Main Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Ron Livingston, James Woods, Elisabeth Harnois, Jane Krakowski, Selma Blair
Release Year: 2005
Country: US
Run Time: 110 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
One of the "popular girls" decides to put her mean streak to work in this black comedy. Kimberly Joyce (Evan Rachel Wood) is an outwardly friendly but inwardly cold and manipulative teenager who attends an exclusive private school in Beverly Hills when she's not making fun of her twentysomething stepmother (Jaime King) or listening to her business mogul father (James Woods) rant about the many people he hates. Kimberly's best friend is Brittany (Elisabeth Harnois), who doesn't seem to notice that Kimberly holds a bit of a grudge over the fact Brittany is now dating Troy (Stark Sands), Kimberly's former boyfriend. When Randa (Adi Schnall), an exchange student from the Middle East, arrives at school, Kimberly is asked to show her around, and soon she's giving her the inside scoop on the school's social hierarchy. Kimberly, Brittany, and Randa, like most of the girls at school, don't much care for Mr. Anderson (Ron Livingston), a teacher who doesn't make much of a secret of his lust for the female student body, though he doesn't do much besides look. Kimberly decides to do something about Mr. Anderson by fabricating a story that he has had inappropriate contact with her, Brittany, and Randa, and it doesn't take long for the matter to become a local scandal, though it does end up backfiring on Kimberly in time. Pretty Persuasion also features supporting performances from Selma Blair, Jane Krakowski, and Michael Hitchcock. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
This dark comedy sounds, on paper, like yet another Heathers homage. But unlike Clueless, Mean Girls and their feel-good ilk, Pretty Persuasion focuses on deadpan social commentary rather than pop self-consciousness. More clever than laugh-out-loud funny, the film has plenty to say about political correctness, sexual impropriety, and the inanities of local TV news. It's not exactly subtle -- especially during its forced, heavy-handed climax -- but it does establish a broad satirical agenda without devolving into an insulting farce. The self-absorption of well-heeled Hollywood teens has been mined to death for both comedy and pathos, but director Marcos Siega and first-time screenwriter Skander Halim are smart enough to relegate this particular theme to throwaway dialogue as wicked as it is believable. Star Evan Rachel Wood plays an altogether different sort of bad girl from the one she portrayed in Thirteen; comparisons to Nicole Kidman's character in To Die For are inevitable. But it's the rich supporting cast, including James Woods and Jane Krakowski, who provide the bulk of the uneasy chuckles. As the Muslim student who gets swept up in the schemes of two bratty blondes, newcomer Adi Schnall makes the most of an under-written role. Like Pretty Persuasion itself, her part is schematic and cold, yet no less truthful or enjoyable for it. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Danny Comden - Roger Nicholl; Stark Sands - Troy; Michael Hitchcock - Headmaster Charles Meyer; Robert Joy - Horowitz, Larry; Jaime King - Kathy Joyce; Adi Schnall - Randa; Josh Zuckerman - Josh Horowitz; Clyde Kusatsu - Judge Carl Munro; Alex Désert - Joe, security guard; Cody McMains - Kenny; Johnny Lewis - Warren Prescott; David Wagner - Morgan; Brent Goldberg - Rick; James Snyder - Dave; Mike Erwin - Barry; Ira Wood - Martin Stivers; David C. Taylor - Carlyle Cream; Lisa Arturo - Stephanie Swift; Shanna Olson - Tiffany Minx; Tina Holmes - Nadine; Perry Hayes - Sound Guy; Christopher Thornton - Emmett Friedman; Deprece Reddick - Sudan; Julie Wittner - Bystander; Aydiee Vaughn - Bystander; Navid Negahban - Mr. Azzouni; Octavia L. Spencer - Woman; Angelo Spizzirri - Cody; Amanda Harley - Bobo; Christopher Meloni
Credit
Abigail Sheiner - Art Director, Joseph Middleton - Casting, Barbara Fiorentino - Casting, Skander Halim - Co-producer, Jamey Pryde - Co-producer, Daniel Glicker - Costume Designer, Max D. Day - First Assistant Director, Marcos Siega - Director, Nicholas Erasmus - Editor, Joni Sighvatsson - Executive Producer, Happy Walters - Executive Producer, Robert Ortiz - Executive Producer, Eric Kopeloff - Executive Producer, Jason Barhydt - Executive Producer, Andy Keeter - Location Manager, Robert Ortiz - Line Producer, Gilad Benamram - Composer (Music Score), Elissa Marshall - Musical Direction/Supervision, Janet Billig Rich - Musical Direction/Supervision, Paul Oberman - Production Designer, Ramsey Nickell - Cinematographer, Matthew Weaver - Producer, Marcos Siega - Producer, Carl Levin - Producer, Todd Dagres - Producer, Steven M. Weiss - Sound Mixer, Robert C. Jackson - Sound Editor, Michael Desante - Technical Advisor, Eric Kopeloff - Unit Production Manager, Skander Halim - Screenwriter, Ariel A. Blumenthal - Additional Music, Joel Unangst - Gaffer, Bratislava Chamber Soloists - Musical Performer, Dana Merwin - Post Production Coordinator, Marjorie Ergas - Production Supervisor, Robert N. Anderson - Properties Master, Marc Fishman - Re-Recording Mixer, Tony Lamberti - Re-Recording Mixer, Kristy Kelly - Script Supervisor, Carla Rose Ponzio - Second Assistant Director, Richard Cory - Special Effects Coordinator, Colin Hudson - Steadicam Operator, Erika Munro - Costumes Supervisor, Nancy Stimac - Key Hairstylist, Craig Persky - Production Accountant, Cameo Litz - Set Decorator, Gary Smith - Construction Foreman, Studio at New Wave Entertainment - Title Design, Daniel Curet - Department Head Hair, Judy Lovell - Department Head Makeup
Pretty Persuasion is a 2005 black comedy/satirical film about a 15 year old schoolgirl who makes a false 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.
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 who humiliated Brittany, she draws everyone - including her friends, family and the media (a reporter played by Jane Krakowski) - into her manipulative plot that results in explosive repercussions. There are twists and flash backs the whole way through.
The musical score was composed by Gilad Benamram. The film deliberately does not feature any popular music songs.[1] Similarly, the wardrobe and props do not feature contemporary branding.[1]
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."[2] Phil Villarreal of the Arizona Daily Star called the film a "scathing and hilarious social satire."[3] James Mottram of Channel 4 opined, "Hovering uncomfortably between comedy and satire, Pretty Persuasion never quite gets the balance right."[4] Carlo Cavagna thought it a "dark teen comedy that tries way too hard to be a dark teen comedy."[5] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer accused the film of being an "ugly, cheap attempt at satire",[6] and Slant magazine called it "a pretty unpersuasive lecture".[7]
