In the Cut (2003)

New York City writing professor, Frannie Avery, has an affair with a police detective, who is investigating the murder of a beautiful young woman in her neighborhood.

Director:

Jane Campion

Writers:

Jane Campion (screenplay), Susanna Moore (screenplay)

Stars:

Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Jason Leigh

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Pauline
Meg Ryan	...	Frannie Avery
Michael Nuccio	...	Frannie's Young Father (as Micheal Nuccio)
Allison Nega	...	Young Father's Fiancee (as Alison Nega)
Dominick Aries	...	Attentive Husband
Susan Gardner	...	Perfect Wife
Sharrieff Pugh	...	Cornelius Webb
Nick Damici	...	Detective Ritchie Rodriguez
Heather Litteer	...	Angela Sands
Daniel T. Booth	...	Luther Wilker Red Turtle Bartender
Yaani King Mondschein	...	Frannie's Student (as Yaani King)
Frank Harts	...	Frannie's Student
Sebastian Sozzi	...	Frannie's Student
Zach Wegner	...	Frannie's Student (as Zack Wegner)
Mark Ruffalo	...	Detective Giovanni A. Malloy

Storyline

Frannie Avery is a New York City inner city high school English teacher, whose passion is collecting words and phrases that interest her, either because of their meaning and/or just because of the way they sound. The way that she and her paternal half sister Pauline Avery, her closest confidante, deal with men and sex has largely been affected by their father, who is working on marrying wife number five. Frannie thinks about sex more than she has it. Her lack of a sex life is further exacerbated by being the object of obsession of James Graham, a man with who she had a few casual dates and two sexual encounters, which has made her even more cautious. This complete experience is why she has a somewhat inappropriate, albeit non-sexual relationship with Cornelius Webb, one of her students. She eventually embarks on a sexual relationship with NYPD Homicide Detective Giovanni Malloy, who, along with his partner Detective Ritchie Rodriguez, are investigating the murder of a young woman, ...

---

Plot Keywords:

blow job | oral sex | female rear nudity | female removes her clothes | breasts | 

---

Taglines:

Everything you know about desire is dead wrong.

---

Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality including explicit dialogue, nudity, graphic crime scenes and language

Details

Official Sites:

Pathé [France] Sony Pictures

Country:

UK Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

En carne viva

Filming Locations:

7th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$97,625, 26 October 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,750,602

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,726,793

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathe Productions,Pathé Pictures International,Red Turtle

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min 113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Black and White (fantasy sequences) (Sepiatone) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actress Kristen Schaal was an extra, and can be seen in the "Behind the Scenes" footage on the DVD.

---

Goofs

There is a typo in the credits - "transportation" is spelled "tranportation" (missing the "s").

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Pauline: What does "broccoli" mean"?
Frannie: Depends on the context. Pubic hair or marijuana. It's a noun.
Pauline: And "Virginia"?
Frannie: Vagina. As in, "He penetrated her Virginia with a hammer".

---

Crazy Credits

Filmed 100% in New York city.

---

Connections

Referenced in Confessions of an R-rated Movie Maker (2004)

---

Soundtracks

Show Me The Way To Your Heart
Written & Performed by Lucinda Peters

User Reviews

Two hours spent with ugly characters...yuchh

From beginning to end, an uninteresting, incomprehensible, unrewarding waste of time. Lack of sympathetic characters in itself is not always a bad thing (I'm thinking Taxi Driver, Bad Lieutenant, Goodfellas) but without some performance to draw you in, some attitude or conflict with which to identify, you're simply left in the company of dullards or cretins, both of which are in good supply here. I know Meg Ryan's character is supposed to be bland and timid, but she's also supposed to have some fire burning within, some unfulfilled desire that makes her enter into a risky affair (remember Diane Keaton in 'Looking For Mr. Goodbar?). She shows this in her sex scenes, but none in other moments. Mark Ruffalo? Wonderful performance, if being both wooden and extremely repellent at the same time was the requirement. Kevin Bacon, slumming once again (he seems determined to make 'Three Degrees of Kevin Bacon WAY to easy to play) provides the only interesting performance, but his character is such an obvious red herring that the fun of it diminishes under the formula. The worst offense, however, is the total lack of motive for the killings. 'In the Cut' is apparently (and I'm just guessing here) a skating reference, but what's the point? All the sturm and drang about the mother and father's romance on skates, and the ridiculous dream sequence...why? After nearly two hours spent with ugly characters in ugly surroundings amidst ugly circumstances, there is no payoff, no explanation, no insight. Yuchh.

Later: I read the book. Somehow I was compelled. And it made this abortion of a movie all the more egregious since the author had a hand in it. The book was honest and compelling and had an ending that was DEVESTATING and COMPLETELY in sync with the rest of the story. Why, why, why, do these filmmakers think they can't offer an honest, violent, sad ending to an American audience? This sell-out on the part of the author ranks right up there with the one inflicted by the director of both the original 'The Vanshing' and the US remake. Shame on you for selling out your vision.