A Better Place poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Robert DiPatri, Eion Bailey, Joseph Cassese, Carmen Llywellyn, Brian Lynch ... see more see more... , Jason Lee , Bryan Sproat , Carmen Llywelyn

A young man discovers that friends can quickly become enemies -- and the transformation can have dangerous consequences -- in this independent drama. Teenaged Barret (Robert DiPatri), still coming to ... read more read more...terms with the death of his father, moves with his mom to a new community; Barret doesn't get along with the students at his new school and soon finds he's a social outcast. Ryan (Eion Bailey) is another student at the school who doesn't get along with his peers, and soon Barret and Ryan become close friends. But the longer Barret hangs out with his new friend, the more uncomfortable he becomes with Ryan's misanthropic views, and when Barret begins making friends with the students who once rejected him, Ryan's threatening words are translated into violent deeds. A Better Place was the first feature film from writer and director Vincent Pereira; the film was co-produced by Kevin Smith, a longtime friend who cast Pereira in small supporting roles in several of his films. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

27% want to see it

1,332 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Vincent Pereira

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: August 21, 2001

report incorrect info

Photos

None yet... Got one?

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (69)

  • FilmFanatik
    August 30, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    Having been friends with Vincent Pereira for a bit, I might be a little biased on my judgment of his film. I've tried to put that aside and be subjective, so let's hope I succeed. A Better Place isn't really the type of film you'd find in your average cinema. It's an intense and ... read moreviolent character study that doesn't really hold back. To me, the only thing that IS holding it back is its dialogue, at times. It's not bad, it's just hard to relate to characters who sound so similar to each other. That was my complaint with both Juno and Vulgar, but on the whole it isn't quite as bad as that. Its just that at certain moments I'm waiting for the characters to be, well, characters, with distinct personalities and ways of speaking. Maybe that's not always possible in storytelling, but I pick up on it occasionally. It doesn't affect the film too much though. I really enjoyed it on the whole and walked away from it with a nice perspective. To be succinct, it's a very solid film and definitely worth a watch.
  • Hellshocked
    May 8, 2007
    Hellshocked
    A labor of love by Vincent Perreira and the entire View Askey (Kevin Smith's production company) crew. When a film has such a minuscule budget, a half-amateur cast and needs to be shot in 2 weeks, everything hinges on the writing. The results are mostly positive, but definitely a... read more mixed bag.

    The film is the story of a teen who, after the death of his father, moves into a new town with his mother. He quickly befriends the local outcast, an intelligent, good-looking but decidedly misanthropic teen whose own past is marked by death and slowly but surely violence escalates and tragedy ensues.

    Eion Bailey is great in the role of the misanthrope. He sells every line of dialogue he is given (except for a monologue which, while well written, is entirely unrealistic) and generates true pathos during his downfall. The rest of the cast is serviceable at best.

    The film's biggest strenghts are the subtle, non-exploitative way it handles the always combustible issue of teen school violence in the U.S. There are no charicatures here, all of these kids are true characters with their own particular flaws. Individual scenes work beautifully, and the friendship between the two leads is no contrievance of the plot, but feels quite organic and real.

    The film's main weakness is its reliance on a structured plot and the occasional cliché to get the ball rolling and set things in motion. Some lines don't work, other scenes seem poorly directed and the film has a decidedly stagey tone that doesn't particularly suit it.

    Still, it is certainly a good piece of cinema and kudos to Perreira and company for actually making it, and having it turn out as well as it did.
  • theSwitchbladeSister
    September 20, 2008
    theSwitchbladeSister
    An admirable first picture from Pereira. Although the first half of the film feels very forced, especially in the way of dialogue, eventually things start pulling together. It's a very watchable flick, and the ending is pretty decent.
  • clairecwigley
    April 12, 2007
    clairecwigley
    Full of ridiculous stereotypes. The actors, supposed to be teens, looked 30. I was going to give it a two and a half, but the ending (and a shirtless Eion Bailey) scored it another half point.

View All A Better Place Reviews

Critic Reviews

Michael Dequina
July 7, 2002
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

Pereira has made a smart and affecting film about a particularly difficult subject. Full Review

December 6, 2005
Film Threat

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 15, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

December 8, 2002
Film Threat

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

This list looks lonely.
Add a suggestion!

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

A Better Place : Watch Free on TV

A Better Place Trivia

  • Which actor wants to make the world a better place in Pay it Forward?  Answer »
  • Name the movie where a boy has an idealistic way to make the world a better place to live.  Answer »
  • In the movie "Amazing Grace" William Wilberforce kept trying to end the slave trade for many years and succeeded. He then spent the rest of his life with his wife and kids, being too old and tired to continure making the world a better place. He died in 1833 and was buried in Westminster Abbey   Answer »
  • What movie stars Ethan Hawke smoking pot and saying: "I am not under any orders to make the world a better place-"  Answer »
More A Better Place Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for A Better Place. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add A Better Place to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?