What Doesn't Kill You (film)

For other works with similar titles, see What does not kill me makes me stronger.

What Doesn't Kill You
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Brian Goodman
Screenplay by	Donnie Wahlberg Brian Goodman Paul T. Murray
Produced by	Marc Frydman Rod Lurie Bob Yari
Starring	Ethan Hawke Mark Ruffalo Amanda Peet Donnie Wahlberg Angela Featherstone
Cinematography	Chris Norr
Edited by	Robert Hoffman
Music by	Alex Wurman
Production companies	Battleplan Productions Bob Yari Productions
Distributed by	Yari Film Group Releasing
Release date	December 12, 2008 (2008-12-12)
Running time	100 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

What Doesn't Kill You is a 2008 American crime drama loosely based on the true life story of the film's director Brian Goodman,^[1] detailing his own exploits involved with South Boston's Irish Mob.^[2] Starring Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo, it premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival,^[3] and was released on a very small scale in December 2008 due to the collapse of its distributor Yari Film Group.^[4] The title alludes to the Nietzsche quote Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker (What does not kill me makes me stronger).

Premise

Hawke and Ruffalo play childhood friends Paulie and Brian, who are forced to survive on the tough streets of South Boston through a life of petty thievery. They join a local gang of criminals, but Brian finds it hard to reconcile his work and friendship with Paulie and his relationship with his wife (Amanda Peet) and sons.

Cast

• Mark Ruffalo as Brian Reilly
• Ethan Hawke as Paulie McDougan
• Amanda Peet as Stacy Reilly
• Lenny Clarke as Hogie
• Will Lyman as Sully
• Brian Goodman as Pat Kelly
• Donnie Wahlberg as Detective Moran
• Angela Featherstone as Katie
• Lindsey McKeon as Nicole

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 65% based on 34 reviews.^[5] On Metacritic the film has a score of 71 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[6]

References

1. "Exclusive: Brian Goodman Faces What Doesn't Kill You". comingsoon.net. 10 December 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
2. "What Doesn't Kill You Blurb by Dave Wedge". BostonHerald.com. 26 April 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
3. "Toronto Film Festival lineup 2008". Variety. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
4. Fleming, Michael (12 December 2008). "Bob Yari crashes into Chapter 11". Variety. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
5. "What Doesn't Kill You Movie". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
6. "What Doesn't Kill You Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 November 2019.

External links

• What Doesn't Kill You at IMDb
• What Doesn't Kill You at Box Office Mojo
• What Doesn't Kill You at Metacritic
• What Doesn't Kill You at Rotten Tomatoes