Product Description

Writer-director Chris Mason Johnson's award-winning first feature charts the lives of five New Yorkers, a mix of gay and straight best friends about to turn thirty. With emotionally vivid performances and nuanced characters, THE NEW TWENTY paints the portrait of a generation living the highs and lows of a Wall Street world destined to disappear overnight.

The year is 2006 and prosperity seems unending: two of the five are investment bankers, another works in advertising, another does freelance database design, and only one of the five might be called a slacker. But they all suffer from, as loner Felix puts it, & a touch of existential malaise courtesy of late capitalism. You know, the usual. So if money isn t the root of their discontent, what is? Whatever they re searching for - love, meaning in work - they won t find it in each other. On TV, friendship lasts forever. In real life, not so much.

THE NEW TWENTY reflects the zeitgeist of a new and happening generation, one in which gay and straight mix and it s not a big deal. This sense of tapping into the spirit of today places THE NEW TWENTY in the same genre as American Graffiti,The Big Chill and St. Elmo's Fire.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40578 in DVD
• Brand: WOLFE VIDEO
• Released on: 2009-07-21
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Features

• Five best friends in their late 20's face the disintegration oftheir tightly knit urban tribe. Gay and straight, white and brown,driven and aimless, this disparate group lives and breathes New YorkCity with a vivid emotional realism that captures the tenor of a newgeneration. Features: Commentary , Theatrical Trailer , Closed Caption Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA R

Review
Erotic tension and intriguing ambiguity. A stylish production. The Hollywood Reporter A sleek and accomplished debut film....He's got something, this guy - LA Weekly...the performances are uniformly good...a welcome edge... - Alternative Film Guide --Update

Review
A strong ensemble of young actors. A sleek and accomplished debut film. He s got something, this guy. LA WeeklySharp, intelligent writing. Erotic tension and intriguing ambiguity. A stylish production.The Hollywood ReporterThis is a fascinating bunch, thanks to a witty, incisive script. New Times Every generation deserves its own St. Elmo s Fire. The Village Voice Impressive feature debut . . . smart and stylish. Box Office Magazine Something rarely seen onscreen: close friendships between gay and straight men. - Time Out New York Fine ensemble! Dallas Voice Well acted. Chicago Reader A relevant and brave story . . . vivid portrait of real life . . .great debut for a visionary writer-director like Johnson. New York Examiner A welcome edge, one that most other friends-are-forever movies lack. Alternative Film Guide Director Christopher Mason Johnson broadens the focus from sexual orientation to the complexities of adulthood. Time Out Chicago --Update

About the Actor
NICOLE BILDERBACK Julie Kim,Nicole Bilderback has starred in numerous popular television shows including ER, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, DAWSON'S CREEK, BOSTON LEGAL, HOUSE, WITHOUT A TRACE, HEROES, and COLD CASE, She has had recurring roles on THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR and DARK ANGEL. Feature film roles include CLUELESS, CAN'T HARDLY WAIT, ALONG FOR THE RIDE, and LEGALLY BLONDE 2. Nicole is probably best known as the bitchy cheerleader Whitney in the blockbuster hit BRING IT ON. Nicole plays disaffected young investment banker Julie Kim in THE NEW TWENTY, for which she won the Best Lead Actress Award at Outfest 2008 COLIN FICKES Ben Barr Colin s film credits include character roles in the Tribeca Film Festival winner ROGER DODGER, in Sundance favorites CHRYSTAL and THE GOGETTER, and in Outfest favorite SUNNY AND SHARE LOVE YOU. He has also appeared in the Coen Brothers THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, CHERRY FALLS, TRANSFORMERS and OVER HER DEAD BODY. Colin s TV credits include playing Piper Laurie's son in LAW & ORDER: SVU, as well as LAW AND ORDER, DAWSON'S CREEK, WITHOUT A TRACE, BOSTON PUBLIC, and INVASION. He most recently played Jimmy Edwards in the landmark episode of ONE TREE HILL. Colin plays lovable slacker Ben Barr in Chris Mason Johnson s THE NEW TWENTY.

Customer Reviews

About to turn 30, and still waiting to grow up ...
Looking in on a group of close friends since college, seven years after graduation, things aren't quite what they expected, even considering thirty is "The New Twenty" (2009).

