Pretty Persuasion

Name: Pretty Persuasion
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: August 12, 2005
Duration: 104 min
Rating: 45
Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Ron Livingston

2005

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 15 Ratings

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8.1	User Score Universal acclaim based on 15 Ratings

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Pretty Persuasion

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Movie Details & Credits

Samuel Goldwyn Films | Release Date: August 12, 2005 | R

Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Ron Livingston

Summary: In this sophisticated comedy, Evan Rachel Wood plays Kimberly Joyce, and insanely intelligent, wildly funny, shockingly cruel and sexy-beyond-her-years Beverly Hills teenager who will stop at nothing to become famous. (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

Director: Marcos Siega

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 104 min

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Critic Reviews

David Gilmour

It is also extremely well-written in the fearless way of a smarty pants on a roll in the university cafeteria. Read full review

Carina Chocano

It's too bad that the satire is not more pointed, because Pretty Persuasion is outrageously funny in short blasts, mainly thanks to James Woods at his most gleefully depraved. Read full review

Nathan Rabin

In a star-making performance, Evan Rachel Wood stars as essentially a younger version of Nicole Kidman's media-age femme fatale from "To Die For," an aspiring 15-year-old actress who hides a sharp, calculating mind behind a façade of vapid, chattering self-absorption. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Only partly successful. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

An exercise in bad taste that takes itself just seriously enough to be offensive. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

Sets out to be a social critique but settles for smug disdain. Read full review

Sean Axmaker

The disingenuous attempt to give the tawdry story some kind of social import only makes the tinny caricatures more insincere, while his erotic display of 15-year-old girls isn't a satire of a sexualized culture, it's just dirty. Read full review

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User Reviews

JaneA.

Sep 3, 2005

It's Clever and Funny and Harsh. Well-written. Incisive look at highschool and contemporary attitudes.

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adnan_soysal

Feb 9, 2021

This movie is hilarious
And its moral story is a quiet series problem of the modern life, Drama Queen Psychopaths.
And this movie displays this sickness so simple, yet so so complex. It is a tragedy, yet it is a comedy. It is so dry, yet it is so fleshed. It is so raw, yet it is so elegant.This movie is hilarious
And its moral story is a quiet series problem of the modern life, Drama Queen Psychopaths.
And this movie displays this sickness so simple, yet so so complex.
It is a tragedy, yet it is a comedy.
It is so dry, yet it is so fleshed.
It is so raw, yet it is so elegant.
The plot shows the drama queen, Kimberley, operating on a an environment where all little poor hypocrites are under affection of her.
Movie shows how everyone else has a share of hypocrisy, pumping up the dramas of the Queens.
And Kimberly knows this, and uses this. That is where her "superiority" over others lies.
She knows she has the upper hand. While everyone else is busy with their own petty concerns, devil is busy to prepare her drama based on these petty concerns.

Every little scene, every actor, every acting is prepared with no mistake, and to the point.
Casting was great. Everyone performed well.
James Woods at dinner scene, Ron Livingston at dinner scene with his wife, Jane Krakowski at news reporting scenes are all wonderful.
Take Robert Joy at the court scene. He is so amazing, by just saying nothing.
And Evan Rachel Wood (Kimberly) is just wonderful.
She is not acting this drama queen, she knows her by heart ( she must have been either exposed to drama queens to much, or herself is one )… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ArielG.

Feb 12, 2006

Very sharp satire about high school life in these current times. Evan Rachel Wood shone in her dual role as the good girl and the schemer. There are parts in this movie which may offend some racial groups, so be wary. Offensive language and simulated sex scenes are featured occasionally - Very sharp satire about high school life in these current times. Evan Rachel Wood shone in her dual role as the good girl and the schemer. There are parts in this movie which may offend some racial groups, so be wary. Offensive language and simulated sex scenes are featured occasionally - Don't watch it with your parents, unless you want to cringe with embarassment. But do see it if you're a fan of biting comedies and satirical high school movies like Election.… Expand

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ChadS.

Feb 14, 2006

At first, "Pretty Persuasion" seems like a "Heathers"-wanna-be. In both films, the protagonist wants to be a good person. But when we arrive at the final scene, it's hard not to see this mean-spirited teen comedy as a sort of "In the Company of [Teenage Girls]". Kimberly is Chad(Aaron At first, "Pretty Persuasion" seems like a "Heathers"-wanna-be. In both films, the protagonist wants to be a good person. But when we arrive at the final scene, it's hard not to see this mean-spirited teen comedy as a sort of "In the Company of [Teenage Girls]". Kimberly is Chad(Aaron Eckhart in the Neal LaBute film) in a skirt. What happens to Randa(Adi Schnall) is too heavy-handed; too serious a truth about Muslim attitudes towards their girls who besmirch the family's "good" name, in a film that uses the Arab teen as color. And what Brittany(Elisabeth Harnois) performs at a school-play rehearsal is about as unlikely as Meg Ryan's fake orgasm in "When Harry Met Sally". It's very unpleasant. "Pretty Persuasion" also needlessly tells its story in a non-linear fashion, and trades the world of teenage girls for the world of courtrooms to the detriment of the "teen film"-genre it's trying to skewer.… Expand

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Aug 23, 2005

It's not that it was offensive, it was that it wasn't funny. Michael Hitchcock gave the most laughs and he was only in about 3 scenes. Perhaps it is that he is actually good at comedy? It probably isn't fair to dismiss the rest of the cast as talentless, so maybe it was the It's not that it was offensive, it was that it wasn't funny. Michael Hitchcock gave the most laughs and he was only in about 3 scenes. Perhaps it is that he is actually good at comedy? It probably isn't fair to dismiss the rest of the cast as talentless, so maybe it was the direction and screenplay. Speaking of the screenplay, it seemed as if about half the movie was written at a computer and the other half was written at a dart board. Halfway or 2/3rs through it just falls apart into random scenes that make desperate attempts at being meaningful and heartfelt. Only they come off as random and desperate. I think the film's major problem is that it ultimately wasn't absurd or subtle. Cartmen of South Park is funny because he is so extremely offensive. Other comedies are funny because they are subtle and thought provoking. This film sits in between the two; crass as it may be, the offensive material doesn't go far enough. The screenplay writer will say he was trying to make real people, not absurdities. That's fine, but none of these people are at all believable and even if they were, they wouldn't be funny.… Expand

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