The Associate
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: James Ponsoldt
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Based on the novel by John Grisham
Cast:
Shia LaBeouf .... Kyle McAvoy
Matthew Goode .... Bennie Wright
Glen Powell .... Joey Bernardo
Melissa Benoist .... Elaine Brennan
Evan Peters .... Baxter Tate
Scoot McNairy .... Roy Benedict
Aaron Stanford .... Nigel
Bill Pullman .... Kyle's Father
Plot: Kyle McAvoy (Shia LaBeouf) , an idealistic recent graduate of Yale Law School, intends to devote three years to public service before applying for employment with a prestigious firm. His plans are derailed when he is approached by two FBI agents who interrogate him and then pass him on to a mysterious man known only as Bennie Wright (Matthew Goode). Bennie has a videotape of a party that took place in Kyle's apartment five years earlier, when he was an undergraduate student at Duquesne University. In it, two of Kyle's fraternity brothers, Joey Bernardo (Glen Powell) and Baxter Tate (Evan Peters), are seen having sexual relations with Elaine Keenan (Melissa Benoist) , a co-ed who later claimed she was raped while unconscious, a charge seemingly supported by Joey's asking Baxter, "Is she awake?" on the tape.
At the time, the incident was investigated by local police, who determined there had been no assault and declined to take further action. With the tape now in his possession, Bennie threatens to expose Kyle's secret unless he cooperates with Bennie and his associates. Bennie's plan is to have Kyle accept a position at New York City-based Scully & Pershing, the world's largest law firm, which is representing Trylon Aeronautics in its case against Bartin Dynamics. The two defense contractors had joined forces to design the B-10 HyperSonic Bomber for The Pentagon, and when they won the contract over Lockheed, the competitor sought support from senators and lobbyists. Legal battles ensued, and Trylon and Bartin, each laying claim to ownership of the design and technologies developed for the project, are now ready to wage battle against each other in court. Kyle will be required to infiltrate Scully & Pershing's files and deliver to Bennie crucial information desired by the people he represents. His first instinct is to ignore Bennie's blackmail threats and deal with whatever consequences might arise, but the thought of the shame and embarrassment his family would suffer if he is indicted for the incident in his past, not to mention the negative impact on his own future, leads him to agree to Bennie's demands.
Constantly under surveillance while outdoors and living in an apartment in which he knows bugs and cameras have been hidden, Kyle slowly learns how to trick those who are trailing him into believing he is unaware of their presence. He seeks help from Joey, who has more to lose than Kyle does if the videotape is made public, and with his old friend as a somewhat unwilling accomplice, plots to outwit his blackmailer. He creates an interest in different spy novels, and buys them at a used book store. He learns about all the different technical components and devices used for spying and learns about a shop nearby, whose owners claimed to be "Ex-CIA," specializing in gadgets and devices specially used for surveillance. What he doesn't anticipate is the re-emergence of Elaine, who still maintains she was raped, and Baxter, who has completed a lengthy stint in rehab and, as part of his twelve-step program, wants to make amends to the girl he raped. His admission of guilt will give Elaine the proof she needs to file charges, and with Kyle drawn into the spotlight, his position at Scully & Pershing will be jeopardized, a risk Bennie must eliminate by any means. Baxter is found shot dead, with no evidence of the murderer's identity, although Kyle is certain that Bennie ordered it.
After working at the law firm's 'boot camp' for some months, as do all new associates, Kyle eventually gets drawn into the Trylon case and is granted access to the highly secure computer room where the confidential information is stored. Bennie and Nigel (Aaron Stanford), a computer expert, force him to use a thumb drive to download the files, which he does. But by this time, realizing that Bennie is nearly always one step ahead of him, Kyle has spoken to Roy Benedict (Scoot McNairy) , a criminal lawyer and former FBI operative. He tells Roy the whole story. Roy still has good connections within the FBI, and they set up an operation to catch Bennie while Roy transfers information that is not sensitive. But it misfires; Bennie and his associates vanish and remain unidentified and unapprehended, although Kyle thinks he's working for some other branch of the government. Kyle admits his actions to the firm's partners, and agrees to leave their employ immediately and not practice law in New York. He also voices his belief that one of the firm's partners has acted as a 'mole,' passing information to Bennie. Refusing the FBI's offer of witness protection, Kyle goes home to his father (Bill Pullman), also a lawyer, who has already signed a deal with Elaine and her lawyer. Kyle plans to become a partner in his father's law firm, namely McAvoy & McAvoy.
Director: James Ponsoldt
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Based on the novel by John Grisham
Cast:
Shia LaBeouf .... Kyle McAvoy
Matthew Goode .... Bennie Wright
Glen Powell .... Joey Bernardo
Melissa Benoist .... Elaine Brennan
Evan Peters .... Baxter Tate
Scoot McNairy .... Roy Benedict
Aaron Stanford .... Nigel
Bill Pullman .... Kyle's Father
Plot: Kyle McAvoy (Shia LaBeouf) , an idealistic recent graduate of Yale Law School, intends to devote three years to public service before applying for employment with a prestigious firm. His plans are derailed when he is approached by two FBI agents who interrogate him and then pass him on to a mysterious man known only as Bennie Wright (Matthew Goode). Bennie has a videotape of a party that took place in Kyle's apartment five years earlier, when he was an undergraduate student at Duquesne University. In it, two of Kyle's fraternity brothers, Joey Bernardo (Glen Powell) and Baxter Tate (Evan Peters), are seen having sexual relations with Elaine Keenan (Melissa Benoist) , a co-ed who later claimed she was raped while unconscious, a charge seemingly supported by Joey's asking Baxter, "Is she awake?" on the tape.