There's the "jock" of the group, Andrew (hunky former model Ryan Locke), who is looking for financing for an internet startup he believes will make him rich. He's engaged to Asian-American Julie (Nicole Bilderback, who deserves the critical kudos she got for this role), who finds herself in the uncomfortable position of having to downplay the fact that she makes more money than her fiance'. Julie's brother, advertising whiz-kid Tony (Andrew Wei Lin) is gay and dating an older man who is HIV+. In college, Felix (Thomas Sadoski) seemed most likely to succeed, but his inability to give up his drug use have turned him into an insecure addict. Then there's the resident slacker, Ben (Colin Fickes), the other gay character, who wastes his days searching for online hookups and watching old TV shows.

The dynamics of the relationships between the five friends changes significantly, when Louie (Tony Serpico, a regular on "Army Wives"), a man in his 40's whom Andrew meets playing cricket, enters into a business arrangement with Andrew, as well as a flirtation with Julie, with the other friends tagging along as they socialize. This comes to a head at Andrew's bachelor bash, resulting in new resolutions by all, in order to get on with their lives.

A well-written, acted and directed film, and I love the way the gay and straight characters mesh comfortably. However, I thought it to be a bit predictable in parts, and somewhat negative in that it concentrated on everyone's failures. DVD includes commentary (labeled as "documentary"), deleted scenes and a music video. Overall, it's worth a look, and I give it four stars out of five.

Friends in the City
"The New Twenty"

Friends in the City

Amos Lassen

Coming from Wolfe Video, "The New Twenty" is about the lives and the loves of a group of 29 year old friends in New York City. They begin to betray themselves and each other because of sex, money and drugs. Andrew (Ryan Locke) is at the center of the group of friends. He is the typical alpha male--tall, lean, blonde and handsome, an investment banker with a beautiful Asian fiancée. Member of his circle are Ben (Colin Fickes) who is overweight and gay and addicted to internet sex sites, Felix (Thomas Sadoski), a druggie, and commitment-phobic Tony (Andrew Wei Lin).
This is a light film that has plenty of twists and turns and it is the acting ensemble that keeps the film interesting. We see the actors in their private moments and this makes this film become a personal story. Chris Mason Johnson directed this with a loving touch. Sure, the idea is not new but the execution is. Thinking that 30 is the age for midlife crises, each actor relates to it in his own way. The relationships are complex and the group represents the palette of sexual orientation, professional aspiration and personal desires. Bonds of friendship slip away as each ventures on this personal journey. They have been friends and together since college and now as the age of 30 approaches, they find their lives to be in a state of upheaval. Andrew begins a risky financial venture and is about to become married to Julie who stays at her job because she gets promoted often. Tony< Julie's brother becomes involved with a professor who is HIV positive. Felix is a lost soul on the highway of life and is a borderline drug addict and quite possibly was once in love with Julie. Ben is a bear cub who has a myriad of neuroses. All of the characters are self-absorbed. It is the witty script and the lively cast that keeps us watching and enjoying. When one states that "30 is the new 20", we see where these guys are going and we are perfectly content to go with them.

They make me feel old (not new) long before my time.......

What we're given in this trying-to-be trendy film is a "frat-pack" of college friends, now approaching age 30 (which we all know, of course, their generation thinks of as the "new 20"). Consisting of four guys and a gal, we have thrust at us the following types: seemingly "unemployeds" and frequent drug users, along with one individual who is job successful and one who is trying-to-be. They are all, in their own way, drifting while trying to find both a future and emotional happiness. With one, possibly two exceptions, these are people this reviewer would definitely never care to come close to modeling myself after. There is disappointment after disappointment after disappointment in almost all their lives. Except in the instance of one individual (who appears on the way to finding it), none appears headed toward emotional satisfaction in his/her life. And so, about the only sincere moment in this film is when a knock at the door brings to the person answering it an unexpected and heartfelt "I love you."

With only the exceptions mentioned, these people are the kind hardly deserving or worthy of several hundred thousands of dollars being thrown away in presenting their stories.

PS--Writer/director, Johnson, definitely appears to have a problem with showing gay sexual scenes----with no such problems in presenting more prolonged and revealing heterosexual ones. Why might that be?

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