The Florida Project (2017)

UNKNOWN

Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube, Microsoft Store, Netflix, Kanopy

89%

2017, Drama, 1h 55m

RT Critics’ Score: 96% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
66 wins & 133 nominations total

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Critics Consensus

The Florida Project offers a colorfully empathetic look at an underrepresented part of the population that proves absorbing even as it raises sobering questions about modern America

Audience Consensus

The Florida Project is like a rainbow in a rainstorm, illuminating the nuances of life that consume us all, no matter where we live, how much money we make, what our social status is, how we choose to spend our time, and who we spend it with. It’s a movie that combines boundless energy and childlike enthusiasm with dark social realism, resulting in a gorgeous masterpiece that captures the colorful and bright world of impoverished inhabitants without judging or pitying them. And let’s not forget Willem Dafoe’s performance of the year, which is just the cherry on top of this deeply honest and heartwarming film.

Storyline

Halley lives with her six year old daughter Moonee in a budget motel along one of the commercial strips catering to the Walt Disney World tourist clientele outside Orlando, Florida. Halley, who survives largely on welfare, has little respect for people, especially those who cross her, it an attitude that she has passed down to Moonee, who curses and gives the finger like her mother. Although the motel’s policy is not to allow long term rentals, Bobby, the motel manager, has made arrangements for people like Halley to live there while not undermining the policy as he realizes that many such tenants have no place to go otherwise. Halley, Moonee and Moonee’s friends, who live in the motel or others like it along the strip and who she often drags into her disruptive pranks, are often the bane of Bobby’s existence, but while dealing with whatever problem arises, Bobby has a soft spot especially for the children and thus, by association, their parents, as he knows that Moonee and others like her are just children acting like a children under whatever guidance they have, Moonee who has less guidance than most. Although there are some lines which he will not tolerate to be crossed, Bobby lets most of the disruptive things that they do go, largely as long as it does not affect the bread and butter of the motel, namely the tourist trade. The summer in this collective is presented, when Moonee and her friends, such as Scooty, are out of school and are left largely to their own devices while self-absorbed Halley does whatever she wants, often just staying in the room watching TV. Halley is supposed to look after Scooty, the son of Halley’s friend Ashley, they who live in the unit immediately underneath Halley and Moonee’s, while Ashley is at work at a local diner. In turn, Ashley pilfers cooked meals from the diner to feed Halley, Moonee and Scooty. Over the course of the summer, Halley systematically begins to alienate one by one the people who are her unofficial support by responding with that disrespect to anything she feels is against her. As such, Halley begins to take more and more extreme measures to maintain the life she leads with Moonee.

Production Company(ies)
K T F Films,

Distributor
A24

Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)

Filming Location(s)
Magic Castle Inn & and Suites, 5055 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee, Florida, USA

MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language throughout, disturbing behavior, sexual references and some drug material.

Year of Release
2017

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby Digital
Aspect ratio:

2.39 : 1
Runtime:

1h 55m
Language(s):

English, Spanish, Portuguese
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Oct 6, 2017 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 20, 2018

Genre(s)
Drama

Keyword(s)
starring Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Valeria Cotto, Christopher Rivera, Caleb Landry Jones, directed by Sean Baker, written by Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Christy Lemire, Kambole Campbell, Jake Wilson, Wenlei Ma, David Stratton, Ryan Gilbey, Brian Eggert, Cory Woodroof, Jason Adams, Dorothy Woodend, Matt Brunson, produced by Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Shih-Ching Tsou, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Kevin Chinoy, Francesca Silvestri, R rating, motel, poverty, childhood, Florida, Disney World, underrepresented population, social realism, innocence, misdeeds, summer, empathy, cinematography, young actors, Tangerine, American poverty, misery

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $10,954,677
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,213,927
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,874
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,440,995

US/Canada gross: $5,904,366
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $7,122,059
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,708
US/Canada opening weekend: $157,553
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $190,046
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,681

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,412,472
Production budget ranking: 2,011
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,299,116
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $9,502,338
ROI to date (est.): 256%
ROI ranking: 523

Cast & Crew

Willem Dafoe

Bobby

Brooklynn Prince

Moonee

Bria Vinaite

Bobby

Moonee

Halley

Jancey

Scooty

Willem Dafoe – Bobby
Brooklynn Prince – Moonee
Bria Vinaite – Halley
Valeria Cotto – Jancey
Christopher Rivera – Scooty
Caleb Landry Jones – Jack
Sean Baker – Director/Writer/Producer
Chris Bergoch – Writer/Producer
Shih-Ching Tsou – Producer
Andrew Duncan – Producer
Alex Saks – Producer
Kevin Chinoy – Producer
Francesca Silvestri – Producer

