The Quiet: Difference between revisions
i'm better Tags: Replaced blanking repeating characters |
ClueBot NG (talk | contribs) m Reverting possible vandalism by 24.112.133.41 to version by GreenC. Report False Positive? Thanks, ClueBot NG. (3530598) (Bot) |
||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{about|the 2005 film|the album by Bella Morte|The Quiet (album)}} |
|||
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2012}} |
|||
{{Infobox film |
|||
| name = The Quiet |
|||
| image = thequiet01.jpg |
|||
| caption = Original promotional poster. |
|||
| director = [[Jamie Babbit]] |
|||
| writer = {{plainlist| |
|||
* [[Abdi Nazemian]] |
|||
* Micah Schraft |
|||
}} |
|||
| starring = {{plainlist| |
|||
* [[Camilla Belle]] |
|||
* [[Elisha Cuthbert]] |
|||
* [[Martin Donovan]] |
|||
* [[Edie Falco]] |
|||
* [[Shawn Ashmore]] |
|||
}} |
|||
| producer = Carolyn Pfeiffer, Joel Michaely, Holly Wiersma and Andrea Sperling |
|||
| cinematography = [[M. David Mullen]] |
|||
| music = Jeff Rona |
|||
| editing = Joan Sobel |
|||
| distributor = [[Sony Pictures Classics]] |
|||
| released = {{Film date|2005|09|12|Toronto Film Festival|2006|08|25|US}} |
|||
| country = United States |
|||
| runtime = 91 minutes |
|||
| language = English |
|||
| budget = $900,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Quiet-The#tab=summary|title=The Quiet|work=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]|accessdate=March 23, 2015}}</ref> |
|||
| gross = $381,420<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=quiet.htm|title=The Quiet|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|accessdate=March 23, 2015}}</ref> |
|||
}} |
|||
'''''The Quiet''''' is a 2005 American [[drama film|drama]] [[thriller film]] directed by [[Jamie Babbit]] and starring [[Camilla Belle]] and [[Elisha Cuthbert]]. It focuses on a [[deaf-mute]] teenage girl, Dot ([[Camilla Belle]]) who goes to live with her godparents (played by [[Martin Donovan]] and [[Edie Falco]]) after her father dies, where she slowly learns the disturbing secrets of the family, primarily concerning their teenage daughter, Nina ([[Elisha Cuthbert]]). |
|||
The film was acquired by [[Destination Films]], which released this film in the United States theatrically through [[Sony Pictures Classics]] on August 25, 2006, and marketed with the [[tagline]]: "''Isn't it time everyone hears your secrets?''". |
|||
TAYLOR'S BETTERR THAN TYREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol. |
|||
The film's soundtrack features songs by [[Low (band)|Low]], [[Cat Power]], [[Le Tigre]], and numerous [[Beethoven]] piano [[sonatas]]. |
|||
The film was a commercial success,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2008-01-18/582361/ |title=Changes in the Weather |work=[[The Austin Chronicle]] |author=Joe O'Connell |date=January 18, 2008 |accessdate=September 27, 2018 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910134544/https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2008-01-18/582361/ |archivedate=2018-09-10 |deadurl=no}}</ref> but many reviewers complained that it was sleazy, exploitative and difficult to watch, and that it was too serious to be satire, yet too camp to be taken seriously.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AASB&p_theme=aasb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=121C6581D12C4168&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Unable to turn profit, UT rethinks film venture|last=Garcia|first=Chris|date=July 5, 2008|work=Austin American-Statesman|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> |
|||
==Plot== |
|||
Dot is a young, orphaned, [[deaf]] and [[Muteness|mute]] teenager. After the death of her father, who had also been deaf, she is sent to live with her godparents, Paul and Olivia Deer, and their daughter, Nina, with whom she used to be close friends. However, she soon learns the secrets her new family withhold from the rest of the world as well as from one another. |
|||
Nina constantly insults Dot every chance she gets, unhinged by her arrival. Dot blames herself for her father's death in a car accident, believing that if she had been with him, she could have warned him of the oncoming danger. Soon after arriving, Dot discovers an [[incestuous]] relationship between Nina and Paul. Paul invited Dot to stay in an attempt to control himself, wishing he could end his sexual relationship with Nina. He tries to tell Olivia about his relationship with Nina, but is unable to bring himself to say it. |
|||
Nina resents Dot's presence, saying, "Life sucks, Dot. I feel like I can tell you this. I feel like I can be honest because you can't hear. Or can you? Look at you, eating your sandwich like a piglet while I talk. Strangely comforting...When I first met you, I mean when you first moved in, I hated you. I hated your face, your dumb blank stare. But now that I feel like I know you again that's all changed. It's so nice to know there's someone whose life sucks more than mine." |
|||
One Day, Nina overhears Dot swear loudly when one of the piano wires breaks while she is playing the piano. Nina learns that Dot is neither deaf nor mute but, Nina pretends that she doesn't know the truth. For reasons of her own, Nina still pretends that Dot cannot tell anyone and confides in Dot about her plan to murder her father. Dot becomes aware of everything Nina and Paul do behind closed doors and even tries to help Nina avoid Paul's advances. |
|||
Dot is assigned to be lab partners with Connor, a star basketball player. Their partnership arouses jealousy in Michelle Fell, Nina's loud-mouthed best friend, who likes Connor. Connor is able to communicate well with Dot by [[lip-reading]] in order to work on their report, knowing that with a disability of his own ([[Attention Deficit Disorder]]) he needs to improve his grades to receive a basketball scholarship. He also becomes very attracted to Dot and confides to her about personal things in his life, believing she is unable to hear him. After confiding that he is a virgin, Dot undresses for him and he has sex with her. |
|||
Meanwhile, Nina confides in Dot that she is planning to kill her father and then running away and becoming a [[stripper]], believing she can become famous "like [[Courtney Love]]." Before the "Spring Fling" dance, Nina tells Paul that she is pregnant and needs $1,000 for an abortion. However, once he discovers [[tampons]] in her purse, he realizes that she is lying and is only attempting to obtain the money to get away from home. As Dot begins to play "[[Moonlight Sonata]]" downstairs, Paul confronts Nina about her lie. Nina tries to explain, but Paul, distressed that his daughter wants to leave him, begins to physically abuse her. The abuse turns into a rape attempt. Dot recognizes what is going on upstairs, stops playing piano and heads upstairs. The music finally stops when Dot uses a piano wire to strangle Paul to death, screaming at him to leave Nina alone. All the while, Olivia remains downstairs, staring at the news in a pill-induced stupor. When Paul's body hits the ground, Nina starts screaming and cursing at Dot. Olivia comes upstairs and her only comment on being faced with Paul's body is to tell Dot that it's a miracle that she can hear. |
