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Vincent Kartheiser, Taryn Manning, Arliss Howard, Mare Winningham, Blake Heron ... see more see more... , Michelle Forbes , Marshall Bell , Shawn Reaves , Robert Blanche

Independent filmmaker Mark Milgard makes his feature debut with the coming-of-age drama Dandelion, filmed on-location in Idaho. TV star Vincent Kartheiser plays Mason Mullich, a quiet sensitive boy li... read more read more...ving in a small town. His mother, Layla (Mare Winningham), is already overworked when his factory worker father, Luke (Arliss Howard), decides to run for city council. Things change for Mason when he meets Danny Voss (Taryn Manning), a young girl who just moved to town with her mother (Michelle Forbes). Their young love affair is complicated by a family accident. Dandelion premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the American Spectrum program. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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72% liked it

2,770 ratings

Critics

67% liked it

12 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Mark Milgard

Release Date: October 7, 2005

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DVD Release Date: January 3, 2006

Stats: 168 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (168)

  • hunterjt13
    May 23, 2012
    hunterjt13
    A suicidal adolescent, who has taken the fall for his father's accidental vehicular homicide, falls for a troubled young woman.
    When I read other critics' reviews and see the word "uneven," I often don't know what that means, but Dandelion is my new representative examp... read morele of an uneven film. The early moments of the film point to some dark pain affecting Mason, the main character, and though we're never given the specifics of what ails him, I trusted that the film would reveal the backstory in due time. It didn't. Instead, the plot takes a right turn after Mason's father accidentally kills a bystander with his car and Mason is accused of the crime. After his prison sentence, Mason's life seems much better, and he is about as well-adjusted as any suburban teenager could hope to be. He even takes on the troubles and joys of Danny, a beautiful girl in the neighborhood, who, like all beautiful heroines in movies of this ilk, seems to find sadness attractive (this is a pet peeve of mine: beautiful women in the real world don't waste their time on sad men). The plot continues with Mason encountering threats from Danny's ex-boyfriend, forgiving his father, and working through Danny's insecurities -- doing all this as though the dreams of suicide and escape from the first act never happened. It's lazy character construction and not very compelling drama. How different the film could have been if it started a half hour later.
    Vincent Kartheiser is fine as Mason, and Arliss Howard is pretty good as Mason's dad, but I don't think the best performances could rescue the script.
  • itsjustme2004
    December 14, 2010
    itsjustme2004
    I really enjoyed this film. It shows love in all of it's real forms....love between brothers, husband and wife, mother and daughter, and true adolescent love. The good love, the bad, and well..even the ugly. I guess like other viewers, I wasn't expecting much, but I've been left ... read morewith a great appreciation for this film, and everyone that was involved in making it.
  • LWOODS04
    May 29, 2010
    LWOODS04
    CAST: Vincent Kartheiser, Taryn Manning, Mare Winningham, Arliss Howard, Blake Heron, Michelle forbes, Shawn Reaves

    DIRECTED BY: Mark Milgard

    SUMMARY: Mason Mullich's family leads a life of quiet desperation. His father, Luke, a grain factory worker, tries to better his lot... read more by running for county council, while his mother, Layla, holds the family together with heartbreaking determination. But Mason is somehow different - so stolid and unfazed, sensitive to deeper rhythms. When he meets Danny, the new girl in town, Mason's focus settles for a moment. But when an accident befalls the family and complications set in with Danny, a tragic series of events unfolds.

    MY THOUGHTS: "This isn't going to be a movie for everyone. Most aren't going to like the pace or the fact that there is very little dialogue. But I thought it worked very well for this movie and it's story being told. It's like their all suffering silently. No one speaking a word of how sad or depressed they are. The relationship with Danny and her mother is really upsetting. The mother is a complete BITCH. The things she says and how she views relationships with men. She tries her best to install those same thoughts on Danny which is where everything turns into a bittersweet end. Mason's character is a quiet, sensitive, and very reserved soul. He doesn't seem to be alive sort of speak. But when Danny arrives in his life it awakens him somehow. It's a bit of a romantic story of two lonely tortured souls coming together and mending each other only to have it end bitterly. It's an interesting watch if you want to give it a try. I recommend you do."
  • gator681
    October 9, 2005
    gator681
    [color=darkgreen]In "Dandelion", Mason(Vincent Kartheiser) is a teenager living out on the prairie with a morbid fascination with death until he begins a lively infatuation for the new girl in town, Danny(Taryn Manning). Adding to Mason's problems is his father(Arliss Howard) ru... read morenning for office and having a job that is eating him alive. His mother(Mare Winningham) is abusing alcohol, pills and religion. While out on a campaign run, Mason's father is involved in a hit and run...[/color]

    [color=#006400]"Dandelion" is an ambling movie and maybe eventually pointless despite it being well acted and photographed. Subplots are brought up and then suddenly dropped. There does seem to be a little said about small town living and the nature of love, though. [/color]


    "Thumbsucker" takes place in the suburbs where Justin(Lou Pucci) suffers from more than the usual teenage angst - he sucks his thumb in times of stress. His father, Mike(Vincent D'Onofrio), is an ex-jock now managing a sporting goods store and his mother, Audrey(Tilda Swinton), is a nurse who seeks to enter a contest to win a date with a TV actor, Mike Schramm(Benjamin Bratt). Justin competes on the debating team while dating one of his fellow debaters, Jessica. Justin's mating ritual is particularly awkward.

