Carnage (2011 film)

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Carnage
Carnage film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Roman Polanski
Produced by Saïd Ben Saïd
Screenplay by
Based on God of Carnage 
by Yasmina Reza
Starring
Music by Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography Paweł Edelman
Editing by Hervé de Luze
Studio
Distributed by
Release date(s)
  • December 16, 2011 (2011-12-16) (US)
  • February 3, 2012 (2012-02-03) (UK)
Running time 80 minutes[1]
Country
  • France
  • Germany
  • Spain
  • Poland
Language English
Budget $25 million[2]
Box office $27,520,098[3]

Carnage is a 2011 comedy co-written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the play God of Carnage by French playwright Yasmina Reza.[4] The film is an international co-production of France, Germany, Spain, and Poland.[5][6]

Contents

Plot [edit]

When two grade-school boys get into a fight in the park that results in one boy hitting the other in the mouth with a stick, their parents meet in a Brooklyn apartment to discuss the matter. The parents of the boy wielding the stick, Alan and Nancy Cowan (Waltz and Winslet), visit the home of Michael and Penelope Longstreet (Reilly and Foster), the parents of the boy who was struck. Their meeting is initially intended to be short, but due to various circumstances, the conversation continues to draw out.

At first, the couples seem to get along, but their respective comments start to hurt feelings, making everyone argue with one another. Apart from fighting among themselves, the couples blame each other on who is responsible for the fight between their sons. Nancy calls the Longstreets "superficially fair-minded" and Penny and Michael constantly complain about Alan's arrogant and dull attitude. Everyone also gets irritated with Alan's many phone calls.

Nancy accuses Michael of being a murderer because he supposedly killed a pet hamster of his and Penny's. Penny becomes emotional about the hamster and with everyone arguing with each other. Michael offers everyone a glass of scotch. Penny claims she doesn't "get drunk" and Nancy drinks way too many and finally stops Alan's phone calls by putting his cellphone in Penny and Michael's flower vase full of water. Penny and Nancy both laugh uproariously while Michael and Alan try to blow-dry the cell phone. Nancy's true colors are revealed when she drunkenly and vulgarly states that she was glad that her and Alan's son beat up Penny and Michael's son. The couples repeatedly state that their conversation is getting nowhere.

In the end, the film cuts to the Longstreets' and Cowans' sons reconciling on their own.

Cast [edit]

Production [edit]

Although set in Brooklyn, New York, the film was shot in Paris, because of Polanski's fugitive status.

Release [edit]

The film premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival.[7] The film was released in the United States on December 16, 2011 by Sony Pictures Classics.[8]

Reception [edit]

Critical response [edit]

Carnage received generally positive reviews from critics. It holds a 72% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which notes, "It isn't as compelling on the screen as it was on the stage, but Carnage makes up for its flaws with Polanski's smooth direction and assured performances from Winslet and Foster."[9] On Metacritic, which uses an average of the critics' reviews, the film holds a 61/100, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[10]

Box office [edit]

Shot on a budget of $ 25 million, Carnage has collected $ 2.5 million at the U.S. box office after twenty weeks in theaters,[3] not getting a commercial success.

Awards and honors [edit]

Golden Globe Awards
Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Jodie Foster (nominee)
Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Kate Winslet (nominee)

Satellite Awards
Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture - Kate Winslet (nominee)
Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture - Christoph Waltz (nominee)

European Film Awards
Best European Actress - Kate Winslet (nominee)
Best European Screenwriter - Roman Polanski and Yasmina Reza (nominee)

Goya Awards
Best European Film - Roman Polanski (nominee)

César Award
Best Writing – Adaptation - Roman Polanski and Yasmina Reza (nominee)

Cinema Writers of Spain
Best Adapted Screenplay - Roman Polanski, Yasmina Reza (nominee)

Boston Society of Film Critics
Best Ensemble Cast - Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly

San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
Best Ensemble Performance - Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly (nominee)

68th Venice International Film Festival
Nominated - Golden Lion
Won - Little Golden Lion

References [edit]

Notes
  1. ^ "'Carnage' (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-10-07. 
  2. ^ "Box office / business for 'Carnage' (2011)". IMDb. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  3. ^ a b "Carnage (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  4. ^ Hopewell J. & Keslassy E. (2010-11-01). "Polanski's 'Carnage' rolls out sales". Variety. Retrieved 2011-04-16. 
  5. ^ "Carnage". Los Angeles Times. 
  6. ^ Chang, Justin (1 September 2011). "Carnage". Variety. 
  7. ^ CBS News
  8. ^ Itzkoff, D. (2011-04-14). "Sony Pictures Classics to Distribute Polanski's 'Carnage'". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-04-16. 
  9. ^ "Carnage". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  10. ^ "Carnage Reviews, Ratings, Credits". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
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