|||
The two girls go to the dance club where Dot dances with Connor, then she reveals to him that she is able to hear and talk. Connor calls her a psycho and storms away in anger. Both girls bury Nina's dress, which has her father's blood on it. At this point, Nina questions Dot about pretending to be deaf and mute. Dot reveals that she wanted to be closer to her father so that she wouldn't be alone after her mother's death. When the girls return home, Olivia has turned herself into the police and claims that she, not Dot, had killed Paul in order to protect her daughter Nina and atone for allowing the abuse. The film ends on a philosophical note as the two girls play piano together, freed from their respective fathers. |
|||
==Cast== |
|||
* [[Camilla Belle]] as Dot |
|||
* [[Elisha Cuthbert]] as Nina Deer |
|||
* [[Martin Donovan]] as Paul Deer |
|||
* [[Edie Falco]] as Olivia Deer |
|||
* [[Shawn Ashmore]] as Connor Kennedy |
|||
* [[Katy Mixon]] as Michelle Fell |
|||
* [[David Gallagher]] as Brian |
|||
* [[Shannon Marie Woodward]] as Fiona |
|||
* [[Maria Cash]] as Mrs. Janice Feltswatter |
|||
* [[Steve Uzzell]] as Mr. Piln |
|||
* [[Jo Baker]] as Myrna |
|||
* [[Ken Thomas (actor)|Ken Thomas]] as Officer Jim |
|||
* [[Rudy Costa]] as police officer |
|||
* [[Myrna Cabello]] as waitress |
|||
* [[Sharon Ploeger]] as sign language interpreter |
|||
* [[Jamie Levels]] as Ted |
|||
* [[Laura E. Johnston]] as Regina McQueen |
|||
==Production== |
|||
After appearing in ''[[The Girl Next Door (2004 film)|The Girl Next Door]]'', Cuthbert wanted to "not just ... play the hot girl in the movie, it kills me." She had just finished the ''[[House of Wax (2005 film)|House of Wax]]'' and "was ready to do something that was definitely more character-driven."<ref name=dailycal/> She read the [[Sundance Institute#Sundance Feature Film Program|Sundance workshop]] script by writers [[Abdi Nazemian]] and Micah Shraft, who had not previously made a feature film, and became an associate producer for the film,<ref name=MTV>{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1538451/20060811/story.jhtml|title=Elisha Cuthbert's Acting Speaks Louder Than Her Beauty In 'The Quiet'|last=Carroll|first=Larry|date=August 14, 2006|work=MTV.com|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> originally to be titled ''Dot''.<ref name=indie/> |
|||
Cuthbert initially wanted to play role of the silent Dot, but director Jamie Babbit instead cast Belle in that part<ref name=buzz/> after [[Thora Birch]] pulled out.<ref name=monitor/> Babbit reasoned that "To me, Dot has to be someone you could believe would be invisible in high school. You look at Elisha, this beautiful woman with the most perfect body you've ever seen and you think, there's no high school in America where this girl could be invisible. No matter how much hair and makeup I do, it's not going to happen."<ref name=buzz/> Cuthbert agreed, saying that "When I made another pass through [the script], I specifically zeroed in on Nina, going holy cow, this girl is dealing with even more stuff. The layers there exceeded, in my opinion, Dot's character and her issues... now watching it, thank God for Jamie."<ref name=dailycal/> Belle's role as Dot was a departure from previous roles and the film was released around the same time as two other indie films starring Belle, ''[[The Ballad of Jack and Rose]]'' and ''[[The Chumscrubber]]''.<ref name=indie>{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1500967/20050428/story.jhtml|title=Indie 'It' Girl Camilla Belle Drawn To Troubled Roles|last=Moss|first=Corey|date=April 28, 2005|work=MTV.com|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> Belle learned [[sign language]] and classical piano for the role,<ref name=indie/> and wore no makeup for the part.<ref name=msnbc/> She said of her part that "It was a lonely time 'cause she is a very lonely, depressing character."<ref name=indie/> Cuthbert said that acting her part was complicated by Belle "not doing a whole lot in the movie, as far as dialogue goes – it was difficult, because we had to find the right timing and the beats."<ref name=MTV/> |
|||
The actors were brought together before filming commenced to go through ideas relating to the film, in order that they were familiar with the long-term situation of the characters.<ref name=dailycal/> Cuthbert spoke to psychiatrists about sexual abuse, and the cast read articles about women who had been sexually abused.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/e/content/shared/movies/stories/2006/09/quiet_cuthbert.html|title=Tackling taboos with actorly pluck and ambition|last=Garcia|first=Chris|date=September 1, 2006|work=Austin American-Statesman|accessdate=July 18, 2010|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717124255/http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/e/content/shared/movies/stories/2006/09/quiet_cuthbert.html|archivedate=July 17, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The scene where Nina's father Paul attacks her was difficult to film, because Cuthbert was genuinely hurt by Donovan, who was "very [[Method acting|method]]" during filming, and Babbit was caught between wanting to protect her and the need for Cuthbert "to go to a scary place". Cuthbert said that playing a victim was hard for her, and that "there were moments when I would go to the bathroom and bawl."<ref name=dailycal/> |
|||
The film was shot during September and October 2004,<ref name=biz/> was directed by [[Jamie Babbit]], and was produced by the University of Texas' Burnt Orange productions as their first feature.<ref name=chron/> It was made for about $1 million, funded by the [[University of Texas at Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film|University of Texas Film Institute]].<ref name=buzz>{{cite news|url=http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-07-23/entertainment/17305142_1_director-jamie-babbit-cheerleader-quiet|title=Industry Buzz|last=Hart|first=Hugh|date=July 23, 2006|work=San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> Although the film is set in suburban Connecticut,<ref name=canoe/> [[Bowie High School (Austin, Texas)|Bowie High School]] in [[Austin, Texas]] was the principal filming location.<ref name=monitor>{{cite news|url=http://www.themonitor.com/entertainment/gosling-121-life-stars.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724075650/http://www.themonitor.com/entertainment/gosling-121-life-stars.html|dead-url=yes|archive-date=July 24, 2011|title=Shh|last=Baldwin|first=Aaron|date=February 16, 2007|work=The Monitor|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> 36 University of Texas students worked on the film.<ref name=biz/> |
|||
