September 3, 2011 (2011-09-03) (Venice Film Festival)
Running time
85 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Sal is a 2011 biographical film depicting the last few hours of the life of Sal Mineo, one of the first major film actors in Hollywood to publicly acknowledge their own bisexuality or homosexuality. Mineo was murdered on February 12, 1976. The film, directed by James Franco, stars Val Lauren in the title role,[1] and is based in part on Michael Gregg Michaud's book Sal Mineo: A Biography. The film also stars Jim Parrack, James Franco and Vince Jolivette in supporting roles.
Franco optioned the film in 2010,[2] and shooting began during the summer of 2011. The film premiered at the 2011 Venice Film Festival and was set for theatrical release in November 2013.[3]
Joseph Michael Harris as Palm Restaurant Patron (billed as Michael Harris)
Stephen McCain as Spa Patron
Raymond Merritt as Elderly Gentleman
Inbal Amirav as Annabelle (billed as Annabelle Amirav)
Ramiro Paré as Club patron
Niko Pepaj as Spa Patron
Daniel Rothbard as Palm Waiter
Amy Sanders as Shocked Girl
David Schlachtenhaufen as Club Patron
Jordan Stone as Reporter
Suwon Weaver as Palm Restaurant Patron
Barrie Wild as Sauna User
Cara Yurkowski as Journalist
Kristen Adams as Set Designer
Jonathan Darias as Palm Restaurant Patron
Jack Davis as Gay Bar Dancer
Leandro DiMonriva as Palm Restaurant Patron
Jessica Starr Folger as Palm Restaurant Patron
Ian Gray as Club Patron
Thomas Harvey as Club Patron
Matt Militano as Byron Stark (billed as Matthew Militano)
Eva Pepaj as Mary-Ann (billed as Eva Lauren)
Jae Rose as Palm Restaurant Patron
Simon Stricker as Club Patron
Reception
Sal has an approval rating of 50% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews, and an average rating of 4.1/10.[4]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5]