Stuey

Stuey is based on the life of three time World Series of Poker champion Stu Ungar played by Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos). He was a genius, a fool, a gambler and the world's most brilliant & admired card player. The story starts out with Stuey’s childhood in New York and ends up in Vegas where he falls into a dubious world of booze, sex & drugs. He gambles away all his winnings and goes heavily into debt getting him in trouble with the mob, his wife and all the important people in his life.

The story is told by Stu at the end of his life with a series of flashbacks and time shifts. There is a strong element of realism with some amazing poker playing scenes that appeal to seasoned card players, juxtaposed against the surreal & timeless aspects of the film.

Our goal in helping to musically tell his story was to create a score that plays the intimate & complex environment inside Stuey's head as he recalls his life, and his decisions and actions that ultimately led to his untimely death.

This is the directorial debut of director Anthony W. Vidmer who conceived of the story, directed and edited the film. Since he lives out of town, we, along with our music editor Laurie Higgins Tobias worked together on the phone, playing him ideas on a daily basis and gradually the voice of Stuey and the other characters began to develop and be evident.

The voice of the piano surrounded harmonically by an orchestral chamber group, ambient synthesizer textures, and jazz bass, drums and vibes became the expression of Stuey's inner thoughts. His unusual realities, the wonderful personification by the film's star Michael Imperioli, and the creative way the story was shot, inspired us musically and gave us the opportunity to create a reflective and moody score.

This movie has been connecting with audiences where ever it plays and recently won the Audience Choice Award for best feature at the Nashville Film Festival.

Featuring:
Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos, Love in the Time of Money), Steven Schirripa
(The Sopranos), Todd Susman, Michael Nouri (Finding Forrester), Pat Morita,
Renee Faia

Official site: www.stueymovie.com

Quotable

"This is another one of those films (like last year's Road To Perdition)
where you notice how the film is lit because it's art on the screen. The lighting
and the music set the mood and give the movie a 'polished' feel.” - The
Movie Chicks

"The musical score is well-integrated throughout the film. Those who know the
legend will relate to the film, and those who did not know Stuey will know
him after seeing the film. The film is more than a poker story; it's a human
story that reveals the frailties of a man who climbed a mountain everyone said
couldn't be climbed, only to slip at the top and fall into the abyss of despair."
august 2003, Card Player Magazine - Brian Kaplin

"Starr & Jeff took an already interesting story and added emotional content
to it...their music added incredible momentum to the film." A.W. Vidmer
(director of Stuey)