Hounddog (2007)

A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.

Director:

Deborah Kampmeier

Writer:

Deborah Kampmeier

Stars:

Dakota Fanning, David Morse, Piper Laurie

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dakota Fanning	...	Lewellen
Granoldo Frazier	...	Band Member D (as Grenaldo Frazier)
Isabelle Fuhrman	...	Grasshopper
Cody Hanford	...	Buddy
Piper Laurie	...	Grammie
Charlie Lucas	...	Band Member A
Herman McCloud	...	Band Member B
Chandler McIntyre	...	Buddy's Mother
David Morse	...	Daddy
Robin Mullins	...	Marge
Afemo Omilami	...	Charles
Tom Oppenheim	...	Mechanic
Tim Parati	...	Bartender
Blake Rayne	...	Elvis (as Ryan Pelton)
Robin Wright	...	Stranger Lady (as Robin Wright Penn)

Storyline

A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.

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Plot Keywords:

child rape | grandmother granddaughter relationship | father daughter relationship | child smoking cigarette | child's point of view | 

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Taglines:

Gotta always somehow make good outta what can poison you.

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a disturbing sexual assault of a young girl, and brief sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hounddog

Filming Locations:

North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,750,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,744, 21 September 2008

Gross USA:

$128,092

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deerjen Films, Full Moon Films, The Motion Picture Group

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Deborah Kampmeier wrote the script in 1996.

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Goofs

Elvis Presley's appearance singing "Houndog" on the Milton Berle Show took place on June 5, 1956. Several of the vehicles used in the movie were newer than this. The pink Desoto (or Dodge) was probably a 1956, but it's not likely that a rural Alabama woman would be driving a new car. The tow truck used to tow the Desoto was a 1957 at the oldest, and it was quite beat up. The red Pontiac at the Elvis concert was a 1959.

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Quotes

Buddy: [first lines - gawking up at the trees] Wow.
Lewellen: I told ya... So let me see.
Buddy: You said I get a kiss.
Lewellen: No, you gotta show me first.
Buddy: Charles says you give him a kiss for nothing.
Lewellen: Charles is a liar. He showed me his thing, he did.
Buddy: I want my kiss first.
Lewellen: No, you gotta show me first.
Buddy: Maybe you won't give me my kiss then.
Lewellen: Sure I will. Come on now, show.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The film has a 2008 copyright date in the credits, despite first being shown in early 2007.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Drew Barrymore/Lily Allen (2007)

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Soundtracks

There Will Be Peace in the Valley for Me
Written by Thomas A. Dorsey
Performed by Dakota Fanning

User Reviews

Ultimately very disappointing.

This is a bad film. It is not really Dakota's fault, but to be honest I wasn't really impressed with her this time around. I felt like she was a little too much, a little too melodramatic, and definitely not as real as she is in her other films. The real problems with this film lie in the directing, the script, and the pacing. It's poorly filmed (though beautifully lensed), the script panders to too many stereotypes to even enumerate, and even though it's very short, it crawls along.

All the controversy about the rape is unfounded, too, because it actually is only a very small piece of the movie. You see her face twice and her hand once, and you hear her. I'd say it was 45 seconds. Maybe not even that long.

Anyways, color me disappointed. Definitely not worth all the hype, and I really wish Dakota could have found a better filmmaker(s) and film(s) during all the time she wasted as this film sat in preproduction. I hope this doesn't affect her career too much.