Disturbing Behavior
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Disturbing Behavior is a 1998 thriller/horror film starring Katie Holmes, James Marsden, Nick Stahl, Bruce Greenwood, and Steve Railsback. The film was released on July 24, 1998. The plot follows a group of teen iconoclasts who are horrified by their "blue ribbon" classmates. This story is very similar to The Stepford Wives with a bit of Footloose thrown in (a town changes because of a tragic accident involving teens behaving unsafely, et cetera).
Director David Nutter was a director and producer of The X-Files as well as a director and co-executive producer of Millennium.
- Taglines:
- It doesn't matter if you're not perfect. You will be.
- You'll never be the same.
- In Cradle Bay... there's nothing more frightening than perfection.
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[edit] Plot
Steve is a high school senior whose family moved to Cradle Bay, a small coastal town. Steve soon befriends several alternative teens named Gavin, UV, and Rachel. Gavin tries to tell Steve that there is something evil about the "blue ribbons," kids part of a program led by the school psychologist, Dr. Caldicott. Steve is skeptical and thinks that they are just good kids. The next day at lunch, Gavin walks in all cleaned up and looking like a blue ribbon. When Steve tries to confront Gavin, he gets slugged in the stomach for his trouble. Now, Steve and Rachel must try and save the rest of the school before it is too late. They find a disc that Gavin hid for them in the boiler room, before his "transformation," which tells them about the club. They try and find out what has been happening to these kids, which leads them to a mental hospital called Bishop Flats. They learn that this mind control used to make depressed and awkward teens become perfect so they can function properly in life, but the programming has some glitches that lead to momentary relapses. Also at Bishop Flats, they find Caldicott's daughter, who spends all her time repeating the same phrase: "Meet the musical little creatures that hide among the flowers". Simultaneoulsy, Steve's mother finds a gun underneath his mattress.
When Rachel and Steve return, they plan to get out of town along with Steve's little sister Lindsay, but when they get back, Steve's parents reveal they had him signed up for the program. Steve and Lindsay try to get out but they get ambushed by a group of blue ribbons waiting for them. They drag Steve and Rachel to the programming center, but Steve escapes and rescues Rachel. They try to get out of town again with Lindsay and UV, another friend of theirs, but the blue ribbons and Caldicott are waiting for them near the ferry out of town. When hope seems lost, the janitor of the school drives up, his car hooked up with sonic devices that scramble the mind control tech inside the blue ribbons' heads. They chase after him and try to destroy the devices, but, having been fatally wounded by Caldicott, he drives off a cliff with the blue ribbons on it. This leads to a final battle between Steve and Caldicott, Steve wins by punching Caldicott off the cliff. Steve and Rachel then leave town. The final scene shows aa classroom in an urban high school with kids playing loud music, cursing, and acting up. They are informed that they have a new teacher. The well-kept sub turns around, and it's Gavin, with the blue ribbon "twinkle" still active in his eye.
[edit] Alternate Versions
DVD version features 11 deleted scenes, including an alternate ending where Gavin meets a different fate than the theatrical ending.
[edit] Alternate ending
Gavin Strick is not affected by the E-rat-acator, because he is wearing his headphones. He confronts Steve and his group on the ferry. Still a friend, Steve pleads with Gavin that that they need to get him some help. Gavin refuses on the false belief that everything helped him without the realization of the program's effects which cause him to react. He tries to shoot Steve with a shotgun and UV shoots him three times with his own gun that Steve took away from him. As he lay dying on the ground, Gavin is out of his hypnosis to chastise a heartbroken UV while the others tend to him. Despite having survived the events that preceded them, the group is reminded that they still lost a friend in the process as everyone starts to tear up.
[edit] Cast
- James Marsden .... Steve Clark
- Katie Holmes .... Rachel Wagner
- Nick Stahl .... Gavin Strick
- Steve Railsback .... Officer Cox
- Bruce Greenwood .... Dr. Edgar Caldicott
- William Sadler .... Dorian Newberry
- Chad Donella .... U.V.
- Ethan Embry .... Allen Clark
- Katharine Isabelle .... Lindsay Clark
- A.J. Buckley .... Charles 'Chug' Roman
- Crystal Cass .... Lorna Longley
- Tygh Runyan .... Dickie Atkinson
- Tobias Mehler .... Andy Effkin
- Derek Hamilton .... Trent Whalen
- P.J. Prinsloo .... Robby Stewart
- Terry David Mulligan .... Nathan Clark
- Susan Hogan .... Cynthia Clark
- Sarah-Jane Redmond .... Miss Perkins
- Natassia Malthe .... Mary Jo Copeland
- Chris Owens .... Officer Kramer
- Robert Moloney .... Ferry Guy
- Dan Zukovic .... Mr. Rooney
- Michelle Skalnik .... Randi Sklar - Blue Ribbon
- Lalainia Lindbjerg .... Kathy - Blue Ribbon
- Brendan Fehr .... Brendan - Motor Jock
- Fiona Scott .... Fiona - Blue Ribbon
- David Paetkau .... Tom Cox - Blue Ribbon
- Erin Tougas .... Shannon
- Ryan Taylor .... Ryan - Blue Ribbon
- Jay Brazeau .... Principal Weathers
- Carly Pope .... Abbey
- John B. Destry .... Middle-aged Man
- Glynis Davies .... Coupon Lady
- Andre Danyliu .... Roscoe
- Gillian Barber .... Judy Effkin
- Stephen J. Lang .... John
- Peter LaCroix .... Ernest Strick
- Lynda Boyd .... Lucille Strick
- Daniella Evangelista .... Daniella - Blue Ribbon
- Suzy Joachim .... Female Doctor
- Doug Abrahams .... Security Guard
- Christopher R. Sumpton .... Screaming Man
- Jarred Blancard .... Flossing Man
- Kate Braidwood .... Make-up Girl
- Stephen Holmes .... Toothbrush Boy
- Mark Aviss .... Bald Man
- Julie Patzwald .... Betty Caldicott
- Stephen E. Miller .... Frankie, Gas Station Attendant
- Dee Jay Jackson .... Assistant Principal
- Kendall Saunders .... Disrespectful Student
- Sean Amsing .... Damon (uncredited)
- Melanie Angel .... Nurse (uncredited)
- Christine Cattani .... Laughing Blonde Girl (uncredited)
- Fulvio Cecere .... Anesthesiologist (uncredited)
- Gary Chalk .... Coach (uncredited)
- Cynde Harmon .... Mrs. Atkinson (uncredited)
- Tamsin Kelsey .... Detrice (uncredited)
- Corey Large .... Student (uncredited)
- Robert Lewis .... Moderator (uncredited)
- Zuzana Marlow .... Shannon's mom (uncredited)
- Judith Maxie .... Shadow Woman (uncredited)
- Larry Musser .... Coroner (uncredited)
- Marciarose Shestack .... Reporter (uncredited)
- Sean Smith .... Schoolbus Boy (uncredited)
- Bob Wilde .... Shadow Man (uncredited)
[edit] Trivia
This film was distributed by MGM in the US and Sony elsewhere. When Sony and its partners bought MGM in 2005, Sony in a way got some US rights to the film as well, particularly TV distribution rights through Sony Pictures Television.