Women in Trouble (2009)

A serpentine day in the life of ten seemingly disparate women: a porn star, a flight attendant, a psychiatrist, a masseuse, a bartender, a pair of call girls, etc. All of them with one crucial thing in common. Trouble.

Director:

Sebastian Gutierrez

Writer:

Sebastian Gutierrez

Stars:

Carla Gugino, Adrianne Palicki, Dan Mailley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carla Gugino	...	Elektra Luxx
Adrianne Palicki	...	Holly Rocket
Dan Mailley	...	Doctor
Connie Britton	...	Doris
Caitlin Keats	...	Addy
Isabella Gutierrez	...	Charlotte
Simon Baker	...	Travis McPherson
Sarah Clarke	...	Maxine McPherson
Emmanuelle Chriqui	...	Bambi
Antonio Grana	...	Jimbo
Marley Shelton	...	Cora
Josh Brolin	...	Nick Chapel
Garcelle Beauvais	...	Maggie (as Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon)
Greg Lauren	...	Fireman
Samantha Shelton	...	Singer

Storyline

Several women (and one girl) in L.A. are hiding something from someone else, or discovering something hidden from them. Maxine, a therapist, discovers her husband cheating on her with the mother of Charlotte, a 13-year old patient. Addy (the other woman) and her sister Doris have withheld from the girl the truth of her parentage. Holly, an adult film actor, isn't telling her friend Bambi how she feels about her, and another actor, Elektra, who discovers she's pregnant, hasn't told the baby's father that she loves him. A stuck elevator, a car crash, mid-air turbulence, a flight attendant, a shotgun-wielding bartender, and her roommate, who's a masseuse, help these women communicate.

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Plot Keywords:

women | flight attendant | masseuse | call girl | elevator | 

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Taglines:

High Hopes, High Anxiety, High Heels.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content including strong dialogue, and for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Doces Problemas

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gato Negro Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The story Elektra tells about dating a man who does not seem to know she is a porn actress until after they have sex, is a true story. This actually happened to porn star Heather Hunter.

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Goofs

When Maxine is trying to undress herself on the bed, after Bambi drops her home very drunk, we see her with stockings in one scene and then they have immediately disappeared in the next shot.

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Quotes

Elektra Luxx: [after Holly all of a sudden brilliantly solves math task during the interview]

• You could get a PhD, you know?

Holly Rocket:

• I know. That's why I get tested twice a year.

Holly Rocket: [to the camera]

• Nobody thinks it can happen to them, but anyone can get a PhD. Make sure you get tested. Thank you.

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Connections

References Rocky III (1982)

User Reviews

Better Than the Reviews Indicate

True to its title, 2009's "Women In Trouble" is about a bunch of women in an assortment of trouble. The film begins with two women inside a Mexican jail, which turns out to be a film-with-a-film parody sequence of an exploitation movie. You eventually realize that the whole 90 minute feature is self-reflexive parody; although much more subtle than the opening.

Think the Coen Brothers with group of characters speaking out-of-place dialogue in a lot of unusual situations. Think Seinfeld with a lot of disparate pieces in some way related to each other, with the connections eventually coming into focus. Think "The Hours" (2002) with a group of vaguely uneasy women exploring the mysteries of female discontent and finding some solace from shared confidences.

Not a lot of physical humor, nor good acting, nor impressive production design. The writing is the strength of the production and it is excellent. If you don't get subtle parody you would be wise to stay away because there isn't much here for you. You are not the target audience. The only exception would be Marley Shelton fans. She has a very entertaining and clever 10-minute sequence, and looks incredibly hot in a tight flight attendant uniform. For her fans this is a must see even if most of the other material is not their cup of tea.

Those knocking the film simply failed to make the necessary connection with the material, so I wouldn't put much stock in the negative comments and reviews unless they are from someone who tends to mirror your own preferences.

Special features on the DVD includes deleted scenes, a satirical interview that runs after the credits, and Spanish subtitles; given the audio quality and the essential importance of the dialogue the money would have been much better spent on English subtitles.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.