2 wins & 1 nomination.
See more awards »
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
Drama
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
7.3/10
X
Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens, a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with ... See full summary »
Director:
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Stars:
Dakota Fanning,
Jennifer Hudson,
Queen Latifah
Crime
|
Drama
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
5.8/10
X
A group of strangers form a unique relationship with each other after surviving a random shooting at a Los Angeles diner.
Director:
Rowan Woods
Stars:
Kate Beckinsale,
Forest Whitaker,
Guy Pearce
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
6.1/10
X
A grown-up woman, who kept her childish instincts and behavior, starts working as a nanny of a 8-year-old girl, who actually acts like an adult. But in the end everything turns to its right places.
Director:
Boaz Yakin
Stars:
Brittany Murphy,
Dakota Fanning,
Heather Locklear
Drama
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
5.5/10
X
When a teenager finds herself pregnant, with no memory of having had sex, she determines that she is carrying the child of God.
Director:
Deborah Kampmeier
Stars:
Elisabeth Moss,
Stephen Brian Jones,
Andrew Thaman
Drama
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
6.9/10
X
Captives of the very relationships that define and sustain them, nine women resiliently meet the travails and disappointments of life.
Director:
Rodrigo García
Stars:
Kathy Baker,
Amy Brenneman,
Glenn Close
Biography
|
Drama
|
Music
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
6.6/10
X
A coming-of-age biographical film about the 1970s teenage all-girl rock band The Runaways. This film also explores the relationship between band members Joan Jett and Cherie Currie.
Director:
Floria Sigismondi
Stars:
Kristen Stewart,
Dakota Fanning,
Michael Shannon
Short
|
Drama
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
6.9/10
X
A doctor is forced into an uncomfortable decision when her patient turns out to be the daughter of an old friend.
Director:
Rodrigo García
Stars:
Allison Janney,
Dakota Fanning
Horror
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
5.9/10
X
As a widower tries to piece together his life in the wake of his wife's suicide, his daughter finds solace -- at first -- in her imaginary friend.
Director:
John Polson
Stars:
Robert De Niro,
Dakota Fanning,
Famke Janssen
Action
|
Sci-Fi
|
Thriller
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
6.1/10
X
Two young Americans with special abilities must race to find a girl in Hong Kong before a shadowy government organization called Division does.
Director:
Paul McGuigan
Stars:
Camilla Belle,
Dakota Fanning,
Chris Evans
Drama
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
7.4/10
X
Difficult tale of poor, struggling South Carolinian mother & daughter, who each face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, ... See full summary »
Director:
Anjelica Huston
Stars:
Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Ron Eldard,
Glenne Headly
Drama
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
6/10
X
Two New York City girls make a pact to lose their virginity during their first summer out of high school. When they both fall for the same street artist, the friends find their connection tested for the first time.
Director:
Naomi Foner
Stars:
Dakota Fanning,
Elizabeth Olsen,
Sterling Jones
Drama
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
5.9/10
X
A look at the scandalous love triangle between Victorian art critic John Ruskin, his teenage bride Effie Gray, and Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais.
Director:
Richard Laxton
Stars:
Dakota Fanning,
Greg Wise,
Tom Sturridge
Edit
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.
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Taglines:
Every heart has an awakening. Every soul needs a song.
See more »
Motion Picture Rating
(MPAA)
Rated R for a disturbing sexual assault of a young girl, and brief sexuality
|
See all certifications »
Edit
Details
Release Date:
22 January 2007 (USA)
See more »
Box Office
Budget:
$3,750,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend:
$13,744
(USA)
(19 September 2008)
Gross:
$128,092
(USA)
(5 December 2008)
See more »
Company Credits
Technical Specs
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
See
full technical specs »
Edit
Did You Know?
Trivia
Banned in many cities because of the rape scene
See more »
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.
See more »
Quotes
Daddy:
I got you somethin'.
Lewellen:
What'd you get me? What'd I get, what'd I get?
Daddy:
Let me see if I can find it. Let's see, where'd I put it? Baby, I can't seem to find it. I just don't know where it is.
[
He hands her an Elvis record. She screams in excitement]
Lewellen:
Daddy!
See more »
Soundtracks
Come on in My Kitchen
Written by
Robert Johnson
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment
See more »
User Reviews
Message Boards
Recent Posts
Cliché after cliché is revisited, and yet this film still holds a respectable place of its own. Think of this film as a prequel to Forrest Gump, and it could be named "Jenny's Story".
Here are just a few of the clichés to be seen, they are typical of a film set in the mid-late 50's, in a rural southern town: aggressive alcoholic cad of father who's always angry. Parents unmindful of children's well-being. Ramshackle homes in disrepair. Dirty, barefoot children left unattended. Kids buying and/or drinking beer. Over-zealous religious nut-jobs. Abused women who accept mistreatment. Trampy chain-smokers. Perverted pedophiles. Playing in the crick'. Soulful black people in oppression. Granny with a shotgun. Horrible homemade fashions. Blues and soulful music. Family love triangles. Home grown foods. Kids getting "whoopin's". Dangerous critters running amok. Pitiful characters. Creepy characters. Old myths and legends. Mutt gets shot. White plantation home. Corn fields. Sage older black man. Broke down rusted vehicles. A fiery church service... trust Me, I COULD keep going. It is through these devices that we get a real feel of the crude existence of some within our "civilized society" at different places and times.
At least they spared us the usual overworked southern accents, and graphic displays of domestic violence!
Let's face it. Some of these stereotypical clichés are completely necessary for a story of this type. You can't make biscuits without flour (southern pun). Fact is, many of these things were true fixtures at that time. My grandmother and aunts can testify as much.
Fanning's performance is the feature presentation here. It's almost award worthy, almost. Perhaps it could have won, if in a different movie. She is convincing and displays just the right amount of intensity in this serious role. She is bearing the weight of a time-period drama of a sensitive nature, and does so remarkably well for someone of her age and career experience.
Even when Lewellens actions are not wise, we understand that she's still a naive child full of hope and wonder. Lewellen is indeed precocious and independent but she's an innocent and ill-equipped to perceive why others will hurt and disappoint her.
Family support is non-existent. What family she has is threatening and harsh. Family kills her dog, abandons her on a whim, can't provide, can't offer comfort or affection, makes her feel guilt and isolates her from her friends. Her friends and peers aren't very good either, when they can betray her maliciously.
What Lewellen does have is music, a love for Elvis and his songs. Although such things are demonized by her grandmother, Lewellen finds a safe place to express herself within them. Performing Elvis' songs brings joy, a sense of pride, and something for which to dream in an otherwise depressive place.
We want to see Lewellen succeed and have some happiness, the audience cares for this character and her plight. We wish her predicament weren't so bleak and the people in her life weren't so utterly worthless (save one exception).
There was an ominous cloud lingering around the father during the whole movie, it was as if he may lose control at any moment and abuse his daughter. Every scene with the two of them together was uneasy, even though the daughter didn't behave apprehensively.
I thought the sets on this film were pretty good, so sure, they need some cinematic showcasing. There's reportedly some goofs (dealing with cars) but since I'm not an antique car expert, I was never distracted. The editing could have been better tailored, I can't quite pinpoint the specifics that could have been improved to make this film a classic... several production values are just "off" a little bit.
I did not find the snake imagery obtrusive. It conveyed the message of being strangled by sin, depravity, and shame. It represents the differing types of venom that poisonously consume a person... this message was depicted in various other ways throughout the film.
One could easily sift through this film for life lessons and spiritual significance, and not be disappointed. The films ends leaving you unsatisfied, but at least it ends on the appropriate note.