The Lovely Bones (2009)

Centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family - and her killer - from purgatory. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers:

Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens (screenplay)

Stars:

Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Saoirse Ronan

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 45 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Wahlberg	...	Jack Salmon
Rachel Weisz	...	Abigail Salmon
Susan Sarandon	...	Grandma Lynn
Stanley Tucci	...	George Harvey
Michael Imperioli	...	Len Fenerman
Saoirse Ronan	...	Susie Salmon
Rose McIver	...	Lindsey Salmon
Christian Ashdale	...	Buckley Salmon
Reece Ritchie	...	Ray Singh
Carolyn Dando	...	Ruth Connors
Nikki SooHoo	...	Holly (as Nikki Soohoo)
Andrew James Allen	...	Samuel Heckler
Jake Abel	...	Brian Nelson
AJ Michalka	...	Clarissa
Tom McCarthy	...	Principal Caden

Storyline

A fourteen-year-old girl in suburban 1970's Pennsylvania is murdered by her neighbor. She tells the story from the place between Heaven and Earth, showing the lives of the people around her and how they have changed all while attempting to get someone to find her lost body.

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Plot Keywords:

afterlife | investigation | serial murder | sexual predator | pedophile | 

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Taglines:

The story of a life and everything that came after...

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The poster on Susie's bedroom door and the picture on the inside of her locker door are of David Cassidy.

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Goofs

Earlier in the film(prior to Susie's murder), Abigail is seen reading several paperback books (including Herman Hesse's "Steppenwolf" and "Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care") that have bar codes on the back. Bar codes for products were not in use until 1974, one year after the murder occurs, and were not commonly used in most stores until the late 1970s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Susie Salmon: [voiceover] I remember being really small; too small to see over the edge of a table. There was a snow globe, and I remember the penguin who lived inside the globe. He was all alone in there, and I worried for him.

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Connections

Referenced in 30 Rock: Don Geiss, America and Hope (2010)

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Soundtracks

Patriotism
from The Partridge Family (1970)
Written by Hugo Montenegro
Courtesy of Sony Pictures Television Inc.
Under license from Sony Pictures Music Group

User Reviews

Pearls Before Swine

This movie shouldn't be my cup of tea. I'm pretty cynical and my favourite film genres are sci-fi and horror in that order. However, this film blew me away.

I don't understand all of the negative reviews concentrating on the CGI. It's supposed to be depicting an other-worldly realm between earth and heaven - what do you expect / want to see if you go to Heaven, grim city streets with alleys full of garbage and low-lifes? I found the imagery to be exactly what I would hope from heaven - endless possibilities bounded only by imagination - and it delivered that feeling.

As for the plot and the acting, I thought it was first-rate from start to finish.

If you still have a soul in this cynical world then I'm sure you'll like it - don't listen to the miserable horde.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA UK New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lovely Bones

Filming Locations:

Bryan Ave & Queens Ave, Paoli, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$116,616, 13 December 2009

Gross USA:

$44,114,232

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$93,621,340

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, Film4, WingNut Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1