Hounddog (2007)

A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.

Director:

Deborah Kampmeier

Writer:

Deborah Kampmeier

Stars:

Dakota Fanning, Granoldo Frazier, Piper Laurie

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dakota Fanning	...	Lewellen
Granoldo Frazier	...	Band Member D (as Grenaldo Frazier)
Isabelle Fuhrman	...	Grasshopper
Cody Hanford	...	Buddy
Piper Laurie	...	Grammie
Charlie Lucas	...	Band Member A
Herman McCloud	...	Band Member B
Chandler McIntyre	...	Buddy's Mother
David Morse	...	Daddy
Robin Mullins	...	Marge
Afemo Omilami	...	Charles
Tom Oppenheim	...	Mechanic
Tim Parati	...	Bartender
Ryan Pelton	...	Elvis
Robin Wright	...	Stranger Lady (as Robin Wright Penn)

Storyline

A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.

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Plot Keywords:

elvis presley | american south | child smoking cigarette | doggystyle sex | sex | 

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Taglines:

Every heart has an awakening. Every soul needs a song.

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a disturbing sexual assault of a young girl, and brief sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Dakota Fanning Project

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,750,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$13,744 (USA) (19 September 2008)

Gross:

$128,092 (USA) (5 December 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deerjen Films, Full Moon Films, Motion Picture Group, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Edward Lachman, the original cinematographer, had to leave after two weeks of shooting to work on another film. Jim Denault shot for the next month; gaffer Stephen Thompson took over near the end of shooting.

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Goofs

The 45 rpm record that Lewellen's father gave her in the truck (supposedly by Elvis on RCA) is apparently a reissue of an original which did not exist at the time.

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Quotes

Lewellen: Oh my God, you scared me! What are you doin' here?
Buddy: I told him to meet us here. He wants to see you do your Elvis dance. I told him you'd do your Elvis dance for him.
Lewellen: Oh. Well, do you have my ticket?
[Wooden's Boy holds up two tickets. Lewellen reaches for them, but he pulls them away]
Buddy: You have to do your Elvis dance first.
Lewellen: Why?
Buddy: That was the deal. He said he'd get the tickets if you did your Elvis dance.
Wooden's Boy: Do the one you did that mornin'.
Lewellen: Hound dog?
Wooden's Boy: Yeah.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Drew Barrymore/Lily Allen (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Heartbreak Hotel"
Written by Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden and Elvis Presley
Performed by Elvis Presley
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Ultimately very disappointing.

This is a bad film. It is not really Dakota's fault, but to be honest I wasn't really impressed with her this time around. I felt like she was a little too much, a little too melodramatic, and definitely not as real as she is in her other films. The real problems with this film lie in the directing, the script, and the pacing. It's poorly filmed (though beautifully lensed), the script panders to too many stereotypes to even enumerate, and even though it's very short, it crawls along.

All the controversy about the rape is unfounded, too, because it actually is only a very small piece of the movie. You see her face twice and her hand once, and you hear her. I'd say it was 45 seconds. Maybe not even that long.

Anyways, color me disappointed. Definitely not worth all the hype, and I really wish Dakota could have found a better filmmaker(s) and film(s) during all the time she wasted as this film sat in preproduction. I hope this doesn't affect her career too much.