Dear Wendy (2005)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Thomas Vinterberg

Writer:

Lars von Trier (written by)

Release Date:

23 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

One shot is all it takes.

Plot:

A young boy in a nameless, timeless American town establishes a gang of youthful misfits united in their love of guns and their code of honor.

Plot Keywords:

Gun | Pacifist | Mining Town | Pacifism | Weapon

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Jamie Bell	...	Dick Dandelion
Bill Pullman	...	Krugsby
Michael Angarano	...	Freddie
Danso Gordon	...	Sebastian
Novella Nelson	...	Clarabelle
Chris Owen	...	Huey
Alison Pill	...	Susan
Mark Webber	...	Stevie
Trevor Cooper	...	Dick's Dad
Matthew Géczy	...	Young Officer
William Hootkins	...	Marshall Walker
Teddy Kempner	...	Mr. Salomon
Thomas Bo Larsen	...	Customer

Runtime:

105 min | Argentina:102 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Denmark | France | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:18 | Philippines:R-13 | USA:Unrated | Brazil:18 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Czech Republic:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Denmark:15 | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Ireland:16 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Lucky Punch

Trivia:

Director Nicolas Winding Refn stated in an interview with Mads Brügger on "Den 11. time" (2007), that Lars von Trier offered him the chance to direct this film, but he declined (6th September, 2007).

Quotes:

[Huey has just shot Marshall Walker in the head]
Huey: Officer d-d-down, I'm afraid!

Movie Connections:

References Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Soundtrack:

A Thousand Miles

Vinterberg aims at something, but doesn't really hit anything

There is something very fundamental that shouldn't go wrong in a film, and that is the so-called "suspension of disbelief". When you sit watching a film and can't keep yourself from thinking that it's all just a film with actors saying their lines on a film set, then it's obviously gone wrong. And that's the very thing that happens to "Dear Wendy". It's a cleverly thought-out, well conceived plan, but it doesn't come to life. The characters feel two-dimensional all the way through, I didn't care for any of them, so I just kept watching from the outside, which felt a bit like looking at fish in an aquarium. Furthermore, the story is painfully predictable - once people take a gun in their hands, it's always an easy guess to tell what will happen in the end, and so it does. Cinematography and everything is good as usual, but cinematography and everything never made a boring film good. "Festen" was such a great, deep, human film - where did the guy go who made it?