Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Kelly Ernswiler copes with a troubled home life and a school bully by staging elaborate historical war reenactments with his friend Bart. When Kelly becomes involved with Bart's older sister, his carefully ordered world grows more complicated. His fascination with military strategy ultimately shapes the way he confronts both teenage conflict and the painful realities of adulthood.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was the winning feature project from the second season of HBO's Project Greenlight, the filmmaking competition created by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

• Screenwriter Erica Beeney won the season's script competition, while Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin were selected to make their feature-film debut as co-directors.

• Production was documented throughout the second season of Project Greenlight, giving viewers an unusually detailed look at the casting, rewrites, filming, test screenings, and post-production of the movie.

• Despite its title and Ohio setting, the film was shot in the greater Los Angeles area. Locations included the Los Angeles County Arboretum, Reseda, and Santa Monica.

• No live-action scenes featuring the principal cast were filmed in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

• Miramax released the film theatrically in the United States on August 22, 2003.