The wait is over for ‘At Any Price’

DeKALB – Every boy learns how to shave, but few can say they were taught by Dennis Quaid.

The sons of Ann Oduber can make the claim. Aaron, 11, and Jacob, 12, portrayed younger versions of Quaid’s sons in the movie “At Any Price,” which was filmed in DeKalb in 2011. Zac Efron plays the older version of one of Quaid’s sons.

Oduber, a Christian education coordinator at the First Lutheran Church in DeKalb, accompanied her boys during their two days of filming. She described the whirlwind of activity that occurs on a movie set.

“At one point, I was still tying one of their shoes on when the director said, ‘Real mom, please get out of the scene,’ ” Oduber said.

Almost two years after the cast and crew came to DeKalb, the film “At Any Price” will be shown at Carmike Market Square Cinema, 2160 Sycamore Road in DeKalb, starting today. The movie has seen limited release in the United States, with a couple of theaters in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles showing it.

Oduber, who has seen the movie, described “At Any Price” as having an interesting story and as “an indie film that’s making a crossover into the mainstream.”

“I can see now why Dennis Quaid is getting rave reviews for his role,” she said.

The movie was filmed at several locations in the area, including the First Lutheran Church in DeKalb, Sycamore Speedway and The Junction restaurant in DeKalb. Doug Dashner, a retired executive director of the DeKalb County Farm Bureau, was one of the people who helped director Ramin Bahrani find locations that matched his vision.

“When we explained what was going on, he can then visualize what reality really was,” Dashner said.

Dashner said he hasn’t seen the movie yet, but added he’ll probably watch it a few times to guess the locations of the scenes.

Brien Prenevost is expecting his close-up in the film. His band, The Truesdells, is featured playing one of its own songs in a dance scene where all of the main characters are present.

“We can only hope there will be a little buzz on the name Truesdells,” Prenevost said. “The band’s basically defunct at this point. We always look for opportunity, and all of the players are still available.”

Debbie Armstrong, executive director of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the movie’s DeKalb release coincides with National Tourism Week. She described it as being the perfect example of how tourism can bring economic prosperity and pride to a region.

Showtimes for "At Any Price" at Carmike Market Square Cinema in DeKalb for the coming week:
• Today to Tuesday – 1:15 p.m., 4:15 p.m., 7:10 p.m., 9:45 p.m.
• Wednesday – 12:15 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 6:10 p.m., 8:45 p.m.
• Thursday – 1:15 p.m., 4:15 p.m., 7:10 p.m., 9:45 p.m.