The film was shot in [[high-definition video]].<ref name=buzz/> ''Variety'' said that "[director of photography] [[M. David Mullen]]'s high-definition, widescreen camerawork supplies a lucid, moody look, matched by [[Jeff Rona]]'s brooding score."<ref name=variety/> MSNBC noted that "Every frame of ''The Quiet'', with its overly styled blue-gray tint and hazy interiors, calls to mind ''[[9½ Weeks]]'', ''[[Fatal Attraction]]'' or ''[[Unfaithful (2002 film)|Unfaithful]]''."<ref name=msnbc>{{cite news|url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14504367/site/todayshow/ns/today-entertainment|title=‘The Quiet’ is lurid and exploitative|last=Lemire|first=Christy|work=MSNBC|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> Metroactive saw that "the purplish blues (the color that seems to work best in HD) are deeply saturated for such a cost-effective medium, and the color is never milky or streaky. At times, Mullen and Babbit overdo the murk."<ref name=metro>{{cite news|url=http://www.metroactive.com/metro/08.30.06/the-quiet-0635.html|title=Incestual|last=von Busack|first=Richard|date=August 30, 2005|work=Metroactive|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> IndieWire agreed, noting that the "use of smoke to mask the use of high-def video ... results in laughably inexplicable smoky interiors lit like a high school production of ''Les Miserables.''"<ref name=iw/> SFStation argued that Babbit effectively exaggerated the limitations of the budget and using HD video: "the video artifacts, lighting, night-time shooting, and sparse sets end up creating an oneiric, fairy-tale quality that helps to balances out the undercurrent of violence that permeates the characters’ actions."<ref name=sfstation/> |
|||
==Release== |
|||
The film premièred at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] in September 2005, but initially failed to find a distributor.<ref name=chron>{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ae/movies/3366088.html|title=Movie star ambitions|last=Harrison|first=Eric|date=October 4, 2005|work=Houston Chronicle|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> It was released in cinemas by [[Sony Pictures Classics]], first in New York and Los Angeles on August 25, 2006,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/tickermaster/listing.cfm?TMID=1722:The_Quiet|last=Mumpower|first=David|title=The Quiet|work=Box Office Prophets|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> then on 300 screens across the US on September 1, 2006.<ref name=biz>{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2006/08/21/daily31.html|title=First Burnt Orange film hits theaters|date=August 25, 2006|work=Austin Business Journal|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> |
|||
The film was released on DVD on February 13, 2007, with special features including “Fetal Pig, Fetal Pig, Let Me In”, a featurette on the dissection scene, “On Location: Shooting in Austin”, “Sans Celluloid: The Quiet and the Digital Camera", a script development featurette, and cast selection.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/news/article_1230049.php/Suspense_thriller_The_Quiet_on_DVD|title=Suspense thriller The Quiet on DVD|last=Luce|first=Patrick|date=December 6, 2006|work=Monsters & Critics|accessdate=July 18, 2010|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011024303/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/news/article_1230049.php/Suspense_thriller_The_Quiet_on_DVD|archivedate=October 11, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
|||
==Reception== |
|||
The film was not generally well received by critics. [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film 21% rating based on 95 critic reviews.<ref name=rt>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_quiet/?beg=0&int=65&creamcrop_limit=27&page=all |title=The Quiet – Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=September 24, 2007 |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film had an average score of 29 out of 100, based on 24 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/quiet |title=Quiet, The (2006): Reviews |accessdate=September 24, 2007 |publisher=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> Jeanne Aufmuth of ''[[Palo Alto Weekly]]'' called it "pretentious and pointless," Laura Clifford of ''Reeling Reviews'' said, "Good grief," Michael Booth of ''[[The Denver Post]]'' said, "Sometimes a movie is so repulsive and devoid of redeeming material that afterward, you're certain it doesn't deserve to exist,"<ref name=rt/> ''Entertainment Weekly'' saw it as "dank and rhythmless,"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1328533,00.html|title=The Quiet (2006)|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|date=August 23, 2006|work=EW|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> and ''[[The New York Daily News]]'' called it "a screamingly bad melodrama."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2006/08/25/2006-08-25_short_takes.html|title=Short Takes|last=Mathews|first=Jack|date=August 25, 2006|work=New York Daily News|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref> The ''[[Seattle Times]]'' summed it up as "bordering on camp and loaded with lesbian undertones, this wretched drama plays like a high-school horror flick that trades monsters and mayhem for an overdose of force-fed cruelty."<ref name=seattle>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2003237875_quiet01.html|title="The Quiet": Dysfunctional family has the blues|last=Shannon|first=Jeff|date=September 1, 2006|work=The Seattle Times|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> |
|||
Among critics who gave the film positive reviews, Josh Bell of ''[[Las Vegas Weekly]]'' said, "Forget ''[[Snakes on a Plane]]'' – ''The Quiet'' is the new camp classic of the summer." In contrast, Andrea Chase of ''Killer Movie Reviews'' called it "a disturbing drama that is as riveting to watch as it is challenging to contemplate."<ref name=rt/> [[MTV]] called it "a powerful tale of seclusion, sexual abuse and sisterhood."<ref name=MTV/> ''The Monitor'' believed that "underappreciated at the box office, this film is, excuse the pun, quietly powerful."<ref name=monitor/> Patrick Luce of ''Monsters & Critics'' called it "a slow-burn thriller that keeps the audience hooked ... thanks to a disturbing plot and solid performances from its cast."<ref name=luce>{{cite news|url=http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1263681.php/DVD_Review_The_Quiet|title=DVD Review: The Quiet|last=Luce|first=Patrick|date=February 14, 2007|work=Monsters & Critics|accessdate=July 18, 2010|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011024741/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/dvd/reviews/article_1263681.php/DVD_Review_The_Quiet|archivedate=October 11, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
|||
