The Unexpected Race is a 2018 American fantasy film starring Jack Black,[1] Jon Heder[2] and Clint Pulver.[3] Unexpected Race was written, directed, and produced by Stephen Groo.[4] It is a remake of Groo's 2003 film of the same name.

The Unexpected Race
Movie poster
Directed byStephen Groo
Produced byStephen Groo
Jared Harris
Jared Hess
Scott Christopherson
Eric Robertson
StarringJack Black
Jon Heder
Sariah Hopkin
Clint Pulver
CinematographyLauren VanDerwerken
Music byJason Adams
Distributed byWolf Productions
Release dates
  • September 14, 2018 (2018-09-14) (Sydney Underground Film Festival)
  • July 18, 2019 (2019-07-18) (United States)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film premiered at the 2018 Sydney Underground Film Festival.[5] Jack Black was introduced to director Groo's films by Jared Hess, director of Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. Black, who had starred in Nacho Libre, became a huge fan of Groo's and volunteered to take part in Unexpected Race.[6]

Plot

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A young woman named Amber is sent to live with her father, someone she hasn't seen since a car accident that took the life of her mother more than 10 years ago. Amber finds an elf named Lythorin hiding in the woods, trying to elude an FBI agent tasked to destroy all elves. Amber and Lythorin fall in love and the elf must decide if he wants to stay alone or be with Amber.

Cast

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  • Sariah Hopkin as Amber
  • Jack Black as Sheriff
  • Clint Pulver as Lythorin
  • Cherie Julander as Lylerine
  • Crystal Hatfield as Zara
  • Jon Heder as Harry
  • Jared Hess as Deputy
  • Adam Colvin as Deputy
  • Stacylyn Bennett as Mother
  • Ruel Brown as Father
  • Eric Robertson as Special Forces
  • Bob Richardson as Agent Hardman
  • Brandon Arnold as Special Forces
  • Micah Dahl Anderson as Special Forces
  • James Alexander as FBI Agent
  • Tyson Riskas as Agent Forest

References

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  1. ^ Ritman, Alex (21 June 2018). "How Jack Black Was Cast in Cult DIY Director Stephen Groo's Microbudget Elf-Human Fantasy Romance". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Interview with Painter + Production Designer Ruel Brown". Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  3. ^ Harris, Sarah (7 June 2018). "How an 'insufferable' Provo filmmaker recruited Jack Black for a low-budget movie". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  4. ^ "New documentary follows life of eccentric Utah filmmaker". AP News. 9 June 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  5. ^ "SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2018 - Factory Theatre". www.factorytheatre.com.au. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Stephen Groo: Passion of an Indie". Scorpius Magazine. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
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