The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005)

In order to support her ten children, Evelyn Ryan enters a commercial jingle-writing contest.

Director:

Jane Anderson

Writers:

Terry Ryan (book), Jane Anderson (screenplay)

Stars:

Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julianne Moore	...	Evelyn Ryan
Woody Harrelson	...	Kelly Ryan
Laura Dern	...	Dortha Schaefer
Trevor Morgan	...	Bruce Ryan at 16 yrs
Ellary Porterfield	...	Tuff Ryan at 13, 16 & 18 yrs
Simon Reynolds	...	Ray the Milkman
Monté Gagné	...	Lea Anne Ryan at 17 yrs
Robert Clark	...	Dick Ryan at 16 yrs
Michael Seater	...	Bub Ryan at 15 yrs
Erik Knudsen	...	Rog Ryan at 13 yrs
Jake Scott	...	Bruce Ryan at 11 yrs
Jordan Todosey	...	Tuff Ryan at 9 yrs
Ryan Price	...	Mike Ryan at 6 yrs
Shae Norris	...	Barb Ryan at 4 yrs
Abigail Falle	...	Betsy Ryan at 2 yrs

Storyline

Kelly and Evelyn Ryan live in Defiance, Ohio with their 10 children. At first glance their life seems idyllic; they call each other "Mother" and "Father" and seem to dote on the kids. But Kelly was a garage-band crooner whose voice was ruined in an auto accident. He's resigned to a dead-end factory job that barely pays the bills, and is given to fits of alcohol-induced rage. Evelyn, a stay-at-home wife and mother, deals with this abuse by appealing to her priest, who is no help at all. She deals with their poverty by entering the jingle contests that were the rage in the 50's and early 60's, even sending in multiple entries in the names of the children. She is very clever at it, winning more than her share of prizes, but her successes aren't enough to keep the wolf from the door. Further, they trigger Kelly's insecurities and he retreats deeper into the bottle, using food and mortgage money to support the habit. Can the loving, optimistic Evelyn hold the family together? Is she ...

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Plot Keywords:

freaking out | gasoline station | dysfunctional marriage | man wears eyeglasses | watching tv | 

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Taglines:

The true story of how a mother raised ten kids on twenty-five words or less.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some disturbing images and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

In real-life, the singer who introduced the nameless "Name The Sandwich" jingle contest was Freddie Cannon, who performed the song on American Bandstand (1952).

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Goofs

In the movie, Kelly and Evelyn Ryan both have red hair. However, only a few of their children have red hair, the rest have brown. This would be genetically impossible since the gene for red hair is recessive; two copies of the gene are needed for red hair. If the Ryan parents were true redheads, all of their children would have some variation of red hair.

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Quotes

Leo "Kelly" Ryan: I wanted to make a nice dinner for the kids.
Evelyn Ryan: Why didn't you feed them?
Leo "Kelly" Ryan: I was crying and didn't want them to see me.
Evelyn Ryan: Why on earth were you crying?
Leo "Kelly" Ryan: I thought you decided to go away and never come back.
Evelyn Ryan: [sighs] For goodness sakes. You know I'd never leave the kids with you.

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Crazy Credits

Before the ending credits roll, updates are given of all the children and of Ms. Schaefer along with their real life photos.

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Connections

Features Queen for a Day (1956)

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Soundtracks

Sitting on Top of the World
(1925)
Music by Ray Henderson
Lyrics by Sam Lewis and Joe Young
Performed by Woody Harrelson

User Reviews

THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO is a great American film.

Julianne Moore delivers a performance that captures the essence of the American homemaker in the 1950's. Her strength of character and her intelligence which she utilizes to help clothe and feed her family and keep them together virtually anchors the film.

The cast, writing and locations enhance THE PRIZE WINNER, and create an air of authenticity on the screen which moves the story forward. The children, in all their ages, help produce such a powerful film and form the foundation for Julianne Moore's motivation to provide and take care of her family.

Woody Harrelson is tremendous, and visually watching his anger and pain explode at times in the film, makes the audience take note of what it must have meant for a father to fail as a breadwinner in the 1950's.

THE PRIZE WINNER takes you back to that time in American history when the thought of winning and capturing "The American Dream" was one you could accomplish with hard work and talent. Julianne Moore makes the film all the more powerful with her portrayal of an American mother who will use her brains and determination to keep her family together. This film is one of the best to come along in 2005.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 2007 (Spain)

Also Known As:

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

Filming Locations:

Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$159,056, 2 October 2005

Gross USA:

$627,844

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$750,212

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Erie Productions Ltd., ImageMovers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1