Poison Ivy (1992)

A seductive teen befriends an introverted high school student and schemes her way into the lives of her wealthy family.

Director:

Katt Shea (as Katt Shea Ruben)

Writers:

Melissa Goddard (story), Andy Ruben (screenplay)

Stars:

Drew Barrymore, Tom Skerritt, Sara Gilbert

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sara Gilbert	...	Sylvie Cooper
Drew Barrymore	...	Ivy
Tom Skerritt	...	Darryl Cooper
Cheryl Ladd	...	Georgie Cooper
Alan Stock	...	Bob
Jeanne Sakata	...	Isabelle
E.J. Moore	...	Kid
J.B. Quon	...	Another Kid
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Guy (as Leonardo Di Caprio)
Michael Goldner	...	Man in Car
Charley Hayward	...	Tiny
Time Winters	...	Old Man
Billy Kane	...	James
Tony Ervolina	...	Man on Screen
Mary Gordon Murray	...	M.D.

Storyline

Ivy ('Drew Barrymore'), a sexy teen who lives with her aunt, moves in with a reclusive teen (Gilbert) and slowly works her way into the lives of her adopted family. The mother (Ladd) is sickly and can't sexually satisfy her husband (Skerritt) any more, and to the daughter's horror, Ivy begins seducing her father.

---

Plot Keywords:

high school | death | psychopath | braless teen | scantily clad female | 

---

Taglines:

What Ivy wants, Ivy gets.

---

Genres:

Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sensuality and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fleur de poison

Filming Locations:

2208 West Live Oak Drive, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,829,804 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, MG Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min (R-rated) 93 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Katt Shea Ruben came up with the title, 'Poison Ivy' after shooting began and instantly doubted it and thought it was silly. Only after the crew agreed with her and told her to 'go with her heart' did she stick with the title.

---

Goofs

Right at the start of the film, a dog has been run over by a car. To put it out of its misery, Ivy kills it. As she does, a whole lot of blood splashes on to Sara's face. However, in the next shot, the blood is nowhere to be seen.

---

Quotes

Sylvie Cooper: My name's Sylvie Cooper.
Ivy: So Cooper, what they nail you for?

---

Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Drew Barrymore/Garbage (1999)

---

Soundtracks

TOO BAD
Written by Wener Crane (as W. Crane) and Eric Phillips (as E. Phillips)
Performed by Ugly Kid Joe
Courtesy of Stardog/Mercury Records

User Reviews

"Lolita" in the '90s

Nabokov's Lolita used the affections of a fawning, elderly man (her stepfather) for her own purposes--which never amounted to much more than sex and cash. It only figures that today's Lolita would be dressed to kill, literally. As Drew Barrymore plays her here, she's a sexy homicidal figure with maternal delusions. "Poison Ivy" begins rather endearingly, with high school outcast Sara Gilbert (looking like the modern equivalent of a teen beatnik) befriended by a striking blonde student with lots o' leg and a fake tattoo. This wanton woman-child has no name; Gilbert calls her "Ivy" and Barrymore likes that ("It gives me the opportunity to start over," she says). The tone of the picture shifts however before the midway point, with Ivy infiltrating Gilbert's dysfunctional household and seducing dad Tom Skerritt (doing terrific work). Gilbert's narration--and the surreal jumble which becomes the hectic climax--is rather off-putting, but there's a great deal of worth in Barrymore's solid performance. The film is stylish on a low-budget and is actually steamier than "Nine 1/2 Weeks". Yet, it's really two different pictures struggling within the context of one. A stronger screenplay might've brought the two halves together, although, as the director, Katt Shea Ruben manages to come up with a commendable amount of incidents both amusing and titillating. ** from ****