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 14-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.

---

Plot Keywords:

afterlife | child molester | investigation | serial murder | sexual predator | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official Site [France]

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$43,818,839, 7 March 2010

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$93,621,340, 5 January 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, Film4, WingNut Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the sequence when Jack repeatedly calls Fenerman with the names of possible suspects, one of the names is Frank Peretti (Jack actually spells the last name for Fenerman). Frank Peretti is a best-selling author of Christian supernatural thrillers.

---

Goofs

Susie says, "I was murdered on the 6th of December 1973." The 6th of December was a Thursday in 1973. When the detectives go to question George Harvey, they ask him where he was last Wednesday. His whereabouts aren't important on that day because Susie was murdered on a Thursday.

---

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.

---

Connections

Featured in The Nostalgia Chick: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Part 1 (2013)

---

Soundtracks

Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)
(1971)
Written by Allan Clarke, Roger Cook, and Roger Greenaway
Arranged and Conducted by John Scott (as Johnny Scott)
Produced by Ron Richman and The Hollies
Performed by The Hollies
Courtesy of EMI Records
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Like a bag of jelly beans... but not in a good way.

If you read the book, please don't see the movie. I repeat, if you read the book, please don't see the movie.

I just read the book, and was by a RedBox and decided to see how well Jackson could put such a beautiful, poignant novel into a movie. I should have known, when it was so short, that it couldn't be any good. But honestly, I was appalled at just how bad it was.

The one thing that can be said is the actors did a wonderful job, and it's pretty. There's a couple good scenes in it, but overall, it's just sad.

They kind of took several flavors of jellybeans and threw it into a bag. It has nothing to do with anything. I did not get buttered popcorn, I did not get cherry, I did not get strawberry daiquiri. I just got a lot of sweet, bean-shaped tidbits that kind of, halfheartedly formed something resembling a plot.

The book made me sob. The movie? It kind of confused me.

It was so bad, I started making notes on green sticky notes and sticking them to the bottom of my television.

I would so not watch this. Don't bother.