{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = Bellyfruit | image = Bellyfruit.jpg | caption = DVD cover | director = Kerri Green | producer = Robert Bauer <br />Bonnie Dickenson | writer = Maria Bernhard <br />Susannah Blinkoff<br>Janet Borrus<br>Kerri Green | narrator = | starring = Tamara LaSeon Bass <br />Tonatzin Mondragon <br />Kelly Vint Castro<br />Michael Peña <br />T.E. Russell | music = Jay Gruska | cinematography = Peter Calvin | editing = Carmel Juneau | distributor = The Asylum<br>Seventh Art Releasing | released = {{Film date|1999}} | runtime = 87 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $1,000,000 }}
'''''Bellyfruit''''' is a 1999 American independent drama film about teen pregnancy directed and co-written by Kerri Green.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Frenette|first1=Brad|title='The Goonies' at 25: Where are they now?|url=https://nationalpost.com/arts/the-goonies-at-25-where-are-they-now|website=news.nationalpost.com|publisher=National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc|access-date=24 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bailey|first1=Jason|title='The Goonies' Turns 30: Where Is the Cast Now?|url=http://flavorwire.com/521982/the-goonies-turns-30-where-is-the-cast-now|website=flavorwire.com|date=8 June 2015|publisher=flavorwire|access-date=24 July 2015|archive-date=25 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725013143/http://flavorwire.com/521982/the-goonies-turns-30-where-is-the-cast-now|url-status=live}}</ref> The film is the first feature film released by The Asylum.
==Overview== ''Bellyfruit'' is an adaptation of an original stage play of the same title which premiered at the Los Angeles Theatre Center on March 16, 1996. The play is a culmination of written works and theatrical performances developed from the stories of the women from Ramona High School and the Pacoima Young Mothers writing program. Playing the roles of the teen mothers in the original stage production of ''Bellyfruit'' were actresses Bonnie Dickensen, Tanya Wright, Jude Herrera, and Patrice Pitman Quinn. The stage play was produced by Independent Women Artists and performed as a benefit for Gramercy Group Homes in Los Angeles. It was also directed by Kerri Green, and was written by Green, Maria Bernhard, Susannah Blinkoff, and Janet Borrus.
==Cast== * Kelly Vint Castro as Christina * Tonatzin Mondragon as Aracely<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wickline|first1=Dan|title=Who Wants To Be A Superhero? Tonatzin Mondragon Does… Again.|url=http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/12/11/who-wants-to-be-a-superhero-tonatzin-mondragon-does-again/|website=bleedingcool.com|date=11 December 2013|access-date=24 July 2015|archive-date=25 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725020114/http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/12/11/who-wants-to-be-a-superhero-tonatzin-mondragon-does-again/|url-status=live}}</ref> * T.E. Russell as Damon * Michael Peña as Oscar * James DuMont as Lou * Melody Garrett as Doctor * Ruben Madera as Eddie * Luis Chávez as Enrique * Jeremy John Wells as Joe
==Reception==
''Variety'' found that the film is "a sympathetic portrait of the girls that, thankfully, remains free of sentiment. But surprisingly, it’s Pena’s understated performance that resonates the most. ''Bellyfruit'', mounted first as a play, has a gritty look and feel that serve its material well."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/bellyfruit-1200457785/|title=Bellyfruit|date=17 May 1999|access-date=28 December 2017|archive-date=27 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027025619/http://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/bellyfruit-1200457785/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|0159277}} * {{Rotten Tomatoes|bellyfruit}}
Category:1999 drama films Category:1999 independent films Category:1999 films Category:The Asylum films Category:American drama films Category:1999 directorial debut films Category:1999 English-language films Category:American independent films Category:Films set in Los Angeles Category:American films based on plays Category:Teenage pregnancy in film Category:1999 American films Category:English-language drama films Category:English-language independent films
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