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Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio
as Derek

Tobey Maguire
as Ian

Kevin Connolly
as Jeremy

Amber Benson
as Amy

Scott Bloom
as Brad

Jenny Lewis
as Sara

Heather McComb
as Constance

Meadow Sisto
as Juliet

Traci Lee Burgard

Amy Chance

Alex Guevara

Marissa Ribisi
as Tracy

Ethan Suplee
as Big Bum

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Critic Reviews for El Café Don's

Audience Reviews for El Café Don's

• Apr 16, 2011

  A group of Los Angeles teenagers meet every day at their local diner hangout to discus their latest misadventures with their miserable lives. Good movie. Been a Leonardo DiCaprio movie fan I had to see this and wasn't that bad. I understand why some actors didn't want for this film to be released but it sure was decent enough. It is true that impact is a little bit lost sometimes because it's hard to relate with the characters. It's hard to admit for anyone that they've asked out a 'friend' sometimes just for accompaniment and self-gratification like the characters seem to do in this film. But I'm a 100 % sure that everyone has done it at least once in their life. This film is hard to watch cause it takes this very aspect of relationships and puts in under a magnifying glass.I think the film is good in the way that it had it's desired effect. It's not your cup of tea if you want to watch something entertaining, something fun with your friends. Acting is very interesting, because it mainly plays in the same room and the film is in black and white attention is focused on the words, and even more on the gestures and facial expressions of the characters. Nice cast and it had some comedy and drama which was a nice treat overall. Directed by R.D. Robb, the largely unreleased Don's Plum made headlines throughout the late '90s for featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, who, after scoring big with the success of Titanic, was enjoying the top spot on young Hollywood's A-list. The film stars DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire as two of several obnoxious rich kids whittling the night away at Don's Plum, a local diner. Shot in black-and-white and largely improvised, the kids speak candidly about women, sex, drugs, and the nuances of relationships -- if by "nuances" one means adultery, masturbation, bisexuality, and whatever shock-topics the moment may have called for. Maguire and DiCaprio claimed to have worked in Plum free of charge on the condition that it would not be made into a feature release, and promptly sued Robb for distribution rights after it was, indeed, stretched into a 90-minute film. Though the young actors successfully blocked Don's Plum from release among American and Canadian audiences, it was shown internationally, albeit without much success.
  Manu G Super Reviewer
• Oct 18, 2010