The inconsistency of the film was highlighted by many critics. David Rooney of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' found that it "seems unsure whether to push for suburban-Gothic psychosexual excess or tongue-in-cheek malevolence ... the film is derailed by its own silliness,"<ref name=variety/> while Christy Lemire of MSBNC complained that "Not a single moment feels believable in the film, which is trying very hard to be a sexy, intense psychological thriller but instead just feels lurid and exploitative."<ref name=msnbc/> Andrew O'Hehir of ''[[Salon Magazine|Salon]]'' said that it was "a sleazoid TV movie of the week tarted up in art-school clothes" and that it "wobbles around between genres, a terrible example of what can happen when the wrong sets of talented people get together. It isn't convincing as talky psychological realism or as high-school satire or as ghoulish forbidden melodrama, although Belle and Cuthbert have their best and creepiest moments in that mode."<ref name=beyond>{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/review/2006/08/24/btm/print.html|title=Beyond the Multiplex|last=O'Hehir|first=Andrew|date=August 24, 2006|work=Salon|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> ''Canoe'' said it "seems to be utterly clueless about what it actually wants to say."<ref name=canoe/> SFStation said that "Babbit, Nazemian and Schraft simply can't decide if they want ''The Quiet'' to be regarded as serious drama, social satire, or black comedy."<ref name=sfstation/> |
|||
The writing was subject to frequent criticism. ''Metroactive'' felt that "The role [of Olivia, Nina's mother] is savagely underwritten, leaving [Edie] Falco dangling, motiveless, for much of the movie";<ref name=metro/> ''Monsters & Critics'' also felt that "at times her character seems like more of an after thought than having any real purpose."<ref name=luce/> ''IndieWire'' also felt that the characters of Dot and Nina were underwritten,<ref name=iw/> and ''Empire Movies'' similarly decried the "blatant under-use of two talented young actresses."<ref name=empire>{{cite news|url=http://www.empiremovies.com/2006/10/03/movie-review-the-quiet/|title=Movie Review: The Quiet|first=Reginald|date=October 3, 2006|work=Empire Movies|accessdate=July 18, 2010|author=Staff}}</ref> Filmcritic.com noted that "Cuthbert has to do what she can with a script that sends her character ping-ponging between damaged, vulnerable victim and Heathers-esque school-dominating bitch."<ref name=barsanti/> The ''Houston Chronicle'' criticised the film for "utterly failing its characters."<ref name=westbrook/> ''[[Deseret News]]'' said it had "an awful script that features some howlingly bad dialogue,"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,645197707,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.is/20120728003424/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,645197707,00.html|dead-url=yes|archive-date=July 28, 2012|title=The Quiet – Absurd 'Quiet' is howlingly bad|last=Vice|first=Jeff|date=September 1, 2006|work=Deseret News|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> and ''Canoe'' concurred: "If the subject matter was not so damn' depressing, this dialogue would be camp-style laughable."<ref name=canoe>{{cite news|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Reviews/Q/Quiet/2006/09/01/1791905.html|title='The Quiet' a dramatic disaster|last=Kirkland|first=Bruce|date=September 1, 2006|work=Canoe|accessdate=July 18, 2010|location=Canada|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://archive.is/20130115083715/http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Reviews/Q/Quiet/2006/09/01/1791905.html|archivedate=January 15, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
|||
Dot's [[voice over]] was widely criticised. ''Metroactive'' was disappointed that "unlike [Holly] Hunter in ''[[The Piano]]'', Belle isn't allowed to signal her emotions with music and expression alone. Instead, she mentally addresses the audience with continuous interior yammer."<ref name=metro/> ''Empire Movies'' wondered "why not show people talking and holding conversations in the halls one minute then through Dot’s eyes (from her perspective) render the remainder of the scene in complete and perfect silence? ... The narration in ''The Quiet'' grows less and less essential as the film progresses to the point where it’s actually intrusive and unnecessary in the last few instances."<ref name=empire/> ''Salon'' wryly noted that "Arguably, any movie with this much narration is in trouble to begin with, whether the narrator is deaf, blind or a walrus from Neptune."<ref name=beyond/> ''IndieWire'' called the voiceover "inane";<ref name=iw/> Filmcritic called it "maudlin."<ref name=barsanti/> |
|||
Views of the acting of the two leads were often positive. The ''Daily Californian'' conceded that "Despite the plot's failings, Cuthbert does a convincing job in her role, exuding an outer shell so tough that when her inner, softer layers emerge, it's a natural change of character."<ref name=dailycal>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailycal.org/article/21125/_the_quiet_has_no_cruel_intentions_but_it_s_still_|title=‘The Quiet’ Has No ‘Cruel Intentions,’ But It’s Still Trite|last=Emami|first=Gazelle|date=August 28, 2006|work=Daily Californian|accessdate=July 18, 2010|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008023521/http://www.dailycal.org/article/21125/_the_quiet_has_no_cruel_intentions_but_it_s_still_|archivedate=October 8, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''Empire Movies'' agreed, commenting that "this is Elisha Cuthbert's best film performance to date. Cuthbert's Nina has the majority of the most graphic and disturbing dialogue in the film, especially during one particular lunchroom scene where the camera is close up on Cuthbert and Belle's faces."<ref name=empire/> ''Metroactive'' also noted that "Belle nearly carries ''The Quiet'' in her close-ups."<ref name=metro/> SFStation agreed that "performance wise, ''The Quiet'' belongs to Camilla Belle and Elisha Cuthbert," noting that "Belle ... has to act through body language and facial expressions [and] mostly carries it off, but even a talented actress can only do so much with such a passive role ... Cuthbert acquits herself well in the more active, substantive role (again, for the most part), but her performance is undermined by the questionable decision to put her character in skimpy clothing."<ref name=sfstation>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfstation.com/the-quiet-a2153|title=The Quiet: There’s a Monster in the House|last=Valentin|first=Mel|date=September 1, 2006|work=SFStation|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> However, Ruthe Stein of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' dissented, arguing that "Cuthbert flounces around a lot but doesn't have the range to express Nina's feelings."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-09-01/entertainment/17310925_1_dot-cheerleader-nina|title=TV stars make loud thud in 'Quiet'|last=Stein|first=Ruthe|date=September 1, 2006|work=San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate=July 19, 2010}}</ref> Wesley Morris of the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' said of Belle that "on screen she's hollow. The film is already visually dead, and it dies a little more whenever she's alone in a scene, which is often."<ref name=globe>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/09/01/incest_story_is_both_indecent_and_inferior/|title=Incest story is both indecent and inferior|last=Morris|first=Wesley|date=September 1, 2006|work=Boston Globe|accessdate=July 19, 2010}}</ref> |
