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MOVIES / ON DVD / THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

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The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005)

58%
80%
80%
N/A
N/A
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58 %
Reviews Counted: 79 Fresh: 46  Rotten:33 Average Rating: 6/10
 
Consensus: Noteworthy for Julianne Moore's performance, Prize Winner is nonetheless a largely indistinct and tentative film that fails to convey the true power of its bittersweet tale.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Synopsis: Julianne Moore returns to FAR FROM HEAVEN territory in THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO, which springs from the pages of Terry Ryan's memoir of the same name. Playing 1950s housewife Evelyn Ryan, who struggles to raise 10 kids while dealing with an alcoholic husband, Moore brings director... Julianne Moore returns to FAR FROM HEAVEN territory in THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO, which springs from the pages of Terry Ryan's memoir of the same name. Playing 1950s housewife Evelyn Ryan, who struggles to raise 10 kids while dealing with an alcoholic husband, Moore brings director Jane Anderson's film to life with another moving performance to add to her résumé. Evelyn's husband, Kelly (Woody Harrelson), works at the local factory but has sunk the family into financial trouble with his dangerously boozy habits. Struggling with her husband's drinking and the stress of raising so many children, Evelyn tries her luck in some jingle-writing contests. Writing rhyming couplets for companies like Dr. Pepper and Maidenform bras, the beleaguered housewife is surprisingly successful, and manages to tip the family's finances back into good health. Anderson peppers the action with short direct-to-camera monologues from Evelyn, which help to explain the idiosyncrasies of the competitions and also highlight her steely determination to pull her family through the hard times. But Kelly can't accept his wife's position as the major breadwinner of the family, and his violent, alcohol-fueled outbursts put an enormous strain on their relationship. Moore shines throughout the movie, giving a convincing performance as a strong woman who always puts her family's happiness before her own. As a first feature film, THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO, is a strong debut from Jane Anderson, who gained Emmy nominations for her HBO show NORMAL, which she wrote and directed; she also wrote the screenplay for this movie, faithfully molding Terry Ryan's words into a film that tugs heavily at the heart strings. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern, Simon Reynolds

Director: Jane Anderson
Screenwriter: Jane Anderson
Producer: Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis, Jonathan Freeman, Marty P. Ewing
Composer: John Frizzell

DVD Info

Release:

Feb 3, 2007

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Snap Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
  • Single Sided

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English
  • Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - English
  • Subtitles - English (SDH)
  • Subtitles - English
  • Subtitles - French
  • Subtitles - Spanish

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By: Name | Fresh | Rotten | Date | Source
 
 
Ratings Image
N/A

Defiance, Where? Female Compliance Behind and Before The Camera

Full Review | comment Comment
02/10/07
Prairie Miller
WBAI Web Radio
Ratings Image
C+

The script just dulls out.

Full Review | comment Comment
01/29/07
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image
3/4

This Prize Winner is a winner for its smart portrayal of a resourceful woman who loved her family, loved words, and loved life.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/27/06
Lisa Ann Cockrel
Christianity Today
Ratings Image
3.5/5

Far worse films with far lesser credentials have been given much fairer shots.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/21/06
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Ratings Image
B+

[Offers] an almost subversively idealistic subtext to a now-familiar ritual exposé of the American dream.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/12/06
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide
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3.5/5

Moore delivers one of the best performances of 2005.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/13/06
Pete Croatto
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image
C+

... in another director's hands ... might have devolved into a truly terrifying Lifetime-style screed against the oppressiveness of the masculine ego

Full Review | comment Comment
01/02/06
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/05
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Ratings Image
C+

It makes for a nice Mother's Day card. But not enough for a complete movie.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/10/05
Bob Longino
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ratings Image
N/A

...assembles an uneven but fairly inspirational package, manipulative in spots but with its heart in the right place.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/09/05
Todd Jorgenson
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)
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N/A

What was wrong with it? Well, I can tell you in two words: Woody Harrelson.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/07/05
Jeremy C. Fox
Pajiba
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N/A

In the end, Prizewinner is surprisingly uplifting and proves to be more of a timeless, genderless feel-good story than a period chick flick.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/04/05
Mike Ward
Richmond.com
Ratings Image
C+

Just a run-of-the-mill homage to motherhood lifted from the ordinary only by Moore's natural radiance, and in the end that's not quite enough.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/01/05
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
Ratings Image
N/A

[W]hip[s] hardship into a nutrition-free froth of nostalgia and facile charm: it’s The Wonder Years as produced by Good Housekeeping magazine.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/30/05
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
10/29/05
Houston Chronicle
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3.5/5

Moore delivers one of the best performances of 2005

Full Review | comment Comment
10/21/05
Pete Croatto
Filmcritic.com
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4/5

Rarely do you have a movie in which both lead actors give Oscar-worthy performances, but Defiance, Ohio is one.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/20/05
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
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N/A

But even as Prize Winner goes through these odd motions to set Evelyn's taxing context and her admirable survival, its most extraordinary moment turns surreal.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/14/05
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters
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3/4

For once, a true story gets no romanticizing or needless embellishment to become a captivating movie.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/14/05
Susan Walker
Toronto Star
Ratings Image
2.5/4

An uneven but loving tribute to a remarkable woman -- who would, undoubtedly, have wished to rewrite it herself.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/14/05
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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Related Forums

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• The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio at AskMen
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