Pretty Persuasion (2005)

A 15-year-old girl incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama teacher of sexual harassment.

Director:

Marcos Siega

Writer:

Skander Halim

Stars:

Evan Rachel Wood, David Wagner, Ron Livingston

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Evan Rachel Wood	...	Kimberly Joyce
David Wagner	...	Morgan (as David T. Wagner)
Brent Goldberg	...	Rick
Adi Schnall	...	Randa
Elisabeth Harnois	...	Brittany
Stark Sands	...	Troy
Jane Krakowski	...	Emily Klein
Michael Hitchcock	...	Headmaster Charles Meyer
Danny Comden	...	Roger Nicholl
Jaime King	...	Kathy Joyce
Josh Zuckerman	...	Josh Horowitz
James Snyder	...	Dave
Ron Livingston	...	Percy Anderson
Cody McMains	...	Kenny
Mike Erwin	...	Barry

Storyline

Manipulative high school sophomore Kimberly Joyce leads her friends Brittany Wells and Randa Azzouni in bringing charges of sexual assault against Percy Anderson, their English and drama teacher at an exclusive private school in Beverly Hills. Meanwhile, local reporter Emily Klein, originally assigned to do an insignificant piece on the school, hopes that the scandal will launch her into celebrity in the television news business, while Kimberly's bigoted father, Hank, is concerned primarily with the effect that his daughter's accusations may have on his business.

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Plot Keywords:

school | teacher | drama teacher | sexual harassment | private school | 

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Taglines:

Revenge knows no mercy

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content and graphic dialogue involving teens, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [de] Official site [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 2006 (South Africa)

Also Known As:

High School Confidential

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$58,570 (USA) (12 August 2005)

Gross:

$305,688 (USA) (28 October 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

REN-Mar Studios, Prospect Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Jane Krakowski did her bra and panties scenes she asked that all crew that worked the shot be without a shirt.

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Quotes

[from trailer]
Kimberly Joyce: It's like the world is this orchestra and I'm the conductor.

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Connections

References South Park (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Gare a Toi Jeune Amant"
Written by Gilad Benamram (ASCAP), Ran Pink (BMI) & Flora Benamram (ACUM)
Performed by The Marionette Sextet
Recorded and Mixed by Clint Bennett
Published by EverBliss Music, Inc. (ASCAP), Ran Pink Publishing (BMI)

User Reviews

A Marvel of Inappropriateness indeed

I personally was not disappointed by the film. I am continually impressed by Evan Rachel Wood's skills as an actress. Her darkness was so real, the evil inside of her was almost moving. Hilariously dark and witty, James Woods and Evan Rachel Wood kept me laughing and in shock. Pretty Persuasion left me sitting in the theater saying "Oh my god, they did not just say that. Wait, yes they did just go there". The ending was fitting somehow. As shocking and comical as Pretty Persuasion was, it did deliver a powerful message. People are flawed. Not everything in this world is wholesome and good. When it came to manipulation and intelligence, Kimberly Joyce had everything in spades, but when it comes to deception sometimes getting what you want is the easy part, realizing what that says about you and what it all means is the difficult part. Pretty Persuasion is one of the better dark films i've seen come around since Ghost World. Although shocking and sexual, there is no real nudity or graphic sex scenes in the whole film. Everything is left to the imagination, just like Kimberly wanted. Creul Intentions meets Mean Girls on steroids. I loved every shocking minute of it.