|||
Some critics recognised lesbian undertones to the relationship between Nina and Dot.<ref name=seattle/><ref name=globe/> |
|||
===Comparisons=== |
|||
The film was compared to Babbit's earlier work ''[[But I'm a Cheerleader]]'', ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' asking "what is it with Babbit and the pom-pom girls?"<ref name=variety>{{cite news|url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117928161.html?categoryid=31&cs=1|title=The Quiet|last=Rooney|first=David|date=September 13, 2005|work=Variety|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> ''Variety'' also wrote that "Belle and Cuthbert provide more-than-adequate echoes of the [[Thora Birch]]-[[Mena Suvari]] dynamic" from ''[[American Beauty (1999 film)|American Beauty]]''.<ref name=variety/> Lauren Kaminsky of ''IndieWire'' negatively compared it to the same film, arguing that "this film somehow manages to surpass even ''American Beauty'' (to which the filmmakers no doubt hope their effort will be compared) in hateful representations of women, dopily sympathetic men, and heaps of misplaced misogyny."<ref name=iw>{{cite news|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/silent_but_deadly_jamie_babbits_the_quiet/|title=Silent but Deadly: Jamie Babbit’s "The Quiet"|last=Kaminsky|first=Lauren|date=August 21, 2006|work=IndieWire|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> |
|||
''IndieWire'' said that "like Hunter Richards's similarly awful ''[[London (2005 drama film)|London]]'', ''The Quiet'' is the sort of pretentious indie posturing that (poorly) attempts to disguise lousy writing with misguidedly busy, self-important filmmaking.<ref name=iw/> ''[[The Columbus Dispatch]]'' believed that it "is so loaded with sensationalism that it might have been intended as a black satire in the style of ''[[Heathers]]'' [but it is treated with] severe seriousness, like a [[Tennessee Williams]] potboiler for the Internet generation."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dispatch.com/live/contentbe/dispatch/2006/09/01/20060901-B4-01.html|title=Depraved scenario too serious to be satire|last=Gabreyna|first=Frank|date=September 1, 2006|work=The Columbus Dispatch|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref> ''The New York Times'' said that the film lacked the "go-for-broke lunacy that makes a flick like ''[[Wild Things (film)|Wild Things]]'' a classic of its trashy kind and might have saved this film."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2006/08/25/movies/25quie.html?pagewanted=print|title=The Best of Friends, Until the Bloody End|last=Dargis|first=Manohla|date=August 25, 2006|work=New York Times|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> The ''Houston Chronicle'' labelled it "''[[Mean Girls]]'' without the satire and with more grating extremes,"<ref name=westbrook>{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/movies/reviews/4116379.html|title=A loud and clear failure|last=Westbrook|first=Bruce|date=September 1, 2006|work=The Houston Chronicle|accessdate=July 18, 2010}}</ref> while Filmcritic.com said "it comes off as simply amateur comedy -''[[Pretty Persuasion]]'' without the guts."<ref name=barsanti>{{cite news|url=http://www.filmcritic.com/reviews/2006/the-quiet/|title=The Quiet|last=Barsanti|first=Chris|date=July 13, 2006|work=Filmcritic.com|accessdate=July 18, 2010|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406105408/http://www.filmcritic.com/reviews/2006/the-quiet/|archivedate=April 6, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
|||
==See also== |
|||
*[[List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing]] |
|||
== References == |
|||
{{Reflist|30em}} |
|||
== External links == |
|||
* Interviews with [https://web.archive.org/web/20090909011928/http://www.spike.com/video/quiet-interview-with/2756076 Elisha Cuthbert], [https://web.archive.org/web/20100818192214/http://www.spike.com/video/quiet-interview-with/2756078 Jamie Babbit], [https://web.archive.org/web/20100218114247/http://www.spike.com/video/quiet-interview-with/2756077 Martin Donovan], and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100326051727/http://www.spike.com/video/quiet-trailer/2751476 theatrical trailer] on [[Spike.com]] |
|||
* Clips from the film on [[Spike.com]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20100727124502/http://www.spike.com/video/quiet-footsie/2754933][https://web.archive.org/web/20100820113835/http://www.spike.com/video/quiet-never-having/2755664][https://web.archive.org/web/20101212010829/http://www.spike.com/video/quiet-at-movie/2755665][https://web.archive.org/web/20100419043221/http://www.spike.com/video/quiet-laying-at-pool/2755666][https://web.archive.org/web/20101229101823/http://www.spike.com/video/quiet-pig-dissection/2755663] |
|||
* {{IMDb title|id=0414951|title=The Quiet}} |
|||
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=the_quiet|title=The Quiet}} |
|||
* {{metacritic film|id=quiet|title=The Quiet}} |
|||
* {{mojo title|id=quiet|title=The Quiet}} |
|||
* {{Amg movie|314321|The Quiet}} |
|||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quiet, The}} |
|||
[[Category:2005 films]] |
|||
[[Category:2000s drama films]] |
|||
[[Category:2000s psychological thriller films]] |
|||
[[Category:American films]] |
|||
[[Category:American drama films]] |
|||
[[Category:American teen drama films]] |
|||
[[Category:American thriller drama films]] |
|||
[[Category:American Sign Language films]] |
|||
[[Category:English-language films]] |
|||
[[Category:Films about deaf people]] |
|||
[[Category:Films set in Connecticut]] |
|||
[[Category:Films shot in Austin, Texas]] |
|||
[[Category:Incest in film]] |
|||
[[Category:Sony Pictures Classics films]] |
|||
[[Category:Films directed by Jamie Babbit]] |
Revision as of 00:26, 2 November 2018
The Quiet | |
---|---|
![]() Original promotional poster. | |
Directed by | Jamie Babbit |
Written by |
|
Produced by | Carolyn Pfeiffer, Joel Michaely, Holly Wiersma and Andrea Sperling |
Starring | |
Cinematography | M. David Mullen |
Edited by | Joan Sobel |
Music by | Jeff Rona |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $900,000[1] |
Box office | $381,420[2] |
The Quiet is a 2005 American drama thriller film directed by Jamie Babbit and starring Camilla Belle and Elisha Cuthbert. It focuses on a deaf-mute teenage girl, Dot (Camilla Belle) who goes to live with her godparents (played by Martin Donovan and Edie Falco) after her father dies, where she slowly learns the disturbing secrets of the family, primarily concerning their teenage daughter, Nina (Elisha Cuthbert).
The film was acquired by Destination Films, which released this film in the United States theatrically through Sony Pictures Classics on August 25, 2006, and marketed with the tagline: "Isn't it time everyone hears your secrets?".