    "Thumbsucker" is an intelligent, engaging movie that is about being true to yourself and the people around you. The film says that parents need to understand their children and vice versa. It also takes a look at the nature of competition. As Justin's adviser(Vince Vaughn) points out, the point of being on the debating team is not to win but to learn.(And Audrey says that she wants to enter the contest because it is fun.) Keanu Reeves finally has a role that he is very good in - that of a hipster orthodontist. And Benjamin Bratt seems to be enjoying making fun of his TV star image.
  • xas5
    August 6, 2011
    xas5
    There is something unique in the emotions that certain independent directors can cause a viewer to experience, and most of the time, on half the budget that major motion pictures spend "forcing" you to feel a certain way. "Dandelion" is perfect in the sense that all emotions caus... read moreed are organic and well-versed, with likeable characters played by the brilliant Vincent Kartheiser from "Mad Men" and the gorgeous Taryn Manning. The father-son relationship in the film, as well as the blossoming, yet heart-wrenching love story of the film, both make this film a must-see film.
  • NoxInvictus
    January 28, 2010
    NoxInvictus
    I liked it! It was semi slow paced and quiet but it went well with the movie and the setting. The ending was unexpected but...Im glad it wasnt completely random and that it didnt ruin the way things turned out.
  • Hamee
    June 30, 2009
    Hamee
    A beautiful love story that goes horribly wrong. I hate movies that have this bittersweet ending. It is very depressing by the end. I really hate the girl's mother - because everyone's life is changed by her forcing her daughter's hand to do something desperate to escape.
  • jayala8
    August 19, 2008
    jayala8
    I rented this because it stars Vincent Kartheiser from 'Mad Men'. What a piece of shit! It's basically your typically emo indy film where the lead character is so 'deep' and disconnected emotionally, he barely says a word, Daddy's under so much pressure he's becoming distant an... read mored despondent, and mommy, oh, mommy's overly religious and acts as if everything is okay, putting a smile on her face while secretly taking pills and drinking way too much. Think 'Garden State' mixed with a David Gordon Green flick. Speaking of DGG, the only redeeming quality of this film is the beautiful cinematography by the great Tim Orr. Other than that, it's trying way too hard. Everything, I mean, Everything is forced.
  • lisaann1213
    September 19, 2007
    lisaann1213
    This was a fantastic example of the emotional rage of Vincent Kartheiser. As Mason, the troubled teenaged boy trapped in a small Idaho town, living with emotionally detached parents and friends who have nothing better to do than smoke Meth, he puts in a stellar preformance, par... read moreticularly in scenes with Mare Winningham , who plays his mentally unstable mother, and Taryn Manning, who plays Danny, the girl who shows Mason that even in the face of ugliness & despair, you can still find love.
  • ChristicaCamaro
    May 27, 2007
    ChristicaCamaro
    A PERFECTLY ACTED AND PERFECTLY WRITTEN film that waz in generl one of the best drama films EVER!!!!!

View All Dandelion Reviews

Critic Reviews

Kyle Smith
October 7, 2005
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Life is sad!

Elizabeth Weitzman
October 7, 2005
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

Like its troubled protagonists, Mark Milgard's ultrasensitive ode to adolescent angst is equal parts earnest and awkward. Full Review

Stephen Holden
October 6, 2005
Stephen Holden, New York Times

The desolate Western landscape through which the characters in Mark Milgard's promising debut wander in an introspective daze, defines their emotional life. Full Review

Joshua Land
October 4, 2005
Joshua Land, Village Voice

A refreshingly region-specific entry in a teen-angst subgenre plagued by lazily sketched suburban settings. Full Review

Shirley Sealy
October 22, 2005
Shirley Sealy, Film Journal International

Dandelion is Mark Milgard's directorial debut, and it is a worthy one. Full Review

Ken Fox
October 7, 2005
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide

First-time director Mark Milgard displays enormous promise and a surprisingly sensitive touch. Full Review

October 7, 2005
E! Online

Young love blossoms in this moody and dreamy indie. Full Review

Ed Gonzalez
September 30, 2005
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine

Jodie Foster's Nell might describe Dandelion's characters as tays een da ween. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
September 29, 2005
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A woefully bad teenage love story overflowing with melodramatic touches that are excessive and unbelievable.

Jon Popick
June 19, 2004
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy

Strong debut from writer-director Mark Milgard.

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