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The Lovely Bones

  • 2009
  • 12
  • 2h 15m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
177K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,392
459
Jeffrey Mowery in The Lovely Bones (2009)
The Lovely Bones TV Spot
Play trailer1:02
27 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaFantasyThriller

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... Read allCenters 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.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
    • Philippa Boyens
    • Peter Jackson
  • Stars
    • Rachel Weisz
    • Mark Wahlberg
    • Saoirse Ronan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    177K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,392
    459
    • Director
      • Peter Jackson
    • Writers
      • Fran Walsh
      • Philippa Boyens
      • Peter Jackson
    • Stars
      • Rachel Weisz
      • Mark Wahlberg
      • Saoirse Ronan
    • 784User reviews
    • 312Critic reviews
    • 42Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 10 wins & 46 nominations total

    Videos27

    TV Spot: The Lovely Bones
    Trailer 1:02
    Watch TV Spot: The Lovely Bones
    The Lovely Bones -- Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:33
    Watch The Lovely Bones -- Trailer #1
    "Grandma Arrives" from The Lovely Bones
    Clip 0:45
    Watch "Grandma Arrives" from The Lovely Bones
    "You Are Beautiful" from The Lovely Bones
    Clip 1:06
    Watch "You Are Beautiful" from The Lovely Bones
    "Are You the Salmon Girl?" from The Lovely Bones
    Clip 0:54
    Watch "Are You the Salmon Girl?" from The Lovely Bones
    The Lovely Bones: Ray At School
    Clip 2:05
    Watch The Lovely Bones: Ray At School
    The Lovely Bones: Doll House
    Clip 1:01
    Watch The Lovely Bones: Doll House
    The Lovely Bones: Driving
    Clip 1:01
    Watch The Lovely Bones: Driving
    The Lovely Bones: Are You The Salmon Girl
    Clip 0:54
    Watch The Lovely Bones: Are You The Salmon Girl
    The Lovely Bones: You Are Beautiful
    Clip 1:05
    Watch The Lovely Bones: You Are Beautiful
    The Lovely Bones: Grandma Arrives
    Clip 0:45
    Watch The Lovely Bones: Grandma Arrives
    The Lovely Bones: Bottles
    Clip 2:01
    Watch The Lovely Bones: Bottles

    Photos232

    Saoirse Ronan and Nikki SooHoo in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Saoirse Ronan in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Stanley Tucci and Saoirse Ronan in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Saoirse Ronan in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Mark Wahlberg in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Mark Wahlberg in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Mark Wahlberg in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Mark Wahlberg, Rose McIver, Saoirse Ronan, and Christian Ashdale in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Susan Sarandon and Saoirse Ronan in The Lovely Bones (2009)
    Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz in The Lovely Bones (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Rachel Weisz
    Rachel Weisz
    • Abigail Salmon
    Mark Wahlberg
    Mark Wahlberg
    • Jack Salmon
    Saoirse Ronan
    Saoirse Ronan
    • Susie Salmon
    Susan Sarandon
    Susan Sarandon
    • Grandma Lynn
    Stanley Tucci
    Stanley Tucci
    • George Harvey
    Michael Imperioli
    Michael Imperioli
    • Len Fenerman
    Rose McIver
    Rose McIver
    • Lindsey Salmon
    Christian Ashdale
    Christian Ashdale
    • Buckley Salmon
    Reece Ritchie
    Reece Ritchie
    • Ray Singh
    Carolyn Dando
    • Ruth Connors
    Nikki SooHoo
    Nikki SooHoo
    • Holly
    • (as Nikki Soohoo)
    Andrew James Allen
    Andrew James Allen
    • Samuel Heckler
    Jake Abel
    Jake Abel
    • Brian Nelson
    AJ Michalka
    AJ Michalka
    • Clarissa
    Tom McCarthy
    Tom McCarthy
    • Principal Caden
    Stink Fisher
    Stink Fisher
    • Mr. Connors
    Evelyn Lennon
    • Susie Salmon (aged 3 years)
    Stefania LaVie Owen
    Stefania LaVie Owen
    • Flora Hernandez
    • (as Stefania Owen)
    • Director
      • Peter Jackson
    • Writers
      • Fran Walsh
      • Philippa Boyens
      • Peter Jackson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Saoirse Ronan landed the role of Susie Salmon based on an audition tape she sent in. They were so impressed by the tape that no meetings or further auditions were necessary before offering her the lead role in this movie.
    • Goofs
      George Harvey had to have dug out a rather large amount of earth to build the underground room where he murdered Susie. When we see him luring Susie into the room there is no pile of dirt anywhere in view. He would have also had to use the dirt to fill in the hole after dismantling the room. Where did all of that dirt go? Additionally, he digs this deep underground room in one night, in the middle of winter, using only a shovel. This is impossible since, in Pennsylvania, the ground is typically frozen solid throughout the winter, and deep digging cannot be done without special equipment, such as a steam shovel.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Susie Salmon: [voiceover] When my mother came to my room, I realized that all this time, I'd been waiting for her. I had been waiting so long, I was afraid she wouldn't come.

