Crime + Punishment in Suburbia (2000)

A darkly romantic story of murder and redemption, set against an eerily familiar American landscape.

Director:

Rob Schmidt

Writer:

Larry Gross

Stars:

Monica Keena, Ellen Barkin, Michael Ironside

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Monica Keena	...	Roseanne Skolnick
Ellen Barkin	...	Maggie Skolnick
Michael Ironside	...	Fred Skolnick
Vincent Kartheiser	...	Vincent
James DeBello	...	Jimmy
Jeffrey Wright	...	Chris
Conchata Ferrell	...	Bella
Marshall R. Teague	...	Coach (as Marshall Teague)
Nicki Aycox	...	Cecil
Christian Payne	...	Dean
Anthony Chow	...	Teacher (as Anthony C. Chow)
Bonnie Somerville	...	Stuck Up Girl
Lucinda Jenney	...	Vincent's Mom
Jim Boyce	...	Mr. Dwyer
Matt Champagne	...	Counselor Lord

Storyline

This is a contemporary fable loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment". Roseanne is outwardly a perfect and popular teen. However, her image is hiding the abuse at her stepfather's hands, and she decides to take revenge. The events that follow are a mix of dark humor and an exploration of modern morality as Roseanne faces not only a fellow suburbanite who knows, but her own conscience as well.

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Plot Keywords:

weeping man | corpse | shot in the stomach | television news | watching tv | 

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Taglines:

No one stays innocent forever

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brutal violence, strong sexuality, language and substance abuse

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 2000 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Crime + Punishment in Suburbia

Filming Locations:

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,893, 17 September 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$26,394, 8 October 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

G2 Films, Killer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Loosely based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Roseanne: What a strange path it took to find my heart.

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Connections

References The Outer Limits (1963)

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Soundtracks

Burn, Don't Freeze
Written by Carrie Brownstein
Performed by Sleater-Kinney

User Reviews

A Surprisingly Great Teen Free Adaptation of Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment"

Roseanne Skolnick (Monica Keena) is a popular cheerleader and girlfriend of the football player Jimmy (James DeBello), and she has a very dysfunctional family: her mother Maggie Skolnick (Ellen Barkin) is having an affair with a bartender and her stepfather Fred Skolnick (Michael Ironside) is a drunken and aggressive man. Vincent (Vincent Kartheiser) is a sweet and weird teenager, who studies in the same class and has a crush on Roseanne. He follows her everywhere with his camera, taking lots of pictures of her in the most different places or situations. When Roseanne is abused by her stepfather, she decides to kill him, with the support of Jimmy. However, her mother Maggie takes the blame and goes to the court for trial, being accused of murder. During the trial of her mother, Roseanne has to live with her guilt, being supported by Vincent. In the end, she has to decide: leave her mother be convicted and live with the feeling of guilt for the rest of her life, or assume the responsibility for the crime. "Crime and Punishment in Suburbia" is a surprisingly great teen free adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment". The screenplay is very well developed and the young cast has excellent performance. Although having a great moral in the end, with the redemption of Roseanne, the direction is so good that is able to conclude the plot without being corny. I like good contemporaries free adaptations of famous romances, and this one has not disappointed me. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Crime + Castigo" ("Crime + Punishment")