5-25-77

5-25-77, released as 25-5-77 in the United Kingdom, is a 2022 coming-of-age film written and directed by Patrick Read Johnson and produced by Fred Roos and Gary Kurtz. It stars John Francis Daley as a teenage director living in Wadsworth, Illinois, and his excitement for the premiere of Star Wars on May 25, 1977. Plot Eight-year-old Pat sees the film 2001: A Space Odyssey and it creates a lifelong desire in him to create special effects movies, starting in his backyard with an 8mm camera. His father initially supports his activities, but eventually leaves the family. He makes his own sequels to Planet of the Apes, Jaws, and Space: 1999 all while dreaming of one day making it big in Hollywood himself. As a high school senior, Pat has yet to finish any of his films, much to the frustration of his best friend Bill Holmes, who is also his filmmaking partner and lead actor. Pat and Bill struggle to fit in at school but Bill's sometime girlfriend Robin enjoys their unique friendship. Pat is obsessed with 2001 and his obsession leads him to learn all he can about special effects artist and filmmaker Douglas Trumbull, whom he mostly knows about by reading magazines like American Cinematographer. Pat works on a new film about an alien visiting his small town and his difficulty fitting in. He meets Linda, who works in his school cafeteria, while she is reading Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 novel. He takes it as a sign, and they begin dating, but it is unclear if she's a better fit for him than Robin. Linda has a protective friend named Tony who doesn't like Pat or Bill.