      Abigail Salmon: [whispering] I love you, Susie.

      Susie Salmon: [voiceover] Nobody notices when we leave. I mean, the moment when we really choose to go. At best you might feel a whisper, or the wave of a whisper, undulating down. My name is Salmon, like the fish. First name: Susie. I was 14 years old, when I was murdered, on December 6, 1973. I was here for a moment. And then I was gone. I wish you all a long and happy life.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Paul O'Grady Show: Episode dated 27 November 2009 (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      1/1
      (1978)

      Written by Brian Eno, Rhett Davies and Robert Wyatt

      Performed by Brian Eno

      Courtesy Of Virgin Records Ltd.

      Under License From EMI Film & Television Music

    User reviews784

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Vivid and abstract, but a good story nonetheless
    Adapting a film from a source material that is anything but intended for cinema is always a tricky thing to do. Judging by the largely negative criticism this film received, Alice Sebold's novel by the same name is apparently gutted by director Peter Jackson. Apparently, because that is exactly what some mainstream critics seem to think. On the other hand, I have not read Sebold's novel. As such, I think it's safe to assume that my experience may have been better than those who did read her book. Even so, I'm sure my experience was a lot better than those who read it and watched the film with the sole intention of harshly comparing one to the other. Even J. K. Rowling has her fair share of 'haters' when you talk about what Harry Potter does on screen, as compared to what he does in one of her books. So the next time you decide to lash out at a film maker for not living up to your novel (pun unintended) experience, think for a minute what it would be like to watch a movie, adapted word for word from the novel it's sourced. Even if you read one page at the rate of one minute, how would a 300 or 400 page novel translate into a 300 or 400 minute movie? Even if that were possible, what good would it be if the source material was not altered for the screen? And why shouldn't it be, given that both mediums are limited in creativity.

    So coming back to the subject on hand, and since I did not read the novel, I can say without a pause, that the movie experience was decent enough to have had me glued to the screen from beginning to end. In her narrative, Saoirse Ronan (pronounced Ser-Sher) explains her character's tragic end and what happens after. As Susie Salmon, Ronan portrays a time in America when "do not talk to strangers" was an unheard-of caution; a time when children could roam freely and not have to live in fear of preying eyes. Sadly enough, talking to a stranger was the last thing Susie Salmon did, before being murdered, dismembered and never to be found again. But this is where her story begins, first discovering her own death, then being stranded between her overwhelming feeling of vengeance towards her murderer and watching her family suffer and tear apart during their untimely loss. It is at this juncture, or the "in-between", as she calls it, where Susie shockingly learns that she is not the first, but the most recent victim in a series of brutal murders.

    Questionable by some critics, is Jackson's use of strong visual effects in portraying Susie's transition into the "in-between". After "King Kong" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, we see why Jackson is well endowed in the CGI department. That said, even having Steven Spielberg sign on as executive producer could not have influenced Jackson into telling Sebold's story in any other way but his. Visuals are crisp, abstract, and fluent while his color palette is deep yet intense with contrast, resulting in images that will push your Bluray player and HD display to the max. Is it needed in a murder mystery? Not really, because the plot is not much of a mystery; it is an innocent 14 year old girl's narration of the after-life. Again, this is where cinema CGI has the edge over raw imagination, especially when reading a book. As far as mystery is concerned, there is none. After school one day, Susie doesn't reach home because she has been lured into an underground den, specifically engineered to entice under aged girls. Her last moments are spent with her captor, a seemingly average Joe. Playing this monster is the versatile Stanley Tucci in what has to be one of his best roles thus far, deservingly earning his first Academy Award Nomination in a supporting role. Although his offering is top notch, you can't help but notice the utter darkness oozing out of his character. If the eyes are windows to the soul, then Tucci does an exceptional job as George Harvey, complete with that unmistakable flicker of evil in his eyes. Other supporting roles come from Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz as Susie's parents and Susan Sarandon as her grandmother. As always, Whalberg's rage-filled scenes are intense, but very rarely are his characters helpless. For the first time here, we get to see a combination of both. Sarandon's Grandma Lynn is questionable as this character does not add to the plot, nor can her inclusion be considered a sub-plot. But if there is ever a light moment throughout the film, it does come from Grandma Lynn. Another key character is played by Rose McIver as Susie's sister and in doing so, offers some of the film's intended suspense.

    This film succeeds as a drama. As a thriller, it could have been better. Comparing internet reviews between the book and the film will tell you that Jackson has chosen to leave the gory details out to get a wider audience. Although there are no actual scenes of rape, murder and mutilation, the act is heavily suggested during parts of the film and this is why it has a PG-13 rating instead of an R.
    helpful•27
    20
    • LloydBayer
    • Jul 3, 2011

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    Saoirse Ronan Through the Years

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    FAQ25

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 25, 2010 (Netherlands)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • New Zealand
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hình Hài Dấu Yêu
    • Filming locations
      • Royersford, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • Dreamworks Pictures
      • Film4
      • WingNut Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $65,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $44,114,232
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $116,616
      • Dec 13, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $93,621,340
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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