Lawn Dogs (1997)

Director:

John Duigan

Writer:

Naomi Wallace (written by)

Release Date:

15 May 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Innocence is a dangerous friend

Plot:

Newly arrived in an up-market housing development, quiet ten-year-old Devon doesn't quite fit in. Ignoring the urgings of her social-climbing father...

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | Trailer Home | Girl | Squirt Gun | Urinating On Top Of A Car

Awards:

7 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Mischa Barton	...	Devon Stockard
Sam Rockwell	...	Trent
Christopher McDonald	...	Morton Stockard
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Clare Stockard
Miles Meehan	...	Billy
Bruce McGill	...	Nash
David Barry Gray	...	Brett
Eric Mabius	...	Sean Torrance
Angie Harmon	...	Pamela 'Pam' Gregory
José Orlando Araque	...	Salvador the Mailman
Beth Grant	...	Trent's Mother
Tom Aldredge	...	Jake - Trent's Father
Odin the Dog	...	Tracker
Tafeki the Dog	...	Tracker

Directed by
John Duigan

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Naomi Wallace		written by

Produced by
Ron Daniels	....	executive producer
Amy J. Kaufman	....	line producer (as Amy Kaufman)
Duncan Kenworthy	....	producer
David Rubin	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Trevor Jones

Cinematography by
Elliot Davis		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Humphrey Dixon

Casting by
Ronna Kress
David Rubin

Production Design by
John Myhre

Set Decoration by
James Edward Ferrell Jr.

Costume Design by
John A. Dunn		(as John Dunn)

Makeup Department
Philip Ivey	....	key hair stylist (as Phillip Ivey "Mr. P.")
Patricia Regan	....	key makeup artist (as Patricia Schenkel Regan)
Rick Stratton	....	makeup artist: prosthetic scars

Production Management
Jo Human	....	post-production supervisor
Amy J. Kaufman	....	unit production manager (as Amy Kaufman)
Jennifer Roth	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marc Garland	....	second assistant director
Nina Jack	....	dga trainee
Michael Samson	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Kevin E. Anderson	....	carpenter
Ron Ashmore	....	scenic artist
Alice Baldwin	....	on-set dresser
Bruce Carnahan	....	assistant greens
Mac Davis	....	carpenter
Jeffrey DeBell	....	assistant greens (as Jeff DeBell)
Stephanie Gerckens	....	lead painter
Amy L. Jones	....	art department assistant
Robin Justus	....	assistant on-set dresser
Rich Koll	....	carpenter
Ted Mavity	....	lead construction
Joseph R. McGuire Jr.	....	set dresser
Stephen C. Peterman	....	leadman
Suzanne C. Reynolds	....	art department coordinator
Ronald H. Sachs	....	assistant greens
Skip Schields	....	assistant property master
Philip Schneider	....	property master (as Philip G. Schneider)
James Smith	....	set dresser
Stephanie Waldron	....	greensperson
Kieran Wathen	....	draftsperson
Joel R. Wilhelmi	....	property assistant

Sound Department
Michael Barosky	....	sound mixer
Jonathan Bates	....	supervising sound editor
Tara Bellando	....	sound assistant
Philip Bothamley	....	dialogue editor
Tim Cavagin	....	sound re-recording mixer
O.J. Connell III	....	additional boom operator (as O.J. Connell)
Mark Goodermote	....	boom operator
Dean Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christopher Lloyd	....	foley editor
Alastair Sirkett	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Peter Kunz	....	special effects
Fiona Walkinshaw	....	framestore producer

Visual Effects by
Robert Duncan	....	digital effects artist
Libby Hazell	....	visual effects coordinator: FrameStore
Timothy Webber	....	visual effects supervisor (as Tim Webber)

Stunts
John Copeman	....	stunt coordinator
Thomas Couch	....	stunts
Danny Downey	....	stunts
John Gilbert	....	stunt double: Mischa Barton
Randy Peterson	....	stunt diver

