Much like I imagine spending time with Wurtzel herself, Prozac Nation is a laborious, annoying, and wholeheartedly repulsive experience.
Prozac Nation (2003)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:6
Rotten:16
Average Rating:4.6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Based on the bestselling memoir by Elizabeth Wurtzel, PROZAC NATION tells the true story of Wurtzel's own difficulties with severe depression during her first year at college. Liz (Christina Ricci)... Based on the bestselling memoir by Elizabeth Wurtzel, PROZAC NATION tells the true story of Wurtzel's own difficulties with severe depression during her first year at college. Liz (Christina Ricci) is a gifted writer whose talent earns her a scholarship to Harvard University. Escaping from the controlling arms of her mother (Jessica Lange), Liz's delicate mental state is tested by the stress of being away from home at a challenging institution. Finding refuge in drugs and sex, she views herself with increasing criticism, eventually unable to work on her writing at all. A character study with a loose narrative that explores the seriousness of depression, PROZAC NATION was directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg (INSOMNIA). [More]
Starring: Christina Ricci, Jason Biggs, Anne Heche, Michelle Williams
Starring: Christina Ricci, Jason Biggs, Anne Heche, Michelle Williams, Jonathan Rhys-Myers, Jessica Lange, Nicholas Campbell
Director: Erik Skjoldbjaerg
Director: Erik Skjoldbjaerg
Screenwriter: Frank Deasy, Larry Gross
Producer: Galt Neiderhoffer, Brad Weston, R. Paul Miller
Studio: Miramax Films
Reviews for Prozac Nation
Ricci, a largely inconsistent and limited actress, is splendid when the atomic bomb inside her character’s head goes off.
In portraying Elizabeth Wurtzel, Ricci displays range, depth, and courage.
well-made, but almost relentlessly downbeat portrait of self-destruction -- it makes Winona Ryder's similar 'Girl, Interrupted' look like 'Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'
The film avoids disease-of-the-week sentimentality with Ricci's calm, reasoning voice-over juxtaposing her erratic behavior; she realizes what she's doing but just can't stop.
despite low expectations, you press on, hoping for something interesting to happen
Prozac Nation moves along at the speed of a Norwegian glacier, yet it provides the observer with nowhere near the pleasure.
This bafflingly awful film is as likable as a sharp blow to the base of the skull, which I would recommend before even thinking of paying to see Nation.
it seems that Elizabeth’s problem isn’t that she’s clinically depressed. It’s because she’s a first class a-hole. (That’s a scientific term)
Such a campy and narcissistic tear-jerker that it's the audience that ends up in a complete stupor.
[Ricci's] performance as a Harvard undergrad battling clinical depression compels your attention every moment she is on screen.
Poor Ricci, stuck in the role of the egotistical unlikeable young woman, tries her hardest to appear miserable.
Truly depressing, a dark, mean and screechy film that still looks half-finished after years on the shelf.
She's irritating, brash, self-centered and ultimately lovable in this '80s angst film, which may not play well with today's audiences who would be rather dismissive to such a me-generation attitude.
Ancorado pelas ótimas atuações de Ricci e Lange, o filme traça um retrato fiel da depressão – e aqueles que passaram (ou passam) por esta experiência certamente o aplaudirão.
Offers little insight into mental illness or its treatment, and it offers even less drama.
Ninety-eight minutes of this movie and you may find yourself reaching for Prozac or the antidepressant of your choice. A cheap shot, to be sure, but the movie earns it.
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Prozac Nation at Rotten Tomatoes
- Prozac Nation at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

