The Virgin Suicides (1999)

A group of male friends become obsessed with a group of mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents after one of them commits suicide.

Director:

Sofia Coppola

Writers:

Jeffrey Eugenides (novel), Sofia Coppola

Stars:

James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst

3 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Woods	...	Ronald Lisbon
Kathleen Turner	...	Mrs. Lisbon
Kirsten Dunst	...	Lux Lisbon
Josh Hartnett	...	Trip Fontaine
Michael Paré	...	Adult Trip Fontaine (as Michael Pare)
Scott Glenn	...	Father Moody
Danny DeVito	...	Dr. Horniker
A.J. Cook	...	Mary Lisbon
Hanna Hall	...	Cecilia Lisbon
Leslie Hayman	...	Therese Lisbon
Chelse Swain	...	Bonnie Lisbon
Anthony DeSimone	...	Chase Buell (as Anthony Desimone)
Lee Kagan	...	David Barker
Robert Schwartzman	...	Paul Baldino
Noah Shebib	...	Parkie Denton

Storyline

The lives of an eclectic group of men who live in an affluent American suburb in the '70s are forever changed by their obsession with five doomed sisters.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide | virgin | suburb | school | isolation | 

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Taglines:

Beautiful, mysterious, haunting, invariably fatal. Just like life.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong thematic elements involving teens

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount Classics [us] Paramount Classics [us] (Obsession Design)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 May 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sofia Coppola's the Virgin Suicides

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£141,888 (UK) (19 May 2000)

Gross:

$4,859,475 (USA) (25 August 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Zoetrope, Eternity Pictures, Muse Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 90 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2000 (#07, with "Yi-Yi")

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Goofs

When Trip is pinning the flowers on Lux's dress, the camera pans down to her hips and a round 'inset' window appears, revealing that Lux is wearing pink panties under her dress, with Trip's name scrawled on them. The brief shot also shows part of her bare thighs and tummy. Yet when Lux is making out on the grass with Trip, we can see she's wearing white pantyhose (or tights) under her dress.

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Quotes

Cecilia: [voiceover, reading from her diary] The trees, like lungs, filling with air. My sister - the mean one - pulling my hair.

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Connections

References The Godfather (1972)

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Soundtracks

"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
Written by Barry Gibb & Robin Gibb
Performed by Al Green
Courtesy of Hi Records
Under License from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets
Published by Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc. o/b/o Gibb Brothers Music

User Reviews

Kept me quite still

I had been meaning to see The Virgin Suicides since I first heard it was being released to film, based on its 1993 book by Jeffrey Eugenides. I never got around to it until the other night when I rented it on video.

Oh. My. God. This film was beautifully done with its easy-on-the-eyes cinematography, the shades of colours, the portrayal of seasons, the flawless actors (all of them), the way they moved & spoke.

As in the book, this film is told as a memory of a group of boys' fascination & obsession with the lives of a group of very blonde sisters.

It's not your typical formula film & includes a wondrous soundtrack, to say the least, with hypnotic contributions by Air. It still lingers in my mind - the true mark of a great film, in my eyes.

The book, the film, the soundtrack: I recommend them all.