Camera and Electrical Department
David Berryman	....	camera loader
Corwin A. Bibb	....	best boy electric (as Cory Bibb)
Greg Bubb	....	camera operator
Jeff Busdieker	....	lamp operator
Thomas Crawford	....	best boy grip
Louis DiCesare	....	gaffer
T. Colin Dodd	....	grip
James Drew	....	lamp operator
Greg Fausak	....	grip
Paul Hamacher	....	dolly grip (as Paul B. Hamacher)
Troy House	....	lamp operator
Chris Lombardi	....	first assistant camera
Richard Mall	....	key grip
Thomas Marshall	....	lamp operator
Lee McLemore	....	grip
Mark C. McManus	....	video assist operator (as Mark McManus)
Bill H. Roberts Jr.	....	second assistant camera (as Bill Roberts)
Peyton Skelton	....	lamp operator
Bobby Spalding	....	grip
Michael Tackett	....	still photographer
J.R. Thompson	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera

Casting Department
Michelle Levi	....	casting assistant
Kim Petrosky	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marina Marit	....	costume supervisor
Lauren Press	....	assistant costume designer
Amanda Zenil	....	key set costumer

Editorial Department
Anna Aylward	....	first assistant editor (as Anna K. Aylward)
Claire Ferguson	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
Geoff Alexander	....	orchestrator
Clem Clempson	....	musician: solo dobro guitar
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Trevor Jones	....	orchestrator
Julian Kershaw	....	orchestrator
Simon Rhodes	....	music scoring mixer
Victoria Seale	....	music coordinator
Tony Stanton	....	music copying
Gavyn Wright	....	orchestra leader (as Gavin Wright)

Transportation Department
Glen Brown	....	driver
Wil Collins	....	driver
Jeff Couch	....	transportation captain
Homer Davis	....	driver
Richard A. Davis	....	driver (as Rick Davis)
Mike Fackler	....	transportation steward
Vicky Grigsby	....	driver
Dave Haldeman	....	driver
Neil Hyman	....	transportation coordinator
A. Welch Lambeth	....	transportation coordinator
Sue Ann Mitchell	....	driver
Jerry Nall	....	driver
Larry Ritter	....	driver
Gary Shuckahosee	....	driver (as Gary Shucahosee)

Other crew
Chris Allies	....	title designer
Tony Atwood	....	craft service
Brian Bailey	....	post-production accountant
Pennie Christie Barger	....	on-set tutor
Jane Beck	....	on-set production assistant (as Jane V. Beck)
Peg Beeler	....	stand-in
Lynn Birkett	....	on-set production assistant
Daniel Blankenship	....	on-set medic
Jennifer Brown	....	production office assistant (as Jennifer 'J.B.' Brown)
Richards Butler	....	legal services
Rob Caudill	....	intern
Todd Cooper	....	production office assistant
Gareth Cousins	....	synthesizer engineer
Gareth Cousins	....	synthesizer programmer
Wendy Dade	....	assistant to producer
Mina S. Davis	....	assistant production coordinator
Thom Delisle	....	intern
Larry Donahue	....	chef
Mike Edwards	....	stand-in
Scott Evans	....	on-set medic
Kristin Fenster	....	stand-in
Adam Field	....	stand-in
Brian Garr	....	stand-in
Anne Gordon	....	animal trainer
Jim Graham	....	stand-in
Lizz Grant	....	production coordinator
Julie Gregory	....	second assistant accountant
P.J. Haines	....	assistant chef
John Hess	....	intern
Jo Human	....	assistant to director
Madeleine Klein	....	assistant animal trainer
Kenneth M. Kroll	....	production accountant
Greg Maddox	....	on-set production assistant
Lilene Mansell	....	dialect coach
George Maranville	....	assistant to producer
Jack D. McKinney	....	craft service
Lindsey Mills	....	stand-in
Peggy Mulloy	....	unit publicist
Carla Raij	....	location manager (as Carla Ingrid Raij)
Joseph Stephans	....	assistant location manager (as Joe Stephens)
Susan Strine	....	assistant accountant
Selena Stumbo	....	stand-in
Peggy Sutton	....	script supervisor
Drew Vandervelde	....	intern
Marion Wallace	....	on-set medic
Mark A. Wells	....	location assistant
Chris Wise	....	stand-in
Steven Wortham	....	on-set medic

