Mistress America (2015)

A lonely college freshman's life is turned upside-down by her impetuous, adventurous stepsister-to-be.

Director:

Noah Baumbach

Writers:

Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig

Stars:

Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke, Nat Baldwin

1 win & 11 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Nat Baldwin	...	Band Member (as Nathaniel Baldwin)
Juliet Brett	...	Tiny Girl
Andrea Chen	...	Bitchy College Girl
Michael Chernus	...	Dylan
Cindy Cheung	...	Karen
Shana Dowdeswell	...	Ruth
Kathryn Erbe	...	Tracy's mom
Clare Foley	...	Peggy
Joel Marsh Garland	...	Actor
Greta Gerwig	...	Brooke
Charlie Gillette	...	Carey
Gail Golden	...	Mrs. Claus in Macy's Parade
Rebecca Henderson	...	Anna Wheeler
Michael Johnson	...	Band Member (as Michael Daniel Johnson)
Jasmine Cephas Jones	...	Nicolette

Storyline

Tracy, a lonely college freshman in New York, is rescued from her solitude by her soon-to-be stepsister Brooke, an adventurous gal about town who entangles her in alluringly mad schemes. Mistress America is a comedy about dream-chasing, score-settling, makeshift families, and cat-stealing.

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Plot Keywords:

betrayal | chess | female protagonist | reference to twitter | written by director | 

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Taglines:

from strangers to sisters.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Brazil

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Public School Project

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$234,275 (USA) (21 August 2015)

Gross:

$2,461,121 (USA) (2 October 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, RT Features

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Noah Baumbach said that While We're Young and Mistress America are 'sort of siblings'.

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Goofs

There is a scene that Tracy is walking on campus with lighted trees on the background. It is actually on the College Walk of Columbia University. And those trees will not be decorated with lights until mid December for the Christmas. But the story happens before Thanksgiving.

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Quotes

Brooke: Sometimes I look like I have fat arms.
Dylan: I like fat arms.

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Connections

References Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

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Soundtracks

Nocturne No.2 In E-flat major, Op.9
Written by Frédéric Chopin
Provided by APM Music

User Reviews

Simple but simply charming

This film tells the story of two young women who will become step sisters after their parents' marriage. They meet and bond quickly, and they go through life events in quick succession in the space of a few weeks.

"Mistress America" is a simple film that is dependent on dialogue and interesting characters. The quick pace and rapid fire dialogues remind me of Woody Allen films, and I think in here the dialogues are really good as they give the main characters distinct personalities. Brooke is very creative, bubbly, quirky but likable. Even the supporting characters are special, such as the jealous girlfriend and the rich woman who steals Brooke's ideas. There is so much going on in the film, even in the first ten minutes I thought I have already watched for much longer because so much has happened. I really enjoyed this charming film.