Shakespeare In... And Out

Shakespeare In... And Out

The "Spinal Tap" of the porno industry!

1999 · 80 min · ★ 5.0 · Drama, Comedy

In the 1980s, a filmmaker begins a project to record the life of an average kid. In Perry, Ohio, he picks Rich Longfellow, a shy lad, and begins filming. Soon after, he dies in Mozambique. Sixteen years later, his son continues the project, finding Rich, now 23, in L.A., with dreams of being a Shakespearean actor, getting experience in porn films. We meet Betsy, Rich's sensible girlfriend, Lee, the impatient producer, and Carmichael, a director with artistic pretensions who inspires Rich. Problems with Besty and tension on the set bring Rich to a crisis; when his boyhood friend starts a Shakespeare company that tours nursing homes in the San Fernando Valley, Rich sees a way out.

Directed by Peter Shushtari · Written by Peter Shushtari

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Cast

Roger Shank Rich Longfellow (as Roger William)
Lawrence Trilling Harold Asailian Jr
J.D. Smith Lee Fernandez
William Neenan Carmichael Astune
Randall Slavin Duane Brickton

Make it a double feature

2h 44m together

Shakespeare In... And Out

RKO 281

A close match in mood and era.

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Rich Longfellow is a young aspiring actor who dreams of playing Shakespeare’s Hamlet. He moves form a small town in Ohio to Los Angeles where he’s sure he’ll star in a couple of major Hollywood motion pictures and finally make his way to London to perform Shakespeare at The Globe. In the meantime, his physical attributes get him the lead role in a feature length porno; ‘Aristotle and his horny time travels’. When he discovers the producer values him for his physical attributes over his acting abilities he is shocker, and very disappointed and distances himself from all those closest to him. Nevertheless, he finds his feet again, a celebration of indomitable spirit of youth which refuses to be destroyed.

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