After the box office failure of Mall Rats, Kevin Smith feared that his time as film director was coming to an end. He went back to low budget basics. He convinced Miramax (who had made a tidy sum off Clerks) to give him a budget of $250,000 (or less) and he went off to make Chasing Amy. The film proved to be an indie sensation pulling in $12 million at the box office. This led to Miramax making a different deal with Smith. They gave him the money for four low budget films to be made by others. The studio didn’t even own the films. They just wanted the first right to distribute the movies. The studio passed on all four including Big Helium Dog. A Better Place was part of View Askew’s four films and was directed by Vincent Pereira. He worked at the Quick Stop Convenience store with Kevin Smith. The duo would go into New York City to see indie films. Pereira worked in various positions on Clerks. When the producing deal happened, Smith was able to fund his pal’s filmmaking dream. A Better Place that was really different from Clerks.
Barret Michaelson (Robert DiPatri) is not fitting in with his new school. He’s rather geeky and his glasses don’t help. He’s an immediate target for the class bullies who pounce on him in the gym locker room. He’s rescued from a beating by Ryan (Fight Club‘s Eion Bailey). While they are both outsiders at school, Ryan is on the outside because he has an exceptionally dark past involving why he’s an orphan. They two quickly bond and become friends. While they’re hanging out in the woods, an old guy gets upset at them for trespassing on his property. Ryan tosses a rock at the old guy’s head which knocks the guy so that he falls over and break his neck on a bigger rock. The school pals figure out how to make the old guy’s death look like a normal walking in the woods accident. When the body is found, the cops accept it as an accident. Later one of the school bullies tracks down Ryan for revenge. It’s not a pretty sight. This leads to Ryan not just wanting to fight the guy, but put a bullet in his head. Can Barret allow his only friend to become a cold-blooded murderer?
Vincent Pereira really went dark on this tale of the violence found inside a high school. He created an extra intense version of My Bodyguard without as many cute moments. He has someone picking their broken teeth out of the dirt. It’s easy to see why Miramax passed on the film. It’s hard to promote the film being “from producer Kevin Smith.” The audience would be expecting teenage goofiness. Instead they receive a harsh dose of New Jersey bleakness. This is darker than anything made in the Garden State by Todd Solondz. Vincent Pereira didn’t hold back the trauma to deliver a Hollywood calling card. This is indie. A Better Place remains an engrossing film after nearly three decades.
The Video is 1.33:1 full frame. There’s a proper indie grainy feel to the transfer. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix to give you the full New Jersey effect. The movie is subtitled in English.
Introduction by Writer & Director Vincent Pereira (2:03) has him show off the VHS copy that came out. He points out that he added a minute to this version from the DVD that came out in 2001. He also tweaked visual errors. It was shot on 16mm with a budget of $50,000. He calls it the final director’s cut.
Audio Commentary is an archival recording with Vincent Pereira and crew including actor Robert DiPatri. They talk about the nightmare DiPatri had cutting his hair for the role.
2001 Cut (85:19) was featured on the original DVD release. This version features a “Goof” commentary and three introductions by producers Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. The two are goofy claiming they had signed up for a film called “A Butter Place.” Smith says Pereira got him into indie film. Kevin says the budget was $40,000.
Deleted Scenes (16:29) has eight snipped scene includes a drug deal, Ryan’s rant and another talky scenes that were cut down. There’s an optional commentary from Pereira about why the scenes were changed. We learn his tribute to Heaven’s Gate.
Outtakes & Bloopers (1:38) has them goofing around on 16mm. That’s costly. We do see more Jason Lee.
“A Better Place” 2025 Trailer (1:26) shows how the new life didn’t work out for this kid.
MVD Marquee Collection and Smodcastle Cinema present A Better Place: Director’s Cut. Directed by Vincent Pereira. Screenplay by Vincent Pereira. Starring Eion Bailey, Robert DiPatri, Joseph Cassese, Carmen Llywelyn, Brian Lynch, Bryan Sproat, Molly Castelloe, Jason Lee, Vincent Pereira, Richard Lynch & Scott Mosier. Rating: Unrated. Running Time: 87 minutes. Release Date: May 27, 2025.
