Case 39 (2009)

A social worker fights to save a girl from her abusive parents, only to discover that the situation is more dangerous than she ever expected.

Director:

Christian Alvart

Writer:

Ray Wright

Stars:

Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Renée Zellweger	...	Emily Jenkins
Jodelle Ferland	...	Lilith Sullivan
Ian McShane	...	Det. Mike Barron
Bradley Cooper	...	Doug
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Edward Sullivan
Adrian Lester	...	Wayne
Kerry O'Malley	...	Margaret Sullivan
Cynthia Stevenson	...	Nancy
Alexander Conti	...	Diego
Philip Cabrita	...	Javier
Vanesa Tomasino	...	Javier's Wife
Mary Black	...	Custody Judge
Domenico D'Ambrosio	...	Plainclothes Cop
Benita Ha	...	Therapist
J. Winston Carroll	...	Judge (as John Carroll)

Storyline

"Case 39" centers on an idealistic social worker who saves an abused 10-year-old girl from her parents only to discover that the girl is not as innocent as she thinks.

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Plot Keywords:

social worker | tire iron | thunderstorm | alarm clock | detective | 

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Taglines:

They'll never stop. October 1

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and terror including disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

MySpace Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Caso 39

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,350,570 (USA) (2 October 2010)

Gross:

$13,248,477 (USA) (12 November 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Vantage, Misher Films, Anonymous Content

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While shooting one of the fire scenes for the movie, a special effect fire got out of control and burned the whole set down, including the studio stage it was built into and almost all of the crew's equipment. Nobody was seriously injured and filming resumed the very next day with equipment being hauled in from all over the world.

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Goofs

When Emily surfaces after driving her car into the water, her hair is suddenly almost dry. It then goes from soaking wet to almost dry & back again as the scene progresses.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lillith Sullivan: [waking] I can see you.

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Connections

Featured in Great Movie Mistakes III: Not in 3D (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Like Dat"
Written by Stat Quo (as Stanley Benton), Gerald Griffin & Lt. Mo (as Todd Moore)
Performed by Stat Quo
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Nothing great or very memorable, but entertaining

Case 39 would have been a bit predictable even if the trailer had not revealed the mystery behind its story.For better or for worse, the story is an homogeneous combination of the well known elements we have seen on many movies which show kids involved on paranormal events.However, despite its lack of innovation, I had a good time watching Case 39, thanks to Christian Alvart's concise and dynamic direction and the competent performances from Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland and Callum Keith Rennie.

There are various elements in the screenplay we have seen in other movies.However, even though the story lacks of originality, Case 39 is entertaining, because Alvart created a good rhythm and some solid moments of tension.What is more, the story is well structured.

Zellweger made her return to horror with Case 39 after 15 years (since her unworthy appearance on the atrocious The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre).In recent years, she has created a very different image, but her performance in Case 39 feels realistic and effective.Ferland creates a good aura of threaten with her role; I liked not to see her trying to apparent evilness, because that is the point where almost all the child actors I have seen in the past in similar movies fail.And even though he has short screen-time, Rennie brings a good level of intensity to his character.As for the rest of the actors, they feel a bit bland.

In summary, Case 39 is nothing extraordinary or highly memorable; but I think it is effective for having a good time, and I recommend it because of that.