispute that causes the band to split before reuniting in the end. The film is emboldened by Nat's band, The Silver Boulders, which he created in preschool with his friends
Joshua Kaye ''The Naked Brothers Band'' is an American musical comedy television series created by Polly Draper, which aired on Nickelodeon from February 3, 2007, to June 13, 2009. It depicts the daily lives of Draper's sons, who lead a faux world-renown ...
, Thomas Batuello, and David Levi, who all act as themselves. It also includes
Allie DiMeco Alexandra Jean Theresa "Allie" DiMeco (born June 12, 1992) is an American actress, reality television personality, multi-instrumentalist, and model primarily known for playing the role of Nat Wolff's main love interest Rosalina in the Nickelodeon ...
as Nat's fictional female interest, the siblings' real-life cousin
Jesse Draper Jessica Cook "Jesse" Draper (born January 5, 1986) is an American venture capitalist and TV personality. Early life Draper is the daughter of Silicon Valley venture capitalist Timothy C. Draper and Melissa Lee ( Parker) Draper. Her paternal gran ...
as the group's babysitter, Draper's husband Michael Wolff playing his sons' widowed accordion-playing dad, and real life friends Cooper Pillot and
Cole Hawkins Cole East Hawkins (born October 4, 1991) is an American actor in both television and film. Early and personal life Cole was born in Manhattan, New York City. He attended Northeastern University. Career Hawkins appeared in ''School of Rock'' ...
portraying the other members of the band. Draper shot the film in the style of a
mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on ...
—a parody in documentary format—that depicts the daily activities of the characters. Nat composed and performed the music, yet one song had been written by Alex.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
took place in mid-2004 on location in New York City, and the interior scenes were vastly filmed in the family's
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
apartment. Draper's brother, Tim, a venture capitalist, provided financial incentives for the shoot. In late 2005, Polly Draper, known for her role in ''
Thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust ...
'', and her jazz musician husband Michael Wolff entered the film at the
Hamptons International Film Festival The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1992, by Joyce Robinson. The festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October ...
, where it won the audience award. Former
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
president
Albie Hecht Albie Hecht is a film and television producer and media executive. In 1997, Hecht was the president of film and TV entertainment for Nickelodeon before becoming president of the television channel Spike TV in 2003. In 2005, he founded and was C ...
attended the screening and purchased the movie, in association with his Worldwide Biggies label. It became the pilot for the subsequent Nickelodeon show of the same name, airing in the United States on January 27, 2007. The series was created and showran by Draper, which premiered in February 2007, to the channel's highest ratings in seven years for viewers in the 6–11 age group.


Plot

The film begins with an introduction to the documentary from the boys. Nat and Alex Wolff, aged nine and six respectively, are members of the fictional band The Silver Boulders, which also consists of Thomas, David, Josh, and their manager Cooper. The band found success after a music executive ( John B. Williams) signed them to his label, Who's the Man Records. The band performs their new song "Motormouth" at a concert in the
Hammerstein Ballroom The Hammerstein Ballroom is a ballroom located within the Manhattan Center at 311 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The capacity of the ballroom is dependent on the configuration of the room; it seats 2,500 people for theatri ...
. After the show, the band members describe how their group started and a clip from their music video "Crazy Car" is shown. The bandmates get along well until Thomas composes the song "Boys Rule, Girls Drool", which Nat dislikes. Nat writes a song called "Rosalina" that is about Josh's elder half-sister. Thomas and Josh ridicule Nat because the song shows his feelings for her. Moreover, Josh composes another song that Nat also dislikes, titled "I'm the God of Rock and Roll", set to the tune of "
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is a popular English lullaby. The lyrics are from an early-19th-century English poem written by Jane Taylor, "The Star". The poem, which is in couplet form, was first published in 1806 in ''Rhymes for the Nursery ...
". The band has a food fight in a restaurant, prompting Thomas, David, and Josh to leave and form a new group, The Gold Boulders, managed by the scornful Mort Needleman (Jonathan Pillot). After watching media reports of the band's split on television, Nat and Alex go into a state of depression. Alex begins to binge on
lemon-lime A lemon-lime soft drink or lemon-lime soda, also known colloquially as lemonade in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand and as cider in Japan and Korea, is a carbonated soft drink with lemon and lime flavoring. Popular brands inclu ...
soda and falls asleep, while he lies curled in the midst of aluminum cans. Nat simultaneously writes a song by the piano titled "If There Was a Place to Hide" as the band's fans gather outside his apartment, pleading for them to reunite. Despite the absence of the formers, Alex persuades a reluctant Nat to revive the band, and subsequently, they change the band's title to its original, The Naked Brothers Band. Through a line-up of auditions, Nat, Alex, and Cooper select Rosalina as their cellist and Cole Hawkins — a member of the original Naked Brothers Band — as the guitarist. The newly established band embark on a tour to
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
, though Nat discovers that The Gold Boulders is their opening act. The Gold Boulders start the show with "Boys Rule, Girls Drool" and are immediately booed off the stage. After their performance, The Naked Brothers Band perform "Hardcore Wrestlers (with Inner Feelings)" and "Rosalina", which are greeted with a loud applause from the audience. After the concert, Nat hosts a party for the band in his apartment. In the midst of the party, David, Thomas, and Josh arrive at his front door, asking to join the reconstructed band. Forgivingly, a surprised Nat welcomes them to join the celebration. The film concludes with the outfit performing "Crazy Car" on the roof of the Wolffs' apartment while fireworks detonate in the background.


