Pretty Persuasion
| Pretty Persuasion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Marcos Siega |
| Produced by | Marcos Siega Matt Weaver Todd Dagres Carl Levin |
| Written by | Skander Halim |
| Starring | Evan Rachel Wood James Woods Ron Livingston |
| Music by | Gilad Benamram |
| Cinematography | Ramsey Nickell |
| Editing by | Nicholas Erasmus |
| Studio | REN-Mar Studios Prospect Pictures |
| Distributed by | Samuel Goldwyn Films Roadside Attractions |
| Release date(s) | August 12, 2005 |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.5 million |
| Box office | $537,126[1] |
Pretty Persuasion is a 2005 American black comedy/satirical film about a 15-year-old schoolgirl who makes an allegation of sexual harassment against her drama teacher. The film's tagline is: "Revenge knows no mercy." It was written by Skander Halim and directed by Marcos Siega. It stars Evan Rachel Wood, James Woods and Ron Livingston and was released in US theaters on August 12, 2005.
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[edit] Plot
Kimberly Joyce (Evan Rachel Wood) is a high school student at Roxbury, a Beverly Hills school for the wealthy. She and her best friend Brittany (Elisabeth Harnois) take Randa (Adi Schnall), a new student who recently immigrated from the Middle East, under their wing. When Kimberly decides to take her revenge on a teacher, Percy Anderson (Ron Livingston), who humiliated Brittany, she draws everyone - including her friends, family, and the media (a reporter played by Jane Krakowski) - into her plot, resulting in unforeseen repercussions. The film makes use of twists and flashbacks to tell its story.
[edit] Cast
- Evan Rachel Wood as Kimberly Joyce
- James Woods as Hank Joyce
- Ron Livingston as Percy Anderson
- Elizabeth Harnois as Brittany
- Adi Schnall as Randa
- Stark Sands as Troy
- Jane Krakowski as Emily Klein
- Michael Hitchcock as Headmaster Charles Meyer
- Danny Comden as Roger Nicholl
- Jaime King as Kathy Joyce
- Josh Zuckerman as Josh Horowitz
- James Snyder as Dave
- Cody McMains as Kenny
- Selma Blair as Grace Anderson
- Clyde Kusatsu as Judge Carl Munro
- Robert Joy as Larry Horowitz
- Octavia Spencer as Woman
[edit] Themes
The plot primarily focuses on sexual harassment accusations within a school system, as well as the repercussions of one 15 year-old girl's actions. But the film also makes commentary on many other social issues in contemporary American culture as well, many of them being controversial. Some of the topics that are commented on include racism, ignorance, discrimination, gender identity, homosexuality, intolerance, immigration, teenage behavior, suicide, parenting, deceit, and fascination with celebrity status and the entertainment industry.
[edit] Production notes
The musical score was composed by Gilad Benamram. The film deliberately does not feature any popular music songs.[2] Similarly, the wardrobe and props do not feature contemporary branding.[2]
[edit] Nominations
The film was nominated for the 2005 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
[edit] Reception
The film was not received very well by film critics. Roger Ebert called it "daring, and well-acted", but also said that it "exists uneasily somewhere between comedy and satire."[3] Phil Villarreal of the Arizona Daily Star called the film a "scathing and hilarious social satire."[4] James Mottram of Channel 4 opined, "Hovering uncomfortably between comedy and satire, Pretty Persuasion never quite gets the balance right."[5] Carlo Cavagna thought it a "dark teen comedy that tries way too hard to be a dark teen comedy."[6] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer accused the film of being an "ugly, cheap attempt at satire",[7] and Slant magazine called it "a pretty unpersuasive lecture".[8]
Critic Armond White has called the film "ingenious."[9]
The film has a "rotten" 32 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ "Pretty Persuasion (2005) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=prettypersuasion.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
- ^ a b Marcos Siega. "Pretty Persuasion: Anatomy of a Not So Teen Movie". Landmark Theatres. http://www.movienet.com/prettypersuasion.html. Retrieved 2007-12-27.[dead link]
- ^ Roger Ebert (2005-08-26). "Pretty Persuasion". RogerEbert.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050825/REVIEWS/50824001/1023. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes Review- Pretty Persuasion (22 September 2005)
- ^ James Mottram. "Pretty Persuasion Review". Channel 4 Film. http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=155983. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Carlo Cavagna (Online Film Critics Society), Review for AboutFilm.com.
- ^ Sean Axmaker (2005-09-02). "'Pretty Persuasion' is an ugly, cheap attempt at satire". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/movies/239001_pretty02q.html. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Nick Schager. "Film Review: Pretty Persuasion". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927182836/http://www.slantmagazine.com/Film/film_review.asp?ID=1687. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ^ Armond White. "Film Review: Towelhead". NY Press. http://www.nypress.com/article-18797-throwing-in-the-towel.html. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ^ "Pretty Persuasion". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pretty_persuasion. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Pretty Persuasion at the Internet Movie Database
- Pretty Persuasion at AllRovi
- Pretty Persuasion at Box Office Mojo
- Pretty Persuasion at Rotten Tomatoes
- Trailer
- Emanuel Levy: Review - Pretty Persuasion
- Cincinnati City Beat: Happy Sundance Ending
- Lisa Schwarzbaum, Review for Entertainment Weekly
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- English-language films
- 2005 films
- 2000s comedy films
- American black comedy films
- American LGBT-related films
- American teen comedy films
- Directorial debut films
- Bisexuality-related films
- Films about suicide
- Films directed by Marcos Siega
- Films set in Los Angeles, California
- Films shot in Los Angeles, California
- Independent films
- Lesbian-related films