The film's soundtrack features songs by Low, Cat Power, Le Tigre, and numerous Beethoven piano sonatas.
The film was a commercial success,[3] but many reviewers complained that it was sleazy, exploitative and difficult to watch, and that it was too serious to be satire, yet too camp to be taken seriously.[4]
Plot
Dot is a young, orphaned, deaf and mute teenager. After the death of her father, who had also been deaf, she is sent to live with her godparents, Paul and Olivia Deer, and their daughter, Nina, with whom she used to be close friends. However, she soon learns the secrets her new family withhold from the rest of the world as well as from one another.
Nina constantly insults Dot every chance she gets, unhinged by her arrival. Dot blames herself for her father's death in a car accident, believing that if she had been with him, she could have warned him of the oncoming danger. Soon after arriving, Dot discovers an incestuous relationship between Nina and Paul. Paul invited Dot to stay in an attempt to control himself, wishing he could end his sexual relationship with Nina. He tries to tell Olivia about his relationship with Nina, but is unable to bring himself to say it.
Nina resents Dot's presence, saying, "Life sucks, Dot. I feel like I can tell you this. I feel like I can be honest because you can't hear. Or can you? Look at you, eating your sandwich like a piglet while I talk. Strangely comforting...When I first met you, I mean when you first moved in, I hated you. I hated your face, your dumb blank stare. But now that I feel like I know you again that's all changed. It's so nice to know there's someone whose life sucks more than mine."
One Day, Nina overhears Dot swear loudly when one of the piano wires breaks while she is playing the piano. Nina learns that Dot is neither deaf nor mute but, Nina pretends that she doesn't know the truth. For reasons of her own, Nina still pretends that Dot cannot tell anyone and confides in Dot about her plan to murder her father. Dot becomes aware of everything Nina and Paul do behind closed doors and even tries to help Nina avoid Paul's advances.
Dot is assigned to be lab partners with Connor, a star basketball player. Their partnership arouses jealousy in Michelle Fell, Nina's loud-mouthed best friend, who likes Connor. Connor is able to communicate well with Dot by lip-reading in order to work on their report, knowing that with a disability of his own (Attention Deficit Disorder) he needs to improve his grades to receive a basketball scholarship. He also becomes very attracted to Dot and confides to her about personal things in his life, believing she is unable to hear him. After confiding that he is a virgin, Dot undresses for him and he has sex with her.
Meanwhile, Nina confides in Dot that she is planning to kill her father and then running away and becoming a stripper, believing she can become famous "like Courtney Love." Before the "Spring Fling" dance, Nina tells Paul that she is pregnant and needs $1,000 for an abortion. However, once he discovers tampons in her purse, he realizes that she is lying and is only attempting to obtain the money to get away from home. As Dot begins to play "Moonlight Sonata" downstairs, Paul confronts Nina about her lie. Nina tries to explain, but Paul, distressed that his daughter wants to leave him, begins to physically abuse her. The abuse turns into a rape attempt. Dot recognizes what is going on upstairs, stops playing piano and heads upstairs. The music finally stops when Dot uses a piano wire to strangle Paul to death, screaming at him to leave Nina alone. All the while, Olivia remains downstairs, staring at the news in a pill-induced stupor. When Paul's body hits the ground, Nina starts screaming and cursing at Dot. Olivia comes upstairs and her only comment on being faced with Paul's body is to tell Dot that it's a miracle that she can hear.
The two girls go to the dance club where Dot dances with Connor, then she reveals to him that she is able to hear and talk. Connor calls her a psycho and storms away in anger. Both girls bury Nina's dress, which has her father's blood on it. At this point, Nina questions Dot about pretending to be deaf and mute. Dot reveals that she wanted to be closer to her father so that she wouldn't be alone after her mother's death. When the girls return home, Olivia has turned herself into the police and claims that she, not Dot, had killed Paul in order to protect her daughter Nina and atone for allowing the abuse. The film ends on a philosophical note as the two girls play piano together, freed from their respective fathers.
Cast
- Camilla Belle as Dot
- Elisha Cuthbert as Nina Deer
- Martin Donovan as Paul Deer
- Edie Falco as Olivia Deer
- Shawn Ashmore as Connor Kennedy
- Katy Mixon as Michelle Fell
- David Gallagher as Brian
- Shannon Marie Woodward as Fiona
- Maria Cash as Mrs. Janice Feltswatter
- Steve Uzzell as Mr. Piln
- Jo Baker as Myrna
- Ken Thomas as Officer Jim
- Rudy Costa as police officer
- Myrna Cabello as waitress
- Sharon Ploeger as sign language interpreter
- Jamie Levels as Ted
- Laura E. Johnston as Regina McQueen
Production
After appearing in The Girl Next Door, Cuthbert wanted to "not just ... play the hot girl in the movie, it kills me." She had just finished the House of Wax and "was ready to do something that was definitely more character-driven."[5] She read the Sundance workshop script by writers Abdi Nazemian and Micah Shraft, who had not previously made a feature film, and became an associate producer for the film,[6] originally to be titled Dot.[7]
Cuthbert initially wanted to play role of the silent Dot, but director Jamie Babbit instead cast Belle in that part[8] after Thora Birch pulled out.[9] Babbit reasoned that "To me, Dot has to be someone you could believe would be invisible in high school. You look at Elisha, this beautiful woman with the most perfect body you've ever seen and you think, there's no high school in America where this girl could be invisible. No matter how much hair and makeup I do, it's not going to happen."[8] Cuthbert agreed, saying that "When I made another pass through [the script], I specifically zeroed in on Nina, going holy cow, this girl is dealing with even more stuff. The layers there exceeded, in my opinion, Dot's character and her issues... now watching it, thank God for Jamie."[5] Belle's role as Dot was a departure from previous roles and the film was released around the same time as two other indie films starring Belle, The Ballad of Jack and Rose and The Chumscrubber.[7] Belle learned sign language and classical piano for the role,[7] and wore no makeup for the part.[10] She said of her part that "It was a lonely time 'cause she is a very lonely, depressing character."[7] Cuthbert said that acting her part was complicated by Belle "not doing a whole lot in the movie, as far as dialogue goes – it was difficult, because we had to find the right timing and the beats."[6]
The actors were brought together before filming commenced to go through ideas relating to the film, in order that they were familiar with the long-term situation of the characters.[5] Cuthbert spoke to psychiatrists about sexual abuse, and the cast read articles about women who had been sexually abused.[11] The scene where Nina's father Paul attacks her was difficult to film, because Cuthbert was genuinely hurt by Donovan, who was "very method" during filming, and Babbit was caught between wanting to protect her and the need for Cuthbert "to go to a scary place". Cuthbert said that playing a victim was hard for her, and that "there were moments when I would go to the bathroom and bawl."[5]
