• Synopsis

WHAT MATTERS MOST is a bittersweet Romeo and Juliet story set in a one-horse Texas town. The lives of two teenagers revolve around torn feelings of friendship, passionate love, and tragic memories, all woven through the guilt and control of their parents, the pain of small-town prejudice, and the dreams of two people reaching for each other from opposite sides of the tracks.

Director Writer/director Jane Cusumano died one month after completing this film, culminating her four-year courageous battle with breast cancer.

• Review

What Matters Most is a modern-day Pretty In Pink meets The Last Picture Show. Beautifully shot on the plains of the Texas Panhandle, this bittersweet Romeo and Juliet story is about following your heart, no matter what obstacles are thrown your way. The lives of two teenagers revolve in torn feelings of friendship, passionate love, and tragic memories, all wovenn through the guilt and control of their parents, the challenge of small town ways and the dreams of two people desperately reaching for each other from “opposite sides of the tracks.”

The film stars Chad Allen [“Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman” and “NYPD Blue”] as Lucas Warner; Polly Cusumano [“ER”, “Gun Series” (Ted Demme), and “MTV Undressed”] as his girlfriend, Heather Stone; Marshall Teague [Armageddon, The Rock, and Walker Texas Ranger] as Raymond Warner, Lucas’ unyielding wealthy father; and Tamara Clatterbuck [“City of Industry,” “Payback,” “General Hospital,” “Days of Our Lives”] as Anita Stone, Heather’s strong single mom.

Lucas and Heather persevere through parental and societal adversity, and forge a special journey, ultimately proving to all around them that love is really What Matters Most! In the course of their journey, Lucas and Heather change the lives of the people in their inner circle in ways they could never have anticipated.

Chateau Wally Films, headed by James A. Cusumano, honors the lifelong dream of writer/director Jane Cusumano with special screenings of What Matters Most in seven cities, nationwide from August to November 2001:

Dallas August 29 The Angelika Theater---Mockingbird Lane
Amarillo August 30 United Artists---Soncy Rd. & Rt.40
New York October 2 & 4 IFP Market: Angelika Film Center, SOHO
Washington, D.C. October 16 George Washington University Media Ctr.
San Francisco October 19 & 21 Delancey Street Theater
Chicago October 23 Landmark Century Theater
Los Angeles November 2 Writers Guild, Beverly Hills
New York November 5 & 6 Loews Theater---980 19th Street