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The Lovely Bones (2009)

 -  Drama | Fantasy  -  15 January 2010 (USA)
6.6
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Ratings: 6.6/10 from 82,070 users   Metascore: 42/100
Reviews: 540 user | 290 critic | 36 from Metacritic.com

Centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family - and her killer - from purgatory. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 2 more credits »
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Title: The Lovely Bones (2009)

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 22 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Buckley Salmon (as Christian Ashdale)
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Carolyn Dando ...
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Holly (as Nikki Soohoo)
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Principal Caden (as Tom McCarthy)
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Storyline

A 14-year-old girl in suburban 1970's Pennsylvania is murdered by her neighbor. She tells the story from the place between Heaven and Earth, showing the lives of the people around her and how they have changed all while attempting to get someone to find her lost body. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

heaven | neighbor | police | 1970s | death | See more »

Taglines:

The story of a life and everything that came after...

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

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Country:

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Language:

Release Date:

15 January 2010 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Desde mi cielo  »

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,637,579 (UK) (19 February 2010)

Gross:

£6,193,167 (UK) (19 March 2010)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Jackson:  Man with movie camera in pharmacy when Jack Salmon picks up the prints from the first roll of Susie's film. See more »

Goofs

The day that Susie is murdered is said as being December 6th, a Wednesday. In 1973, December 6th was a Thursday. The family is watching "The Partridge Family" and it is light outside. "The Partridge Family" was broadcast on Saturday nights at 8:00 Eastern (7:00 Central Time) and in December well after sunset. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Susie Salmon: [voiceover] I remember being really small; too small to see over the edge of a table. There was a snow globe, and I remember the penguin who lived inside the globe. He was all alone in there, and I worried for him.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Estrenos Críticos: 10/06/2011 (2011) See more »

Soundtracks

"Alice"
(2006)
Written by 'Elizabeth Fraser (I)', Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde
Performed by Cocteau Twins
Courtesy of Mercury Records Limited and Cocteau Twins
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
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Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Heart-wrenching, uplifting, captivating & hauntingly beautiful
24 September 2011 | by (Canada) – See all my reviews

A very unconventional movie that crosses many genres (murder/suspense/thriller/drama/fantasy), defies normal expectations and is an intense emotional experience. Right from the outset you are informed of when the lead character will be murdered and who her killer is but you are still kept on the edge of your seat and surprised by later revelations. The story dovetails between reality (before and after the murder) and a surreal afterlife realm in between Heaven and Earth. Despite the tragic, heart-wrenching and dark subject matter, the film is uplifting, captivating and hauntingly beautiful throughout. As the credits rolled, I ran through a gamut of emotion and found aspects of the film resonated with me long after.

It is difficult to conceive as to why this movie was critically panned. I can only surmise that either the story didn't follow the source material closely (I have not read the book) or viewers didn't appreciate the story being told from the perspective of a 13 year old girl or critics were just being spiteful towards a successful director (Directed by Peter Jackson and produced by Steven Spielberg).

PROS

(a) Original, imaginative, creative story / screenplay. (b) Authentic, well-drawn, endearing characters. (c) Thrilling & entertaining from start to finish. (d) A visual masterpiece - both from a cinematic perspective and a CGI/special effects perspective. Definitely warrants viewing in HD (Blu-Ray). (e) Superlative lead actors: Saoirse Ronan, Stanley Tucci. (f) Solid supporting actors: Susan Sarandon, Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg. (g) Subtle but powerful soundtrack. (h) Thematically rich and filled with symbolism & metaphors.

CONS

(a) Childhood romantic relationships seem forced and only marginally believable. (b) Film appears to be heavily edited due to the long running time. Certain characters, scenes, and threads could have been fleshed out more. (c) The clairvoyant girl (Ruth) was a bit cliché & one-dimension. (d) Adequate resolution of killer's fate but not deeply satisfying.


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how do we know she was raped? grace14-3
Awful Movie lunargordan
Anybody who has read the book and watched the film.. Jadadore28
Quite possibly one of the worst movies ever made. roughrider59-914-461741
This film really blew me away, loved it!!!! kd344
Why did he decide to kill her? Chik_Kurosaki21
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