Adopted (film)

Adopted
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Pauly Shore
Produced by	Sam Hendrikse Ann Roberts Pauly Shore
Written by	Pauly Shore
Starring	Pauly Shore
Distributed by	Phase 4 Films
Release date(s)	2009 (2009) (South Africa)
Running time	80 minutes
Language	English

Adopted is a 2009 American independent film starring comedian Pauly Shore. It is a movie that pokes fun at the current trend of celebrity adoptions. The film marks Shore's third turn as a writer, director, and producer.

Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Casting 3.2 Shooting 3.3 Marketing 3.4 Release 4 References 5 External links

Plot summary

Adopted is a mockumentary/comedy that explores the lengths to which Pauly Shore (Son in Law; Pauly Shore is Dead) will go to adopt a child during a trip to Africa.

Practicing fatherhood by taking a variety of “orphans” (actors) on day-trips, Pauly Shore believes that he can leave his playboy past behind for good and start an instant family –- as many other stars have done.

After getting help from a social worker friend, Pauly takes an orphan-a-day (actors) while he explores this strange country full of weird and wonderful people, with disastrous and humorous results.

Meeting real people in real chaotic situations along the way, Pauly stumbles along the adoption trail, stepping on toes and poking fun at the current fascination with celebrity adoptions.

Cast

• Pauly Shore - Himself

Production

Casting

All the children were actors that were cast in South Africa, but unlike casting in LA or New York that involves hundreds of actors with movies under their belt, the pickings in SA were slim. They only had about 10 children to choose from – none of them with any real experience in front of the camera – so the children ended up playing themselves.

Odwa, described by Pauly Shore as “this little chubby black kid, with a huge personality – a little version of Cedric the Entertainer,” immediately hit it off with Shore and was cast as the first orphan.

Shore also fell in love with Somila – the adorable, gummy-smiled, reserved little boy. The balancing act of these two personalities worked out well on screen with Odwa on one side – crazy and over the top, and Somila on the other hand – soft and sweet.

The last child actor to steal Shore’s heart was “Faith,” a mischievous, yet very quiet and shy girl.

Another character that dominates in the movie is Shore’s driver, “Val.” The real-life sister of the owner of the transport and security company contracted to the comedy festival, both the producer, Sam Hendrikse, and Shore agreed that she was the perfect fit to play his driver in the film.

Shooting

The film was written, directed and produced by Pauly Shore.¹ It is set, and was filmed, entirely in South Africa.²

The adult actors in the film were in many cases, in front of the camera for the first time, another deliberate decision to keep the situations feeling very real, thereby playing into the mockumentary premise. One example of this was the pivotal role of Alan, the orphanage principal, who was played by a social worker from Marsh Memorial Home where the film was shot.

Most of the characters in the film were met in situation and simply were reacting to Shore in a natural way. According to Hendrikse, “The most memorable of these was Peter Mate, the local African man we encountered while shooting in a very poor area outside of Cape Town. He welcomed Pauly into his home and the conversation that ensued had to be kept in Adopted.”

Marketing

In addition to a trailer for the film, the film's producers relied on a heavy viral marketing campaign, including videos on Funny Or Die.

Release

The film saw a theatrical release in South Africa in 2009, and was released on June 15, 2010 on DVD in the United States.³

References

External links

• Official site
• Adopted at the Internet Movie Database