RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Stephanie Daley
Stephanie Daley

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Stephanie Daley (2007)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
90 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:48

Fresh:43

Rotten:5

Average Rating:7.3/10

Consensus: The premise has all the trappings of melodrama, but the excellent performances give the characters complexity and empathy.

Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: In STEPHANIE DALEY, Amber Tamblyn and Tilda Swinton turn in remarkable performances as a young girl accused of murdering her infant and the pregnant forensic psychologist assigned to her case. When... In STEPHANIE DALEY, Amber Tamblyn and Tilda Swinton turn in remarkable performances as a young girl accused of murdering her infant and the pregnant forensic psychologist assigned to her case. When Stephanie is found trailing blood in the snow on a high school ski trip, the media quickly latches onto the story, labeling her the "Ski Mom." While evaluating 16-year-old Stephanie before the criminal trial, 40-year-old Lydie (Swinton) is also grappling with worries over her own troubled pregnancy. Having given birth to a stillborn years before, Lydie is still coming to terms with what that loss meant for her and her marriage to an increasingly distant husband (Timothy Hutton). The film unfolds in a nonlinear way, with scenes of the two women's discussions opening up to flashbacks of the months preceding the baby's supposedly unexpected birth (and death), and to scenes from each woman's current situation. What makes STEPHANIE DALEY so moving is how ordinary the title character is. Like so many adolescent girls, Stephanie is smart, shy, and when it comes to the adult world of sex, dangerously naive. Stephanie adamantly denies that she killed her baby, and explains the events of the previous year with a sadness and resignation that speak of so many female adolescent experiences. In a scene that depicts Stephanie's first sexual encounter, director Hilary Brougher perfectly captures that moment when good reason gives way to peer pressure, youthful curiosity, and a lack of confidence. Where such an experience would leave any girl feeling used and disappointed, it leaves Stephanie with a problem so great she can't even admit it until it's too late. The film uses graphic scenes powerfully, and while never passing judgment on its characters, raises important issues about a woman's right to choose and about womanhood itself. [More]

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Amber Tamblyn, Timothy Hutton, Melissa Chessington Leo

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Amber Tamblyn, Timothy Hutton, Melissa Chessington Leo, Jim Gaffigan, Denis O'Hare, Kel O'Neill, Neal Huff

Director: Hilary Brougher

Director: Hilary Brougher
Screenwriter: Hilary Brougher
Producer: Sean Costello, Doug Dey
Composer: David Mansfield
Studio: Regent Releasing

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 17

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Stephanie Daley

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Thought-provoking and mesmerising.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/21/07
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Jenny Peters
Jenny Peters
Hollywood.com

Stephanie Daley stands out for Amber Tamblyn's (The Grudge 2, Joan of Arcadia) unbelievable performance in the title role.

Full Review Source: ReelzChannel.com | comment Comment
08/26/08
Heather Huntington
Heather Huntington
ReelzChannel.com

There's a rawness to [it]...it paints slick composition and beautiful, bleeding color on the kind of story about sex and faith that no one has told well in a while.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
02/01/08
Karina Longworth
Karina Longworth
Cinematical

Sobering infanticide drama is too much for kids.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
10/22/07
S. Jhoanna Robledo
S. Jhoanna Robledo
Common Sense Media

As joyless as it may be, it's still a brilliant emotional experience.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
09/12/07
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

boils a rambunctious issue down to the personal bruises

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
09/10/07
Chris Cabin
Chris Cabin
Filmcritic.com

Filled with emotional pain, it's a perceptive, truthful film interested not in passing judgement, but rather in exploring the truth about relationships, pregnancy and life.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
09/03/07
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

not a great deal that is dramatic happens in the film, but it is that accrual of small details that fleshes out who these people are.

Full Review Source: Murphy's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/14/07
Ted Murphy
Ted Murphy
Murphy's Movie Reviews

The acting is uniformly on a high level. Tamblyn is impressive, and Swinton, as usual, is outstanding.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
06/22/07
Walter V. Addiego
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Chronicle

Tamblyn's performance is a delicate balancing act; she has to stealthily reveal who Stephanie is to us while still holding back the most vital information until the very end.

Full Review Source: Contra Costa Times | comment Comment
06/22/07
Mary F. Pols
Mary F. Pols
Contra Costa Times

It's remarkable how close the director gets to these two characters, and how quietly.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/22/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

You are likely to be discussing this film long into the night.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
06/01/07
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Apart from Swinton's fine performance, what largely distinguishes this is Brougher's sharp narrative focus.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/01/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

A movie that can wound you.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
05/31/07
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune

Tamblyn's surprisingly measured performance commands attention.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
05/11/07
Janice Page
Janice Page
Boston Globe

...a fine and foreboding duet of character study

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
05/05/07
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

If ever there were a shamelessly preachy attempt to scare teen girls out of having unprotected sex, this is it.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
05/03/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

To see Tamblyn's work here, to see her character almost simultaneously embody pain, terror, anguish, embarrassment, regret and just about any emotion you can think of, is to watch the kind of acting the medium exists to provide.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
04/27/07
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Stephanie Daley

September 05, 2007: RT on DVD: It's TV Time!
It's definitely a week for TV on DVD. With the exception of a few exceptional dramatic feature films (Stephanie Daley, The Wind That Shakes the Barley), today's releases offer a... More...

April 28, 2007: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

April 19, 2007: Critical Consensus: Check In With "Vacancy"; "Fracture" Is Solid; "Fuzz" is Hot; "Women" Is Not
This week at the movies, we've got motel hells ("Vacancy," starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale), legal battles ("Fracture," starring Anthony Hopkins and... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Peter Jackson Talks Hobbit, LotR Blu-ray Source: Collider.com
3
  • Woman Jailed for Filming New Moon Screening Source: Chicago Sun-Times
5
  • McG Has Plans for Fifth and Sixth Terminator Movies Source: Gizmodo
12
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
22
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
162
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
79
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
55
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
50
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
46
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
41
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
40
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
36
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
28
  • Friday Harvest: Iron Man 2, Harry Potter, and more!
24
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
22
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
30
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Stephanie Daley at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

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

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

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

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.