IMDb RATING
6.5/10
6.7K
YOUR RATING
A TV program selects people at random to kill one another for fame and their freedom.A TV program selects people at random to kill one another for fame and their freedom.A TV program selects people at random to kill one another for fame and their freedom.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 4 nominations
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWriter/Director Daniel Minahan's childhood friend, Dawn Lagarto, is given a "Special Thanks" credit. He originally wrote the story using her name for the main character. When it came time to start filming the producers had legal concerns regarding the use of a real person's name, but actress Brooke Smith felt an affinity for the name and wanted to retain it for her character. Minahan called the real Dawn Lagarto and got her blessing to use the name. The real Dawn Lagarto is not an unwed mother, has never participated in a reality TV series, and has never killed anyone.
- GoofsThe truck Tony drives off with the baby in is a Ford Ranger (a mid-size truck). The stock footage of a chase from a helicopter shows a truck that is supposed to be Tony's, but is now a full-sized Chevy. Back in the close-ups, it's a Ford Ranger again.
- Quotes
[After taking a movie audience hostage]
Dawn Lagarto: Bring my baby here or else innocent people are gonna die!
[Audience members applaud and cheer.]
Dawn Lagarto: That means YOU, ASSHOLES!
[Audience shuts up.]
- Crazy creditsAfter the title credits, a warning appears "Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is advised."
- Alternate versionsThe DVD version includes deleted scenes that are viewed seperately. They include:
- The reunion with Dawn's family is extended.
- A scene of Franklin refusing the radio/GPS rig and explaining why he lives in a lead-lined shack.
- A scene where Franklin is looking in the mirror and mentally preparing himself before he receives the note.
- Franklin's speech in the mall is extended.
- A scene with Connie's priest, where he explains in an interview that he's a fan of the show, that he recognized Connie's voice in the confessional, and that he hopes that she confesses for the two murders before she herself dies.
- 'Man-on-the-street' interviews.
- The 'real' ending, which we are told in the film that the footage was destroyed and then are presented a dramatization of the events. The 'real' ending is, when presented with the choice of killing one another, Jeff and Dawn put the guns down, run out of the theatre, were they meet a crowd of disgruntled fans. The fans give chase after them and, after catching them entering their SUV, begin beating them, presumably to death. This explains why, at the end of the film, Doria is proclaiming that she's been framed and why Jeff survived.
- An interview with Laura with Dawn's baby, where she renames the baby Dawn and says she's proud of her sister.
- A PSA from Doria about checking for testicular cancer.
- SoundtracksMeet The Contenders
Written and Performed by Girls Against Boys
Published by Action Collar Music/EMI/Blackwood Music/BMI
Copyright 2000 Geffen Records;
Girls Against Boys appears courtesy of Geffen Records
Featured review
This movie is for people who like their comedies so black that the light from the screen can barely escape the film's gravitational pull.
Fortunately, I'm one of those people, and I found the film to be hilarious beyond my wildest dreams. The main thing that makes the movie's premise work is that the movie takes itself seriously. It's similar to Christopher Guest's mockumentary style in that the people in the movie are for the most part unaware of their own ridiculousness. Now, that being said the acting in the movie is excellent. There is very nice character development of the main characters, and Brooke Smith's character has to be the most appealing and interesting assassin I've seen on screen ever. Most importantly, the movie is presented exactly like a reality show which eventually draws the viewer into suspending their disbelief and accepting the ludicrous world these characters inhabit. Even the bad parts of reality shows are accurate, the narrator's overly dramatic voice, the cheesy melodramatic music to inject some false drama, the corny stock footage of the flying bird. It's all so accurate it's wickedly funny. It even parodies cop shows during a car chase. Finally, the icing on the cake is that as ridiculous as everything is, you realize that American society isn't too far off from this extreme today, and that gives the film the added bite of seriousness that propels it above being simply entertaining and makes it a true satire, This film is even more impressive considering the fact that the idea was conceived 5 years ago before the reality craze began.
I encourage people to watch Series 7 once, it's destined to become a cult classic. The last line of the movie is also laugh-out-loud funny.
Fortunately, I'm one of those people, and I found the film to be hilarious beyond my wildest dreams. The main thing that makes the movie's premise work is that the movie takes itself seriously. It's similar to Christopher Guest's mockumentary style in that the people in the movie are for the most part unaware of their own ridiculousness. Now, that being said the acting in the movie is excellent. There is very nice character development of the main characters, and Brooke Smith's character has to be the most appealing and interesting assassin I've seen on screen ever. Most importantly, the movie is presented exactly like a reality show which eventually draws the viewer into suspending their disbelief and accepting the ludicrous world these characters inhabit. Even the bad parts of reality shows are accurate, the narrator's overly dramatic voice, the cheesy melodramatic music to inject some false drama, the corny stock footage of the flying bird. It's all so accurate it's wickedly funny. It even parodies cop shows during a car chase. Finally, the icing on the cake is that as ridiculous as everything is, you realize that American society isn't too far off from this extreme today, and that gives the film the added bite of seriousness that propels it above being simply entertaining and makes it a true satire, This film is even more impressive considering the fact that the idea was conceived 5 years ago before the reality craze began.
I encourage people to watch Series 7 once, it's destined to become a cult classic. The last line of the movie is also laugh-out-loud funny.
- How long is Series 7: The Contenders?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $195,065
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $28,844
- Mar 4, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $300,086
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was Series 7: The Contenders (2001) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer