While She Was Out (2008)

A woman out late for Christmas Eve shopping is soon terrorized by a small gang of troublemakers, and she must fight for her life.

Director:

Susan Montford

Writers:

Edward Bryant (short story), Susan Montford

Stars:

Kim Basinger, Lukas Haas, Craig Sheffer

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kim Basinger	...	Della
Lukas Haas	...	Chuckie
Craig Sheffer	...	Kenneth
Jamie Starr	...	Huey
Leonard Wu	...	Vingh
Luis Chávez	...	Tomas (as Luis Chavez)
Luke Gair	...	Terry
Erika-Shaye Gair	...	Tammi
Wayne Bernard	...	Angry Driver
Ari Solomon	...	Rent A Cop
Sadie Lawrence	...	Perfume Sales Lady
Alana Husband	...	Lingerie Sales Assistant
Katie Messina	...	Coffee Sales Person
Rachel Hayward	...	Lynn
Lossen Chambers	...	Pharmacy Sales Assistant

Storyline

Della Myers is an overwhelmed upper-middle-class housewife who lives in a large house in the suburbs with her twin children and her abusive husband, Kenneth. Kenneth lets Della know that he thinks she gives all her attention to the twins and neglects her house and her appearance. Late on Christmas Eve, Della drives to the local mall to buy gift-wrap. While searching for a parking space in the jam-packed lot, Della notices an old car taking up two spaces. Frustrated and annoyed, she decides to leave a paper message on the windshield of the old car, writing, "Hey, Jerk. Two parking spaces. How selfish can you be?" After the mall closes, Della's car is held by the driver of the old car and she is threatened by four punks -- Chuckie, Huey, Vingh, and Tomás. When the security guard of the mall attempts to protect Della, he is shot and killed by Chuckie. Della tries to escape from the criminals in her truck, but the gang chases her. In the chase, she crashes in a nearby forest. What unfolds...

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Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | title directed by woman | dysfunctional marriage | mall | woods | 

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Taglines:

They Messed With the Wrong Woman on the Wrong Night

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Country:

USA Canada Germany

Language:

English Spanish Chinese

Release Date:

26 March 2009 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Mientras estás fuera

Filming Locations:

Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$498,088

Company Credits

Production Co:

Insight Film Studios, Angry Films, Victoria Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 108 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Version of this story was filmed as a segment of the anthology series The Hidden Room starring Stephanie Zimbalist as Della.

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Connections

Featured in Bad Movie Beatdown: Christmas Special: While She Was Out (2010)

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Soundtracks

Midnite Bells
Traditional
Arranged by Mark Rozeville
Courtesy of 5 Alarm Music

User Reviews

When the Trailer is Better than the Movie

Della Myers (Kim Basinger) is an upper-class housewife that lives in a private condominium in the suburbs with her twin children and her abusive husband Kenneth (Craig Sheffer). Della gives all the attention to the twins, neglecting their house and her appearance and upsetting Kenneth. On the Christmas Eve, she drives to the local mall in the night to buy wrapping paper for the gifts, and she does not find any parking space available. When she sees an old car parked on two spots, she leaves a message to the owner calling him "selfish jerk". When the mall closes, Della's car is hold by the driver of the old car and she is threatened by four punks – Chuckie (Lukas Haas), the Afro-American Huey (Jamie Starr), the Chinese-American Vingh (Leonard Wu) and the Latin Tomás (Luis Chávez). When the security guard of the mall protects her, he is shot on the head by Chuckie, Della speeds up her car trying to escape from the criminals. However she crashes her truck nearby a forest while chased by the gang. She takes the toolbox and hides in the wood, fighting against the gang to survive.

A couple of days ago, I saw the trailer of "While She Was Out" and I was anxious to watch the DVD. Unfortunately the trailer is better than the movie, and I am totally disappointed with this dull and implausible collection of clichés. Della Myers is presented as an insecure and neglectful housewife and inexistent as wife; the motherhood is her only interest in her concept of family. She is chased by four mean criminals but she defeats them with a toolbox that seems to be the Batman's utility belt. Therefore, the plot is so absurd that irritates. The gang of criminals is formed by the favorite cliché of American movies, with an Afro-American, a Chinese-American and a Latin together with an American lord to be politically correct. Kim Basinger has a decent acting, but their children are too young for a fifty-five year-old woman. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Enquanto Ela Está Fora" ("While She Was Out")