  <div style="width:400px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/kevin-connolly-dons-plum-kevin-connolly-in-dons-plum-10676833"><img src="http://content7.flixster.com/photo/10/67/68/10676833_gal.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com">Flixster</a> - Share Movies</div></div> There was a dispute involving rights to the film between the director and some of the actors. I really don't understand what all the fuss is about maybe this really showed some real personalities or sides of them they didn't want to be seen since it was relatively all improvisation. Maybe there is more human insight to who they really are and that is what frights them either way I couldn't care less. Because this should have been left out for the public to be seen and enjoy however they wanted. Who would know what changes this kids would have had in their careers. I mean who knows? The movie shows a side of Leo that he didn't want people to see, and to this day he says that he's embarrassed about the whole thing. Another thing can these people smoke anymore? My eyes were itching and red the whole time because of all the smoke... This film is hard to watch because it takes this very aspect of relationships and puts in under a magnifying glass. I even had to interrupt watching it, because the brutality was making me nervous. I think the film is good in the way that it had its desired effect. It's not your cup of tea if you want to watch something entertaining, something fun with your friends. Acting is very interesting. Because it mainly plays in the same room and the film is in black and white attention is focused on the words, and even more on the gestures and facial expressions of the characters. It's worth watching if you want to watch something that's not main stream. Don's Plum contains a hypnotic plot that is completely absent of seen-before action sequences and predictable twists. It is a simple story of a group of friends, the issues that they have had, are having and will have in time to come. The themes brought up throughout the film are relevant to every posse - homosexuality, comradeship, loyalty, ethics, morals, tolerance etc. Most importantly, the viewer is encouraged to arrive at a point of self reflection, as the characters so frequently do in the toilet mirror throughout the film. Maguire's character brings an attractive girl named Juliet (Meadow Sisto), who he met at an acid jazz club. Scott Bloom's character, an introspective bisexual, brings a woman he has been sleeping with (Jenny Lewis), and Connolly's character brings a hippie hitchhiker. DiCaprio doesn't luck out with the ladies on this particular night, and struts into the diner alone. When his friends ask him why he doesn't have a date, he says that he had a great situation with two bisexual girls, but it didn't work out. "In other words you were beating off," Jeremy (Kevin Connolly) says. The group consists of middle-class kids in their twenties, and they don't seem to care much about tact or manners. They discuss masturbation, drugs, and personal experiences in a shameless amount of detail. The editing is frequent and jumpy, and the film is shot in hazy black-and-white. For a large portion of the film, it seems as if we'll just be listening to these people talking about whatever comes to mind. That's fine by us. The movie has an enigmatic sense of voyeurism to it. The sheer reality of the dialogue feels too powerful to merely be acting. These young adults aren't just spewing out offensive tirades, however. They're making subtle and often very insightful statements about themselves, and sometimes even about humanity as a whole. Things get consistently more interesting. Derek (DiCaprio) is somewhat of a punk, and at one point he begins laughing loudly at an overweight woman who walks by. Jeremy's date doesn't seem to approve, so she tells him that he doesn't have the right to talk about another person that way. He begins viciously cursing her out until she runs out of the restaurant in tears. He excuses himself by saying "it's just the way I am". He continues his verbally aggressive assaults for the entire film, insulting friends and strangers alike with merciless incessancy. The group discusses what they have and haven't done, and what traits about each other are most unappealing. They exchange flirtatious glances, and a lesbian friend of Jenny Lewis' character arrives onto the scene. The dialogue remains lively and real, and there are fantastic cut-scenes where the characters talk to themselves in the reflection of a grimy restroom mirror. These are some of the most touching and utterly human moments in the entire film. They don't only recite dark proclamations. They make silly faces, they sing and they scold themselves for trivial screw-ups. The film switches tone consistently, exploring almost every emotion in the human spectrum. Towards the conclusion, there is a heavy overtone of darkness. Derek becomes very somber and very distant, and we learn that his father committed suicide as a result of constant conflict with his mom. He leaves the table, and one of the girls goes to try and comfort him. He becomes violent and mean, and in one scene DiCaprio manages to sum up the character's inner struggle without being obvious or blatant. His spite towards women has turned him into a bully, and he sees them as objects rather than people. There's an explosion of violence followed by a forgiving embrace. That moment in itself is a crushing piece of humanity on film. We're not watching characters hug. We're seeing two men make amends, and it's beautiful. In the end the group walks away smiling and laughing. Don's Plum isn't the trivial piece of garbage that it's made out to be. It's about the ultimate lack of meaning that exists in a group like these people. Almost everything that can happen to them happens on this night, and none of it amounts to anything. It's about failed relationships, unfilled voids and the brutal truth of modern-day youths. It's vulgar, the structure is practically nonexistent, but the content is as honest as films get. <div style="width:480px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/leonardo-dicaprio-dons-plum-dons-plum-9405401"><img src="http://content7.flixster.com/photo/94/05/40/9405401_gal.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com">Flixster</a> - Share Movies</div></div> Directed by R.D. Robb, the largely unreleased Don's Plum made headlines throughout the late '90s for featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, who, after scoring big with the success of Titanic, was enjoying the t... read more op spot on young Hollywood's A-list. The film stars DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire as two of several obnoxious rich kids whittling the night away at Don's Plum, a local diner. Shot in black-and-white and largely improvised, the kids speak candidly about women, sex, drugs, and the nuances of relationships -- if by "nuances" one means adultery, masturbation, bisexuality, and whatever shock-topics the moment may have called for. Maguire and DiCaprio claimed to have worked in Plum free of charge on the condition that it would not be made into a feature release, and promptly sued Robb for distribution rights after it was, indeed, stretched into a 90-minute film. Though the young actors successfully blocked Don's Plum from release among American and Canadian audiences, it was shown internationally, albeit without much success. A group of Los Angeles teenagers meet every day at their local diner hangout to discus their latest misadventures with their miserable lives.
  Sergio E Super Reviewer
• Jan 18, 2008

  This is an usual movie. Filmed in black and white, about a group of teenage guys who meet at their local diner. The guys main objective is to pick up girls to bring to their hangout. Unfortunately none of these guys are mature enough for relationships. Stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Scott Bloom and Kevin Connolly. Leo and Tobey got a court order to bann the sale of this movie in US and Canada.
  Candy R Super Reviewer
• Jun 11, 2007

  Coarse, uncompromising character piece filled with quirks and moody undertones. Basically, we watch a group of miserable young adults discuss everything ranging from sex to suicide - they fight, they gripe, they laugh and they talk to themselves into a grimy bathroom mirror. It's about the triviality and meaningless complexity of a night out between wealthy American friends. There are some unpleasant, off-putting scenes in this film that have contributed largely to its negative reception. I can see why it's such a strongly disliked movie, but I get something out of it and I really admire the performances (particularly from the brilliant Leonardo DiCaprio).
  Mike T Super Reviewer

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