Cellular (2004)

A young man receives an emergency phone call on his cell phone from an older woman. The catch? The woman claims to have been kidnapped; and the kidnappers have targeted her husband and child next.

Director:

David R. Ellis

Writers:

Larry Cohen (story), Chris Morgan (screenplay)

Stars:

Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, William H. Macy

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Caroline Aaron	...	Marilyn Mooney
Kim Basinger	...	Jessica Martin
Brenda Ballard	...	Irate Customer #1
Will Beinbrink	...	Young Security Guard
Jessica Biel	...	Chloe
Chase Bloch	...	Timid Boy
Chelsea Ellis Bloch	...	Surf Girl's Friend (as Chelsea Bloch)
Chantille Boudousque	...	Chloe's Chilly Friend
Robin Brenner	...	Excitable Customer
Richard Burgi	...	Craig Martin
Paige Cannon	...	Girl at Concert
Nikki Christian	...	Porsche Girl
John Churchill	...	Young Guard
Greg Collins	...	Aging Security Guard
Valerie Cruz	...	Dana Bayback

Storyline

A young man receives a call on his cellular phone from a woman who says she's been kidnapped, and thinks she's going to be killed soon, along with her husband and son who the kidnappers have gone after next. The catch? She doesn't know where she is... and his cell phone battery might go dead soon.

---

Plot Keywords:

cell phone | police | family in danger | stealing a car | los angeles california | 

---

Taglines:

If the signal dies so does she.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, terror situations, language and some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Filmexport [fr] New Line Cinema [us]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Final Call

Filming Locations:

527 Loring Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$147,958 (Japan) (25 February 2005)

Gross:

$218,712 (South Africa) (4 March 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Electric Entertainment, LFG Filmproduktions & Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Larry Cohen worked on the script while he tried to get his screenplay Phone Booth sold. In a New Yorker article he says he wrote the film with the intention that it would be the direct opposite to Phone Booth (Phone Booth is about a man trapped on a phone in a booth, while this movie is about a man who is still trapped on a phone but can go anywhere). However, his friends told him that he had written the same screenplay twice.

---

Goofs

When going through security at LAX a gun is discovered when officer Ethan is going through screening. He flashes a badge and security lets him through. In reality it would take more proof than just flashing a badge to convince a TSA agent that Ethan was a police officer.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Ricky Martin: Mom, will you still be a science teacher when I get into high school?
Jessica Martin: Hmm... You never know. Why?
Ricky Martin: 'Cause I think it'd be kind of weird to have your mom as a teacher.

---

Crazy Credits

The first part of the closing credits show cast and crew names on cellular telephone screens.

---

Connections

Referenced in 'London': Behind the Scenes (2006)

---

Soundtracks

"Kicking Back"
Written by Garrett Dutton
Performed by Garrett Dutton (as G. Love)
Courtesy of Philadelphonic Records

User Reviews

An exhilarating thrill ride!

Awesome flick! Kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The plot twists were surprisingly convincing and I didn't have to stretch too far to suspend disbelief. It way outshone my expectations and I found myself swept right up in the action. The acting was superb and the direction kept us moving from nail-biting suspense to laughing at the stereotyped ignorant store clerks, nasty lawyers and others that are encountered at various points in the script. What a great balance of believable and amusing! We had the greatest time enjoying this film. The parts that weren't so believable were very satisfying and the parts that were believable were incredibly suspenseful. The point is, the whole thing made for a terrific package. No, you won't go home a better person for having seen this. And you won't carry the images with you or ponder great philosophies because of it. It's not a To Kill a Mockingbird of Of Mice and Men, but it is a wonderful escape from all you problems for a couple hours and you'll feel like you've been on the most exhilarating thrill ride you could find in the park! All thumbs up for this one!