The film was shot during September and October 2004,[12] was directed by Jamie Babbit, and was produced by the University of Texas' Burnt Orange productions as their first feature.[13] It was made for about $1 million, funded by the University of Texas Film Institute.[8] Although the film is set in suburban Connecticut,[14] Bowie High School in Austin, Texas was the principal filming location.[9] 36 University of Texas students worked on the film.[12]
The film was shot in high-definition video.[8] Variety said that "[director of photography] M. David Mullen's high-definition, widescreen camerawork supplies a lucid, moody look, matched by Jeff Rona's brooding score."[15] MSNBC noted that "Every frame of The Quiet, with its overly styled blue-gray tint and hazy interiors, calls to mind 9½ Weeks, Fatal Attraction or Unfaithful."[10] Metroactive saw that "the purplish blues (the color that seems to work best in HD) are deeply saturated for such a cost-effective medium, and the color is never milky or streaky. At times, Mullen and Babbit overdo the murk."[16] IndieWire agreed, noting that the "use of smoke to mask the use of high-def video ... results in laughably inexplicable smoky interiors lit like a high school production of Les Miserables."[17] SFStation argued that Babbit effectively exaggerated the limitations of the budget and using HD video: "the video artifacts, lighting, night-time shooting, and sparse sets end up creating an oneiric, fairy-tale quality that helps to balances out the undercurrent of violence that permeates the characters’ actions."[18]
Release
The film premièred at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2005, but initially failed to find a distributor.[13] It was released in cinemas by Sony Pictures Classics, first in New York and Los Angeles on August 25, 2006,[19] then on 300 screens across the US on September 1, 2006.[12]
The film was released on DVD on February 13, 2007, with special features including “Fetal Pig, Fetal Pig, Let Me In”, a featurette on the dissection scene, “On Location: Shooting in Austin”, “Sans Celluloid: The Quiet and the Digital Camera", a script development featurette, and cast selection.[20]
Reception
The film was not generally well received by critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film 21% rating based on 95 critic reviews.[21] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 29 out of 100, based on 24 reviews.[22] Jeanne Aufmuth of Palo Alto Weekly called it "pretentious and pointless," Laura Clifford of Reeling Reviews said, "Good grief," Michael Booth of The Denver Post said, "Sometimes a movie is so repulsive and devoid of redeeming material that afterward, you're certain it doesn't deserve to exist,"[21] Entertainment Weekly saw it as "dank and rhythmless,"[23] and The New York Daily News called it "a screamingly bad melodrama."[24] The Seattle Times summed it up as "bordering on camp and loaded with lesbian undertones, this wretched drama plays like a high-school horror flick that trades monsters and mayhem for an overdose of force-fed cruelty."[25]
Among critics who gave the film positive reviews, Josh Bell of Las Vegas Weekly said, "Forget Snakes on a Plane – The Quiet is the new camp classic of the summer." In contrast, Andrea Chase of Killer Movie Reviews called it "a disturbing drama that is as riveting to watch as it is challenging to contemplate."[21] MTV called it "a powerful tale of seclusion, sexual abuse and sisterhood."[6] The Monitor believed that "underappreciated at the box office, this film is, excuse the pun, quietly powerful."[9] Patrick Luce of Monsters & Critics called it "a slow-burn thriller that keeps the audience hooked ... thanks to a disturbing plot and solid performances from its cast."[26]
The inconsistency of the film was highlighted by many critics. David Rooney of Variety found that it "seems unsure whether to push for suburban-Gothic psychosexual excess or tongue-in-cheek malevolence ... the film is derailed by its own silliness,"[15] while Christy Lemire of MSBNC complained that "Not a single moment feels believable in the film, which is trying very hard to be a sexy, intense psychological thriller but instead just feels lurid and exploitative."[10] Andrew O'Hehir of Salon said that it was "a sleazoid TV movie of the week tarted up in art-school clothes" and that it "wobbles around between genres, a terrible example of what can happen when the wrong sets of talented people get together. It isn't convincing as talky psychological realism or as high-school satire or as ghoulish forbidden melodrama, although Belle and Cuthbert have their best and creepiest moments in that mode."[27] Canoe said it "seems to be utterly clueless about what it actually wants to say."[14] SFStation said that "Babbit, Nazemian and Schraft simply can't decide if they want The Quiet to be regarded as serious drama, social satire, or black comedy."[18]
The writing was subject to frequent criticism. Metroactive felt that "The role [of Olivia, Nina's mother] is savagely underwritten, leaving [Edie] Falco dangling, motiveless, for much of the movie";[16] Monsters & Critics also felt that "at times her character seems like more of an after thought than having any real purpose."[26] IndieWire also felt that the characters of Dot and Nina were underwritten,[17] and Empire Movies similarly decried the "blatant under-use of two talented young actresses."[28] Filmcritic.com noted that "Cuthbert has to do what she can with a script that sends her character ping-ponging between damaged, vulnerable victim and Heathers-esque school-dominating bitch."[29] The Houston Chronicle criticised the film for "utterly failing its characters."[30] Deseret News said it had "an awful script that features some howlingly bad dialogue,"[31] and Canoe concurred: "If the subject matter was not so damn' depressing, this dialogue would be camp-style laughable."[14]
Dot's voice over was widely criticised. Metroactive was disappointed that "unlike [Holly] Hunter in The Piano, Belle isn't allowed to signal her emotions with music and expression alone. Instead, she mentally addresses the audience with continuous interior yammer."[16] Empire Movies wondered "why not show people talking and holding conversations in the halls one minute then through Dot’s eyes (from her perspective) render the remainder of the scene in complete and perfect silence? ... The narration in The Quiet grows less and less essential as the film progresses to the point where it’s actually intrusive and unnecessary in the last few instances."[28] Salon wryly noted that "Arguably, any movie with this much narration is in trouble to begin with, whether the narrator is deaf, blind or a walrus from Neptune."[27] IndieWire called the voiceover "inane";[17] Filmcritic called it "maudlin."[29]