At the time, the incident was investigated by local police, who determined there had been no assault and declined to take further action. With the tape now in his possession, Bennie threatens to expose Kyle's secret unless he cooperates with Bennie and his associates. Bennie's plan is to have Kyle accept a position at New York City-based Scully & Pershing, the world's largest law firm, which is representing Trylon Aeronautics in its case against Bartin Dynamics. The two defense contractors had joined forces to design the B-10 HyperSonic Bomber for The Pentagon, and when they won the contract over Lockheed, the competitor sought support from senators and lobbyists. Legal battles ensued, and Trylon and Bartin, each laying claim to ownership of the design and technologies developed for the project, are now ready to wage battle against each other in court. Kyle will be required to infiltrate Scully & Pershing's files and deliver to Bennie crucial information desired by the people he represents. His first instinct is to ignore Bennie's blackmail threats and deal with whatever consequences might arise, but the thought of the shame and embarrassment his family would suffer if he is indicted for the incident in his past, not to mention the negative impact on his own future, leads him to agree to Bennie's demands.
Constantly under surveillance while outdoors and living in an apartment in which he knows bugs and cameras have been hidden, Kyle slowly learns how to trick those who are trailing him into believing he is unaware of their presence. He seeks help from Joey, who has more to lose than Kyle does if the videotape is made public, and with his old friend as a somewhat unwilling accomplice, plots to outwit his blackmailer. He creates an interest in different spy novels, and buys them at a used book store. He learns about all the different technical components and devices used for spying and learns about a shop nearby, whose owners claimed to be "Ex-CIA," specializing in gadgets and devices specially used for surveillance. What he doesn't anticipate is the re-emergence of Elaine, who still maintains she was raped, and Baxter, who has completed a lengthy stint in rehab and, as part of his twelve-step program, wants to make amends to the girl he raped. His admission of guilt will give Elaine the proof she needs to file charges, and with Kyle drawn into the spotlight, his position at Scully & Pershing will be jeopardized, a risk Bennie must eliminate by any means. Baxter is found shot dead, with no evidence of the murderer's identity, although Kyle is certain that Bennie ordered it.
After working at the law firm's 'boot camp' for some months, as do all new associates, Kyle eventually gets drawn into the Trylon case and is granted access to the highly secure computer room where the confidential information is stored. Bennie and Nigel (Aaron Stanford), a computer expert, force him to use a thumb drive to download the files, which he does. But by this time, realizing that Bennie is nearly always one step ahead of him, Kyle has spoken to Roy Benedict (Scoot McNairy) , a criminal lawyer and former FBI operative. He tells Roy the whole story. Roy still has good connections within the FBI, and they set up an operation to catch Bennie while Roy transfers information that is not sensitive. But it misfires; Bennie and his associates vanish and remain unidentified and unapprehended, although Kyle thinks he's working for some other branch of the government. Kyle admits his actions to the firm's partners, and agrees to leave their employ immediately and not practice law in New York. He also voices his belief that one of the firm's partners has acted as a 'mole,' passing information to Bennie. Refusing the FBI's offer of witness protection, Kyle goes home to his father (Bill Pullman), also a lawyer, who has already signed a deal with Elaine and her lawyer. Kyle plans to become a partner in his father's law firm, namely McAvoy & McAvoy.
BOX OFFICE
Budget: $49,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $52,190,002
Foreign Box Office: $51,704,270
Total Profit: -$38,462,497
Domestic Box Office: $52,190,002
Foreign Box Office: $51,704,270
Total Profit: -$38,462,497
REVIEWS
"The Associate has the makings of a great thriller but just isn't well-rounded enough to leave a mark. Ultimately, the let-down falls on the shoulders of director James Ponsoldt, who after starting out in well-regarded, well-crafted indies, has struggled to carry over that success over. His studio films have come across as clumsy and distant." - Geoff Bray, Slant Magazine
"Good performances, especially from LaBeouf and Goode, a quicksilver pace, and some modest surprises result in a satisfying popcorn picture." - George Ryan, Philadelphia Inquirer
"This Shia LaBeouf-led thriller ranks just below The Firm and The Client on the list of John Grisham-inspired thrillers." - Olive Carroll, Houston Chronicle
Rated R for language and sexual content.
Filming Locations:
New York City, New York, USA
New York City, New York, USA
- Gavin O'Connor famously dropped out of directing the film following conflicts with the studio regarding casting the lead role.
- James Ponsoldt was hired to direct after Shia LaBeouf and the studio met with various directors for the job, including David Gordon Green, John Wells and David Koepp.
- Shia LaBeouf beat out Miles Teller and Zac Efron for the lead role.
- James Ponsoldt was hired to direct after Shia LaBeouf and the studio met with various directors for the job, including David Gordon Green, John Wells and David Koepp.
- Shia LaBeouf beat out Miles Teller and Zac Efron for the lead role.