Characters

Adults over the age of 18 can be nonsensical, and therefore, the children are responsible for undertaking challenging circumstances. Nat is the lead singer-songwriter and keyboardist, while his younger brother Alex is the flamboyant drummer. Alex invented a distinctive outfit: a red, white, and blue
do-rag A durag ( alternate spellings) is a close-fitting cloth tied around the top of the head to protect the hair; similarly a wave cap is a close-fitting cap for the same purpose. Durags may be worn to accelerate the development of long curly/kink ...
with socks tied around his ankles. He has a crush on the band's nanny and tutor, the 19-year-old Jesse Cook (Jesse Draper). Nat is called "The Girl Magnet" and tends to speak with an English accent in front of 11-year-old Rosalina (Allie DiMeco). The group also features Nat's preschool friends – David (David Levi) as the keyboardist, Thomas (Thomas Batuello) as the cellist, Josh (Joshua Kaye) as the guitarist – and Cooper (Cooper Pillot) is the band's manager. The brothers' father (Michael Wolff) is an inept accordionist. Principal Schmoke (
Tim Draper Timothy Cook Draper (born June 11, 1958) is an American venture capital investor, and founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ),
) leads Amigo Elementary School. The Timmerman Brothers is a band consisting of brothers Donnie (Adam Draper), Johnny (Coulter Mulligan), and Billy (Billy Draper). They had a hit single titled "Splishy Splashy Soap Bubble", but their careers ended when their voices changed during puberty. Music critic (Barbara eda-Young) describes The Silver Boulders' music as "nostalgic". The romantic couple ( James Badge-Dale and
Gretchen Egolf Gretchen Egolf (born September 9, 1973) is an American theater, film and television actress. Early life and education Egolf was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is the daughter of artist Paula Egolf and stepfather Gary Egolf. Her ...
) recall the group performing "Crazy Car" at their wedding ceremony.


Production


Development

Through their father, Nat and Alex were exposed to music from birth. As a four-year-old, Nat showed musical gifts that astounded his father. He easily taught himself piano chords, which he called my proud chords. As a five-year-old, he began to compose songs after listening to music by
The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
and Alex began playing the saxophone when he was two. Nat and his brother once shouted, "We're the naked brothers band!" after having a bath, which inspired the name of the movie. As a pre-schooler, Nat and his friends formed a band called The Silver Boulders. Following the
September 11 terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...
, Nat wrote a song titled "Firefighters" when he was six years old, which he performed with his band for charity. The benefit concert was staged behind his family's apartment and raised over
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
45,000, which was donated to the children of the personnel from
New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services ...
's Squad 18 who were killed as a result of the attacks. After the successful concert, the band began to perform at gay and lesbian Christmas celebrations, one-year-old birthday parties, and restaurants. Then Alex, emboldened by
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
, chose to play drums in the band. After the break-up of The Silver Boulders, the siblings decided to revive The Naked Brothers Band. Draper did not want her children to be actors; she explained, "Nat kept putting signs on his door: 'I want to be a child actor!' I said, 'No, it's too brutal. However, Nat wrote and directed a home-video called ''Don't Eat Off My Plate'', which Draper presented in documentary style by interviewing his friends. Michael Wolff set up a recording session in the music studio along with Nat, Alex, and himself. Draper was impressed by the recording and contemplated making a mockumentary about the band, presenting the boys as music icons akin to The Beatles. In a ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program TV listings, listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine, TV Guide Mag ...
'' interview in early 2007, Draper explained, "What originally happened was that Nat and Alex had a band, and the idea evolved based on that. '' Spinal Tap'' meets ''
The Little Rascals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
'' was my concept ... I wanted to have that ''
Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles "Help!" and " Ticket to Ride", ap ...
'' or '' A Hard Day's Night'' kind of feeling."


Filming

The film was originally intended as an extended family project, and was shot over five weeks in mid-2004 for less than US$1 million. Filming took place on location in New York City — where, according to Draper, the crew "would sneak into locations and run" — and at the Draper-Wolff family apartment in Manhattan. Draper wrote and directed the film, which was
produced Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
by Ken H. Keller, Caron Rudner, Jonathan Pillot, Michael Wolff and Draper herself. The film was co-produced by Fotene Trigonis and edited by Craig Cobb, who also served as the
associate producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, dir ...
. The
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...
s were Draper, Wolff, and Draper's brother, Tim, who oversaw the budget. Keller used a
color framing In video engineering, color framing refers to the color frame sequence of fields in a composite video signal through which the video frame timing and chrominance subcarrier signal timing—in particular, that of the color burst -- cycle through ...
, high-definition video camera. Rudner served as the
line producer A line producer is a type of film or television producer who is the head of the production office management personnel during daily operations of a feature film, advertisement film, television film, or TV program. A line producer usually works o ...
, while John M. Davis was the
music editor A music sequencer (or audio sequencer or simply sequencer) is a device or application software that can record, edit, or play back music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically CV/Gate, MIDI, or Open Sound Cont ...
. Rick Butler served as the
production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...
, Frederick Howard was the
supervising sound editor A sound editor is a creative professional responsible for selecting and assembling sound recordings in preparation for the final sound mixing or mastering of a television program, motion picture, video game, or any production involving recorde ...
, and Deb Temco oversaw the
casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a ''casting'', which is ejected ...
. Moreover, David Levi's father, Robert, provided footage of the real-life preschool band's daily antics; they sang and played instruments in the Wolffs' apartment, and Nat wrote the music. When Polly Draper told her friend
Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, ...
and her husband, writer and director
Bart Freundlich Bartholomew Freundlich (born January 17, 1970) is an American film director, television director, screenwriter, and film producer. Early life Freundlich was born and raised in Manhattan, the son of Debbie, a marketing consultant, and Larry Fre ...
, about the film, Freundlich responded, "Julia would love to be in your movie." Moore changed her schedule at late notice to participate in filming, and Draper wrote Moore's scene as it was being filmed; Draper quickly created a set that depicted the backstage
green room In show business, the green room is the space in a theatre or similar venue that functions as a waiting room and lounge for performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on stage. Green rooms typically ha ...
of the talk show, ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musi ...
''. Moore and Nat filmed the scene in one take, and Draper was impressed with her son's performance, while saying that Moore's presence added credibility to the project.


Casting

Most of the cast were friends or relatives of the Draper-Wolff clan. Tim Draper is Polly's brother and John B. Williams is the cellist for Michael Wolff's band Impure Thoughts. Barbara eda-Young, James Badge-Dale, Gretchen Egolf, and Cooper Pillot had previously performed with Draper in her play ''Getting Into Heaven'' in 2003. Jesse Draper is Tim's daughter and thus Polly's niece, and Nat and Alex's cousin. Billy and Adam Draper are Tim's sons, and Coulter Mulligan is Jesse's cousin and Polly's nephew. Many of Wolff and Draper's show business friends appeared in the film. Wolff had been the music director for jazz singer Nancy Wilson and she introduced him to
Arsenio Hall Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor and talk show host. He hosted the late-night talk show, '' The Arsenio Hall Show'', from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in ''Martial Law'', '' Co ...
, who later chose Wolff as the bandleader of his talk show.
Tony Shalhoub Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; born October 9, 1953), is an American actor. His accolades include five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, six Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award nomination. He played Adrian Monk in the USA ...
portrayed Phil in Draper's screenwriting debut ''
The Tic Code ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...
'', which was emboldened by Wolff's difficulties with
Tourette syndrome Tourette syndrome or Tourette's syndrome (abbreviated as TS or Tourette's) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) ...
as well as his exploits as a jazz pianist. Draper guest starred in the first season of Shalhoub's hit sitcom ''
Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
''. Other guest stars in the movie include
Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album '' She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to ach ...
, her husband David Thornton, Brent Popolizio,
Cindy Blackman Cindy Blackman Santana (born November 18, 1959), sometimes known as Cindy Blackman, is an American jazz and rock drummer. Blackman has recorded several jazz albums as a bandleader and has performed with Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Simmons, Ron Carter ...
, and
Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film '' Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for ...
. In addition, Draper had also made a cameo alongside her ''
Thirtysomething ''Thirtysomething'' is an American drama television series created by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz for United Artists Television (under MGM/UA Television) and aired on ABC from September 29, 1987, to May 28, 1991."The 'don't trust ...
'' co-stars
Tim Busfield Timothy Busfield (born June 12, 1957) is an American actor and director. He has played Elliot Weston on the television series '' thirtysomething''; Mark, the brother-in-law of Ray Kinsella ( Kevin Costner) in '' Field of Dreams''; and Danny Con ...
,
Mel Harris Mary Ellen "Mel" Harris is an American actress best known for her role as Hope Murdoch Steadman in the ABC drama series ''Thirtysomething'' (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination in 1990. Early life and education Ha ...
,
Peter Horton Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a ...
,
Melanie Mayron Melanie Joy Mayron is an American actress and director of film and television. Mayron is best known for her role as photographer Melissa Steadman on the ABC drama ''thirtysomething'' for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding ...
,
Ken Olin Kenneth Edward Olin (born July 30, 1954) is an American actor, television director, and producer. He is known for his role as Michael Steadman in the ABC drama series ''Thirtysomething'' (1987–1991), for which he received a Golden Globe Award ...
, and
Patricia Wettig Patricia Anne Wettig (born December 4, 1951) is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Nancy Weston in the television series ''Thirtysomething'' (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe Award and three P ...
. David Levi, Thomas Batuello, and
Joshua Kaye ''The Naked Brothers Band'' is an American musical comedy television series created by Polly Draper, which aired on Nickelodeon from February 3, 2007, to June 13, 2009. It depicts the daily lives of Draper's sons, who lead a faux world-renown ...
were preschool friends of Nat. Moore's son, Cal, has been a classmate of Alex since preschool, while
Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...
's daughter was also a preschool friend of Alex.
Ann Curry Ann Curry (born November 19, 1956) is an American journalist and photojournalist, who has been a reporter for more than 30 years, focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters. Curry has reported from the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, ...
's son Walker, an original member of The Silver Boulders, was Nat's friend in preschool. Cole Hawkins, an actor who also starred as Leonard in the 2003
musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
film ''
School of Rock ''School of Rock'' (titled onscreen as ''The School of Rock'') is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin, and written by Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah Silverman. ...
'', had no previous involvement with the band. Neither did Allie DiMeco; she auditioned for her role.


Music

Nat wrote most of the songs performed in the film. As a six-year-old, he composed a melody without lyrics, which he later used as the basis for the
bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States ...
piece "Crazy Car". The song was meant to emulate the music of
The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
. "Firefighters", the song written by Nat for a local 9/11 fundraiser, was later retitled to "Rosalina" for the movie. Nat wrote "Motormouth" while he was angry at Alex. Another song, "That's How It Is", was written by Alex after an unsuccessful dating attempt with a teenager ten years his senior. Additional songs Nat performed in the film include "Got No Mojo", "Hardcore Wrestlers (with Inner Feelings)", "I Need You", "Sorry Girl", and "If There Was a Place to Hide". Michael Wolff contributed the underscore and produced the music with
Michael A. Levine Michael A. Levine (born 20 February 1964 in Tokyo, Japan) is an American composer, music producer and screenwriter born in Japan and currently based in Los Angeles. He is best known for his work in film and television. Early career Trained as ...
. In the film, Wolff performed the songs "Rathskeller Polka", "Rathskeller Waltz", "Naked Party Polka", and "Naked Tango". He played the underscore for "Shakey Shakey" (lyrics by Alex), and "Boys Rule, Girls Drool" and "Splishy Splashy (Timmerman Song)", both written by Draper. The elder Wolff was once the musical director for jazz artist Nancy Wilson; in the movie, Wilson sang a rendition of the song "Crazy Car".


Releases and debuts


Television spin-off

According to Michael Wolff, the family made the film without expecting a television series spin-off. Their agent believed the film would be lucrative and market research showed a positive reaction with a young audience. After the film was shown at the
Hamptons International Film Festival The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1992, by Joyce Robinson. The festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October ...
, Nickelodeon bought it. Moreover, "Albie Hecht had an independent production deal with Nickelodeon" and believed the film suited the network and that a television show was feasible. Draper and Wolff did not want their children in show business at such a young age but agreed when Hecht's agent promised to work within the boy's schedule, so that they would not miss school. This meant a summer shooting schedule in New York and short, 13-episode seasons. Nonetheless, after three seasons, despite the show's high ratings, network executives urged the family to lengthen the 13 episode season to 60. Draper and Wolff refused, and as a result, the show was cancelled. Tom Ashiem, the executive vice president and general manager of Nickelodeon explained, "At first, we were intrigued by the idea, but we weren't sure kids would get the vague tongue-and-cheek-of-it. Then a bunch of us took it home to our own children and they loved it." ''The Naked Brothers Band'' television series ran from 2007 to 2009. Draper was the creator,
head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits. In fictional comedy ...
, executive producer, and director, while Hecht was the other executive producer and his production company Worldwide Biggies distributed the series. Later,
made-for-TV movies A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
were created and aired as the series continued—a total of eight have been screened on Nickelodeon. The latter films often consisted of an extended, two-part episode—Nickelodeon usually uses the "movie" definition for these hour-long episodes—and were usually broadcast as part of a holiday event or on weekends.


International debuts

The film aired worldwide, debuting in Canada on September 10, 2007 on YTV and in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
on October 20, 2007. The film received a Region 1 DVD release on April 3, 2007 through
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
and
Paramount Home Entertainment Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, and originally Paramount Home Video) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures, a division of Paramount Global. The division oversees PPC's home entertainme ...
.


Reception

The film won the audience award for a family feature film at the
Hamptons International Film Festival The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1992, by Joyce Robinson. The festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October ...
in 2005. It also received a nomination at the
Young Artist Awards The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
in 2008 for Best Television Movie or Special. When it premiered on Nickelodeon in January 2007, it was seen by an average of 2.7 million viewers. The movie was also broadcast four times, producing a total viewership of 14 million; it was placed on the top 10 spot of '' Nielsen VideoScan'' children's non-theatrical DVD charts. The song "Crazy Car" was downloaded more than 100,000 times on iTunes; and it peaked at number eighty-three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for one week and the track was featured on the ''Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice, Vol 3''. Ronnie Sheib, of ''Variety'', wrote: "Convincingly faithful to kids' rhythms and speech patterns, and featuring several catchy if one-chorus numbers, this bouncy, feel-good kidpic, with targeted release strategy, could rock peers and parents alike." Felicia R. Lee from ''The New York Times'' called the film "an ebullient mock documentary".


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Naked Brothers Band, The 2005 films American children's comedy films American independent films American musical comedy films American rock music films Documentary films about children Documentary films about musical groups Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City American mockumentary films Musical films based on actual events Nickelodeon original films Television films as pilots 2005 directorial debut films Films directed by Polly Draper 2000s English-language films 2000s American films