Ellie Parker (2005)

A hilarious comic portrait of a young woman's struggle for integrity, happiness and a Hollywood acting career.

Director:

Scott Coffey

Writer:

Scott Coffey

Stars:

Naomi Watts, Jennifer Syme, Greg Freitas

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Naomi Watts	...	Ellie Parker
Jennifer Syme	...	Casting Chick
Greg Freitas	...	Rick Saul (as Gregory Frietas)
Gaye Pope	...	Leslie Towne
Blair Mastbaum	...	Smash Jackson
Jessica Vogl	...	Trixie
Rebecca Rigg	...	Sam
Mark Pellegrino	...	Justin
Kim Fay	...	Therapist
Scott Coffey	...	Chris
Todd Coffey	...	Upstairs Neighbor
David Baer	...	Acting Teacher
Marcel Sarmiento	...	Acting Student
Robbi Chong	...	Acting Student (as Robby Chong)
Jessicka	...	Acting Class Student

Storyline

Slice of life look at a young woman trying to make it as an actress in Hollywood. Ellie Parker, from Australia, works hard: she's gifted with accents, hustles to auditions, changes clothes and makeup as she drives across L.A., goes to acting classes and therapy, maintains a friendship with another Aussie searching for the same roles, meets a cinematographer when he bangs into her car at a stop sign, and faces a failing relationship with her slacker thinks-he's-a-musician boyfriend. All this brings on an identity crisis - who am I, and should I keep trying to be an actress? Ellie's balancing act and her inquiry into self carry the story.

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Plot Keywords:

woman in bathtub | hollywood | young woman | actress | acting | 

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Taglines:

What happens when you become the person you pretend to be?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexuality and drug use

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 July 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ele Parker

Filming Locations:

Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,299, 11 November 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$34,410

Company Credits

Production Co:

Strand Releasing, Kailua Productions

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Naomi Watts and Scott Coffey shot additional footage to the original short version (Ellie Parker (2001)) over a process of five years. You can mainly tell which are new and old scenes due to Watts changing hair length.

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Goofs

One shot at the zoo is played in reverse, made evident by the water running upwards before the camera pans to Ellie.

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Quotes

Ellie Parker: It is the hardest decision I've ever had to made. Apart from whether or not to have an abortion.

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Connections

References Men in Black II (2002)

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Soundtracks

Nobody Cares
Written and Performed by Sarabeth Tucek

User Reviews

Hmmmm...

At Sundance, the tickets to this film were highly coveted and among the first to sell out. We wish we hadn't wasted our time in the wait list line (2 hours!) as the movie turned out to be a disappointment. I never saw the original short that "gave birth," so to speak, to this film, but the director (Scott Coffey) told us that it had been the first 20 minutes or so of the film. Maybe he should have left it at that. The problem (for me, at least) was that the main character of the film was never made into a sympathetic enough person for me to care about. I admit that I did laugh out loud several times during the screening, but the laughs were much too far apart, and in between was a lot of self indulgent navel gazing. I realize that this was the point, to some extent, but it could have been a much better film had I even cared what happened to the main character. I know that I am not the only person who felt this way, as many people left during the screening...some only a few minutes into it, others as it wore on. When the lights went on afterward, there were empty rows in front and in back of me. I don't think this will ever be in theaters; if you're a big fan of Naomi Watts, you may want to rent the DVD. Otherwise, skip this.