Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)

Director:

Anjelica Huston

Writers (WGA):

Dorothy Allison (book)
Anne Meredith (teleplay)

Release Date:

15 December 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Difficult tale of poor, struggling South Carolinian mother & daughter, who each face painful choices with their resolve and pride...

Plot Keywords:

Unemployment | White Trash | Rape Victim | Directorial Debut | Rape

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Anney Boatwright
Ron Eldard	...	Glen Waddell
Glenne Headly	...	Aunt Ruth
Lyle Lovett	...	Wade
Jena Malone	...	Ruth Anne 'Bone' Boatwright
Dermot Mulroney	...	Lyle Parsons
Christina Ricci	...	Dee Dee
Michael Rooker	...	Uncle Earle
Diana Scarwid	...	Aunt Raylene
Susan Traylor	...	Alma
Grace Zabriskie	...	Granny
Richard Todd Sullivan	...	Travis
Pat Hingle	...	Mr. Waddell
Lindley Mayer	...	Reese
Jamison Stewart	...	Grey

MPAA:

Rated R for strong depiction of sexual and violent abuse, including a rape scene involving a young girl.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:(Banned) (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating on appeal) | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-15 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:Unrated | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Whiteville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Showtime Networks

Goofs:

Anachronisms: (00:12:57) Dermot Mulroney's character (Lyle Parsons) is driving along a road past a modern looking house with a very modern looking red truck parked in the driveway.

Quotes:

Reese: Why can't we go, Bone? Why can't we?
Ruth Anne 'Bone' Boatwright: 'Cause it ain't for children.

Soundtrack:

The Old Gospel Ship

A classic

Sure, it's imperfect, but then so are most classics. "It's a Wonderful Life" is loaded with stereotypes, banalities, and over-acting. "Casablanca" features trite dialog, and the characters of Paul Henreid and Ingrid Bergman seem pretty wishy-washy for supposed heroes. "Bastard" is a biographical tale. Biographies often are episodic and lack continuity just as real life is episodic and lacks continuity. Biographical dialog is sometimes unimaginative because it reflects real life speech; none of us has a professional writer feeding us our lines. However, what "Bastard" does have are unforgettable scenes and images of profound emotional impact, a gritty set of down-home characters presented with gutsy reality by a superlative cast, and Jena Malone. Actually, Miss Malone has relatively few lines in this movie, but her expressive face, and especially her fantastic eyes speak clearly and powerfully from the depths of her heart in every scene. And the lines she does speak stab into our hearts with deadly accuracy. A memorable performance in a memorable movie.