An actress with anger issues has to save not only her fledgling career, but her own life, when she gets abducted after an audition.An actress with anger issues has to save not only her fledgling career, but her own life, when she gets abducted after an audition.An actress with anger issues has to save not only her fledgling career, but her own life, when she gets abducted after an audition.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
47
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Storyline
Washed up child star Gloria Green thinks her life can't any worse when she finds herself kidnapped by a deranged stalker and held captive with her biggest fan, Dawnee, who seems intent on making Gloria relive the past she's tried to forget. As the two hostages butt heads, Gloria's hapless assistant, Cheryl, tries to track down her missing boss, enlisting the help of the incompetent and dismissive police force. When Cheryl discovers that Gloria has been kidnapped, she alerts Gloria's manager, Al, who rather than save Gloria decides to sensationalize the event in order to reignite Gloria's acting career. As Al and the studios work on a deal, Cheryl tries to save Gloria, and the police... milk the limelight of the press. Gloria and Dawnee have started to bond in the confines of the basement, all that stands in the way of their budding friendship and Gloria's comeback is the deranged stalker who has a plan of his own... —Anonymous
- tied feet
- tied up while barefoot
- reference to malcolm x
- reference to martin luther king jr.
- reference to the black panthers
- 24 more
- Taglines
- All the Makings of a Killer Comeback
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- Parents guide
Did you know
- ConnectionsReferences In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Top review
Just when you think it's predictable & formulaic, it's not.
My title refers to not just the story but the entire genre of the film, so be prepared. "Pretty Bad Actress" is a dark comedy that revolves around--to borrow the phrase from that awesome 80s song--"the cult of personality".
The story follows 2 different characters and the way their lives bizarrely intersect: (1) a washed up ex-child star named "Gloria" (played by Heather McComb), and (2) a teenage girl named "Dawnee" (played by Stephanie Hodes) who is Gloria's #1 fangirl. The washed up celebrity Gloria bears a striking resemblance to every Hollywood child star who ends up in rehab (I'll let you fill in the names here), while Dawnee is like every nerd from "Big Bang Theory" all rolled into one. What follows is a seemingly predictable but ultimately complex chain of events that include, but are not limited to, kidnapping, mayhem and murder, with intermittent dashes of hilarious Hollywood spoofery & pop culture satire, as well as some very sobering, human moments. In other words, hold on to your hat because things get weird.
I spent the first half of the movie somewhat disinterested because the story seemed like such a cliché, but right around halfway you realize that the setup was deliberately predictable because that's what gives the film power when things get revealed. Suddenly this isn't just a cardboard tale of an ex-diva and her adoring fan who find common ground to thwart their antagonists, but it really spins into new territory where we question the 2 heroines themselves, their motivations, insanity and the ghosts latent inside each character.
There's a fantastic supporting role of the sleazy agent "Al" (played by Danny Woodburn, famous as "Mickey" on Seinfeld) who is such a self-serving Hollywood caricature that when a possible murder occurs, he instinctively calls the casting agents before calling the police (and even then, he doesn't know the number for 911 lol). Danny is what gives this story its comedic punch. But don't expect a comedy because, like I said, this film straddles all genres. If you're expecting just a madcap comedy you'll be disappointed; if you're expecting just a crime thriller you'll be disappointed; if you're expecting just a teen coming of age story you'll be disappointed. BUT if you expect nothing and just go along for the ride, I think you'll really dig it.
Other unconventional, quirky, pseudo-crime dark-comedies I would compare this to include "Stealing Sinatra" (2003), "Poker Night" (2014), and an obscure yet must-see flick if you enjoy kidnappings gone awry, the Japanese film "Rainbow Kids" (1991). All of these flicks seem pretty basic on the surface, but each is guaranteed to deliver a good head-smacking *gotcha* moment that's worth the price of admission.
The story follows 2 different characters and the way their lives bizarrely intersect: (1) a washed up ex-child star named "Gloria" (played by Heather McComb), and (2) a teenage girl named "Dawnee" (played by Stephanie Hodes) who is Gloria's #1 fangirl. The washed up celebrity Gloria bears a striking resemblance to every Hollywood child star who ends up in rehab (I'll let you fill in the names here), while Dawnee is like every nerd from "Big Bang Theory" all rolled into one. What follows is a seemingly predictable but ultimately complex chain of events that include, but are not limited to, kidnapping, mayhem and murder, with intermittent dashes of hilarious Hollywood spoofery & pop culture satire, as well as some very sobering, human moments. In other words, hold on to your hat because things get weird.
I spent the first half of the movie somewhat disinterested because the story seemed like such a cliché, but right around halfway you realize that the setup was deliberately predictable because that's what gives the film power when things get revealed. Suddenly this isn't just a cardboard tale of an ex-diva and her adoring fan who find common ground to thwart their antagonists, but it really spins into new territory where we question the 2 heroines themselves, their motivations, insanity and the ghosts latent inside each character.
There's a fantastic supporting role of the sleazy agent "Al" (played by Danny Woodburn, famous as "Mickey" on Seinfeld) who is such a self-serving Hollywood caricature that when a possible murder occurs, he instinctively calls the casting agents before calling the police (and even then, he doesn't know the number for 911 lol). Danny is what gives this story its comedic punch. But don't expect a comedy because, like I said, this film straddles all genres. If you're expecting just a madcap comedy you'll be disappointed; if you're expecting just a crime thriller you'll be disappointed; if you're expecting just a teen coming of age story you'll be disappointed. BUT if you expect nothing and just go along for the ride, I think you'll really dig it.
Other unconventional, quirky, pseudo-crime dark-comedies I would compare this to include "Stealing Sinatra" (2003), "Poker Night" (2014), and an obscure yet must-see flick if you enjoy kidnappings gone awry, the Japanese film "Rainbow Kids" (1991). All of these flicks seem pretty basic on the surface, but each is guaranteed to deliver a good head-smacking *gotcha* moment that's worth the price of admission.
helpful•30
- rooprect
- May 3, 2020
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- Also known as
- Love, Gloria
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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- Budget
- $300,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Color
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