Welcome to the Rileys (2010)

On a business trip to New Orleans, a damaged man seeks salvation by caring for a wayward young woman.

Director:

Jake Scott

Writer:

Ken Hixon

Stars:

James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Gandolfini	...	Doug Riley
Kristen Stewart	...	Mallory
Melissa Leo	...	Lois Riley
Joe Chrest	...	Jerry
Ally Sheedy	...	Harriet
Tiffany Coty	...	Tara
Eisa Davis	...	Vivian
Lance E. Nichols	...	Hamilton 'Ham' Watkins
Peggy Walton-Walker	...	Brenda (as Peggy Walton Walker)
Sharon Landry	...	Sharon
Kathy Lamkin	...	Charlene
Kerry Cahill	...	Waitress
Ken Hixon	...	Danny
Elliott Grey	...	Randy
David Jensen	...	Ed

Storyline

Something's wrong at the Rileys. Married nearly 30 years, Doug and Lois rarely talk. She doesn't leave their Indianapolis home, and she's ordered a gravestone with their names and birth years on it. He has a long-time Thursday night mistress whom he invites to go with him to a plumbing supply conference in New Orleans. Once there, Doug calls Lois to say he's staying for a while. What's he leaving behind and what's he looking for in New Orleans? And Lois, can she break out?

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Plot Keywords:

stripper | prostitute | travel | businessman | street | 

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Taglines:

You never know who's going to be your wake-up call

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, brief drug use and pervasive language involving a teenager

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [United States]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 2011 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Willkommen bei den Rileys

Filming Locations:

Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$42,145 (USA) (29 October 2010)

Gross:

$152,857 (USA) (3 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Films, Destination Films, Scott Free Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Jake Scott and costume designer Kim Bowen accompanied Kristen Stewart to strip clubs to research her role as Mallory. During that time Stewart was offered jobs by club owners because they didn't know she was an actress.

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Goofs

When Allison is in the car counting her money she burns her fingers on the butt of her cigarette. In the following scene she is seen with a barely smoked cigarette.

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Quotes

Douglas Lloyd 'Doug' Riley: Try to stay out of trouble.
Mallory: Yeah. I quit smoking!
Douglas Lloyd 'Doug' Riley: Really? Good for you. Me too!
Mallory: Really? Well, maybe there is some hope for us.
Douglas Lloyd 'Doug' Riley: Maybe so. Maybe so. You never know.
Mallory: You never know.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Inception/Predators/The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

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Soundtracks

Teenager's Prayer
Written by Leonard Allen
Performed by Joe Simon
Courtesy of Monument Records, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Nice little indie drama that gives some good actors some nice material to play around with.

'WELCOME TO THE RILEYS': Three Stars (Out of Five)

James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart and Melissa Leo star in this indie film about a man who forms a special bond with a young stripper / hooker after losing his daughter at the same age. It's directed by Jake Scott (who's prior experience is mainly in music videos) and written by Ken Hixon (who also wrote 'INVENTING THE ABBOTTS' and 'CITY BY THE SEA'). The film premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival and has received mostly positive reviews from critics. It marks a nice notable acting turn from Stewart, who plays a role quite different then any other she's done before.

Gandolfini plays Doug and Leo plays Lois Riley, an unhappy married couple that have been troubled with depression for years after losing their fifteen year old daughter Emily. Lois hasn't left their home since their daughter's death and Doug, in a need for attention, has been having an affair with a local waitress. One day on a business trip to New Orleans Doug meets a sixteen year old runaway girl named Mallory (Stewart) working as a stripper at a strip club there. She reminds him very much of his daughter and after turning her down for a lap dance he instead escorts her home. The next day Doug offers to pay Mallory a hundred dollars a day to stay with her at her house. He begins fixing up the home and taking care of Mallory, almost pretending that she's his daughter. After calling his wife to tell her he's not coming home Lois decides she must, for the first time in years, venture out of her house and travel to New Orleans to save her marriage.

The movie is a little clichéd and sugarcoated but there's also a lot of dark and ugly notes in the film as well and it manages to strike an even balance. The acting and directing is decent enough that the setup seems believable and you really learn to care for the characters. Gandolfini is good and lovable like always and Leo turns in another impressive performance and continues to show her range. It's Stewart that really shines in the film though and silences her critics by continuing to broaden her range as well (as she did with 'THE RUNAWAYS'). The film is emotional and rewarding to a certain extent. Nothing too powerful or memorable but a nice little indie drama that gives some good actors some nice material to play around with. Worth seeing if you're into that sort of thing.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN5KZOE7p28