Views of the acting of the two leads were often positive. The Daily Californian conceded that "Despite the plot's failings, Cuthbert does a convincing job in her role, exuding an outer shell so tough that when her inner, softer layers emerge, it's a natural change of character."[5] Empire Movies agreed, commenting that "this is Elisha Cuthbert's best film performance to date. Cuthbert's Nina has the majority of the most graphic and disturbing dialogue in the film, especially during one particular lunchroom scene where the camera is close up on Cuthbert and Belle's faces."[28] Metroactive also noted that "Belle nearly carries The Quiet in her close-ups."[16] SFStation agreed that "performance wise, The Quiet belongs to Camilla Belle and Elisha Cuthbert," noting that "Belle ... has to act through body language and facial expressions [and] mostly carries it off, but even a talented actress can only do so much with such a passive role ... Cuthbert acquits herself well in the more active, substantive role (again, for the most part), but her performance is undermined by the questionable decision to put her character in skimpy clothing."[18] However, Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle dissented, arguing that "Cuthbert flounces around a lot but doesn't have the range to express Nina's feelings."[32] Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe said of Belle that "on screen she's hollow. The film is already visually dead, and it dies a little more whenever she's alone in a scene, which is often."[33]
Some critics recognised lesbian undertones to the relationship between Nina and Dot.[25][33]
Comparisons
The film was compared to Babbit's earlier work But I'm a Cheerleader, Variety asking "what is it with Babbit and the pom-pom girls?"[15] Variety also wrote that "Belle and Cuthbert provide more-than-adequate echoes of the Thora Birch-Mena Suvari dynamic" from American Beauty.[15] Lauren Kaminsky of IndieWire negatively compared it to the same film, arguing that "this film somehow manages to surpass even American Beauty (to which the filmmakers no doubt hope their effort will be compared) in hateful representations of women, dopily sympathetic men, and heaps of misplaced misogyny."[17]
IndieWire said that "like Hunter Richards's similarly awful London, The Quiet is the sort of pretentious indie posturing that (poorly) attempts to disguise lousy writing with misguidedly busy, self-important filmmaking.[17] The Columbus Dispatch believed that it "is so loaded with sensationalism that it might have been intended as a black satire in the style of Heathers [but it is treated with] severe seriousness, like a Tennessee Williams potboiler for the Internet generation."[34] The New York Times said that the film lacked the "go-for-broke lunacy that makes a flick like Wild Things a classic of its trashy kind and might have saved this film."[35] The Houston Chronicle labelled it "Mean Girls without the satire and with more grating extremes,"[30] while Filmcritic.com said "it comes off as simply amateur comedy -Pretty Persuasion without the guts."[29]
See also
References
- ^ "The Quiet". The Numbers. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ "The Quiet". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Joe O'Connell (January 18, 2008). "Changes in the Weather". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Garcia, Chris (July 5, 2008). "Unable to turn profit, UT rethinks film venture". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Emami, Gazelle (August 28, 2006). "'The Quiet' Has No 'Cruel Intentions,' But It's Still Trite". Daily Californian. Archived from the original on October 8, 2008. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Carroll, Larry (August 14, 2006). "Elisha Cuthbert's Acting Speaks Louder Than Her Beauty In 'The Quiet'". MTV.com. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Moss, Corey (April 28, 2005). "Indie 'It' Girl Camilla Belle Drawn To Troubled Roles". MTV.com. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Hart, Hugh (July 23, 2006). "Industry Buzz". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c Baldwin, Aaron (February 16, 2007). "Shh". The Monitor. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Lemire, Christy. "'The Quiet' is lurid and exploitative". MSNBC. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Garcia, Chris (September 1, 2006). "Tackling taboos with actorly pluck and ambition". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c "First Burnt Orange film hits theaters". Austin Business Journal. August 25, 2006. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b Harrison, Eric (October 4, 2005). "Movie star ambitions". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c Kirkland, Bruce (September 1, 2006). "'The Quiet' a dramatic disaster". Canoe. Canada. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d Rooney, David (September 13, 2005). "The Quiet". Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c d von Busack, Richard (August 30, 2005). "Incestual". Metroactive. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Kaminsky, Lauren (August 21, 2006). "Silent but Deadly: Jamie Babbit's "The Quiet"". IndieWire. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c Valentin, Mel (September 1, 2006). "The Quiet: There's a Monster in the House". SFStation. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Mumpower, David. "The Quiet". Box Office Prophets. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Luce, Patrick (December 6, 2006). "Suspense thriller The Quiet on DVD". Monsters & Critics. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c "The Quiet – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 24, 2007.
- ^ "Quiet, The (2006): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 24, 2007.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (August 23, 2006). "The Quiet (2006)". EW. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Mathews, Jack (August 25, 2006). "Short Takes". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 18, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Shannon, Jeff (September 1, 2006). ""The Quiet": Dysfunctional family has the blues". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b Luce, Patrick (February 14, 2007). "DVD Review: The Quiet". Monsters & Critics. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b O'Hehir, Andrew (August 24, 2006). "Beyond the Multiplex". Salon. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c Staff, Reginald (October 3, 2006). "Movie Review: The Quiet". Empire Movies. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c Barsanti, Chris (July 13, 2006). "The Quiet". Filmcritic.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Westbrook, Bruce (September 1, 2006). "A loud and clear failure". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Vice, Jeff (September 1, 2006). "The Quiet – Absurd 'Quiet' is howlingly bad". Deseret News. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Stein, Ruthe (September 1, 2006). "TV stars make loud thud in 'Quiet'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ^ a b Morris, Wesley (September 1, 2006). "Incest story is both indecent and inferior". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ^ Gabreyna, Frank (September 1, 2006). "Depraved scenario too serious to be satire". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved July 18, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (August 25, 2006). "The Best of Friends, Until the Bloody End". New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
External links
- Interviews with Elisha Cuthbert, Jamie Babbit, Martin Donovan, and the theatrical trailer on Spike.com
- Clips from the film on Spike.com: [1][2][3][4][5]
- The Quiet at IMDb
- The Quiet at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Quiet at Metacritic
- The Quiet at Box Office Mojo
- The Quiet at AllMovie
- 2005 films
- 2000s drama films
- 2000s psychological thriller films
- American films
- American drama films
- American teen drama films
- American thriller drama films
- American Sign Language films
- English-language films
- Films about deaf people
- Films set in Connecticut
- Films shot in Austin, Texas
- Incest in film
- Sony Pictures Classics films
- Films directed by Jamie Babbit