Sean Baker

Chris Bergoch

Shih-Ching Tsou

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Sean Baker

Writer(s)
Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch

Producer(s)
Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch, Shih-Ching Tsou, Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Kevin Chinoy, Francesca Silvestri

Film Festivals
Cannes, Toronto

Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
66 wins & 133 nominations total

Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees

Top Reviews

Christy Lemire

Kambole Campbell

Jake Wilson

Wenlei Ma

David Stratton

Christy Lemire

Kambole Campbell

Jake Wilson

Wenlei Ma

David Stratton

THE FLORIDA PROJECT
All Critics (319) | Top Critics (75) | Fresh (306) | Rotten (13)
I knew form the first shot that I was watching a truly great movie… It’s so real, it’s so raw.

September 26, 2018 | Rating: 9.6/10

Christy Lemire
What the Flick?!
TOP CRITIC
A work that combines boundless energy and childlike enthusiasm with dark social realism, Sean Baker’s wildly inventive style of filmmaking has resulted in the gorgeous masterpiece that is The Florida Project.

August 25, 2018 | Rating: 5/5

Kambole Campbell
One Room With A View
TOP CRITIC
Little Moonee is innocent in every sense that counts, and even her worst misdeeds are fuelled by excitement at the possibilities of life.

December 21, 2017 | Rating: 4/5

Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
The world captured by Sean Baker’s lens is colourful and bright, despite its impoverished inhabitants, and he never judges or pities them for their choices, even if you might. Here is a movie that shows, not tells.

December 19, 2017 | Rating: 5/5

Wenlei Ma
News.com.au
TOP CRITIC
There isn’t much of a narrative going on here, but Baker succeeds in enveloping the viewer in a very particular place.

December 15, 2017 | Rating: 4/5

David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
Baker’s work with his largely inexperienced cast is relaxed and playful, and the film’s tone is fairly assured.

November 16, 2017

Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
The charm, wrenching emotion, and compassion that Baker finds in his characters are enhanced by his unique touches of humor and unlikely optimism.

March 17, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4

Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
The Florida Project is a rainbow in a rainstorm illuminating the nuances of life that consume us all, no matter where we live, how much money we make, what our social status is, how we choose to spend our time and who we spend it with.

February 11, 2022

Cory Woodroof
Curnblog
Baker clearly loves every single person he puts inside his camera and feeds off their nasty wise humor of the doomed… The Florida Project is deeply honest

January 14, 2022

Jason Adams
The Film Experience
The folks in these stories might be poor, desperate and often completely out of their minds, but there is a curious species of warmth, compassion and even honour in their worlds.

December 29, 2021

Dorothy Woodend
The Tyee (British Columbia)
The best picture of 2017, with Willem Dafoe delivering the performance of the year.

November 22, 2021 | Rating: 4/4

Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
This movie really challenged me to look at my own compassion.

August 13, 2021

Hosea Rupprecht
Pauline Center for Media Studies…

Plot
Halley lives with her six year old daughter Moonee in a budget motel along one of the commercial strips catering to the Walt Disney World tourist clientele outside Orlando, Florida. Halley, who survives largely on welfare, has little respect for people, especially those who cross her, it an attitude that she has passed down to Moonee, who curses and gives the finger like her mother. Although the motel’s policy is not to allow long term rentals, Bobby, the motel manager, has made arrangements for people like Halley to live there while not undermining the policy as he realizes that many such tenants have no place to go otherwise. Halley, Moonee and Moonee’s friends, who live in the motel or others like it along the strip and who she often drags into her disruptive pranks, are often the bane of Bobby’s existence, but while dealing with whatever problem arises, Bobby has a soft spot especially for the children and thus, by association, their parents, as he knows that Moonee and others like her are just children acting like a children under whatever guidance they have, Moonee who has less guidance than most. Although there are some lines which he will not tolerate to be crossed, Bobby lets most of the disruptive things that they do go, largely as long as it does not affect the bread and butter of the motel, namely the tourist trade. The summer in this collective is presented, when Moonee and her friends, such as Scooty, are out of school and are left largely to their own devices while self-absorbed Halley does whatever she wants, often just staying in the room watching TV. Halley is supposed to look after Scooty, the son of Halley’s friend Ashley, they who live in the unit immediately underneath Halley and Moonee’s, while Ashley is at work at a local diner. In turn, Ashley pilfers cooked meals from the diner to feed Halley, Moonee and Scooty. Over the course of the summer, Halley systematically begins to alienate one by one the people who are her unofficial support by responding with that disrespect to anything she feels is against her. As such, Halley begins to take more and more extreme measures to maintain the life she leads with Moonee.

Trivia