Production Companies

• Rank Organisation, The (as The Rank Group)
• Toledo Pictures

Distributors

• Rank Film Organization (1997) (UK) (theatrical) (as Rank Film Distributors)
• MCP Sound & Media AG (Germany) (DVD)
• Pandora Filmproduktion (Germany)
• Strand Releasing (1998) (USA)
• Telegroup (Spain)
• Trimark Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Framestore (digital visual effects)

Other Companies

• Abbey Road Studios  music recording and mixing
• Aon Entertainment Risk Services Ltd.  insurance
• Axium Payroll Services  payroll services
• CMMP Studios  synthesizer recording and mixing
• Coast to Coast Catering  catering
• General Screen Enterprises  opticals
• Great Northern/Reiff & Associates  insurance
• International Film Guarantors  completion guaranty
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment
• Mike Fraser  negative cutting
• Peerless Camera Company  title opticals
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Sinclair, Tenenbaum, Emanuel & Fleer  legal services
• The Production Studio  construction
• Twickenham Studios  sound re-recording (as Twickenham Film Studios)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, violence and language

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/16 (video premiere) | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

The Rank Organization's last film and so the final time their famous gong man is to be seen introducing a movie.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Devon refers to Baba Yaga as "he" several times and describes the character as having chicken legs, however, in Russian fairy tales/folklore Baba Yaga is an old woman and gets around by flying in a mortar and pestle, it is her house that runs about on chicken legs.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Devon:Once upon a time, in a far off land, lived a girl and her mother and father. Their village was surrounded by a high wall. Outside the wall was the forest, home of Babay Aga, the witch. Babay Aga had iron teeth like three trees. His legs were like chicken legs, and he ate little girls for dinner. But inside the wall we were safe.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

Soundtrack:

Doctor's Orders

Moving and involving story of friendship which acts as an ode to the American poor

Trent is a young man living in a trailer in a wooded area beyond the suburbs. He makes a living cutting the massive lawns of the populace of a gated suburb village. He befriends a young girl from within the suburb, who herself has some stability issues, despite being only 10 years old. The two build a friendship despite the resentment towards the `white trash' Trent from within the suburb,

I didn't know what this film was about before I sat and watched it, reading the plot summary in the tv guide as the title sequence began, I wondered if I would bother, but I'm glad I did. The film works on several level – the most apparent of which is the simple story of a friendship that is threatened. This part works well as the friendship never seems forced and, although the spectre of sexual tension is there (in Trent occasionally feeling uncomfortable), it is not a strand that is actually part of their relationship.

This all works well due (in most part) to two great performances from Barton and Rockwell. Barton shows amazing maturity and ability to carry the role off without it being like many child stars (where it is clear they are forcing everything). Rockwell meanwhile is a mass of subtleties and little touches that make his character likeable.

However this part wouldn't work as well if it weren't for the wider theme of the trash being poorly treated by the smugger middle classes. This theme creates the reason for the threat to their friendship (more or less) but it also serves as a humbling attack on a class that lives a selfish, scared life behind gates with private security guards. Such places are increasingly common in America and this film is clear as to their effect on both those inside them as well as the wider community of America. Although it keeps a gentle tone for the most, the film depicts those in the suburb as selfish, aloof and fearful. Even more condemning about this depiction is that it never feels like they have been exaggerated or monsterised in any way!

The script is well written and certainly makes the actors jobs a lot easier – certainly Barton benefits from great dialogue and character development. Rockwell meanwhile benefits more from direction as much of his best work is not dialogue based. McDonald, Quinlan and McGill all do solid work in support. The end of the film is a little worrying as it appears to veer off at a tangent, but the final sentiment is beautifully presented and encouraging (albeit due to a child's apparent naivety).

Overall this is a lovely film that I'm very glad I watched. About more than just an adult/child friendship, this film is moving and involving in both it's core plot and it's wider themes.