Rewinding to the 1970's, this suburban high school tale aspires to recreate the mystery, magic and agony of teendom.
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:91
Fresh:70
Rotten:21
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: Sofia's successful directorial debut lies in the movie's compelling story and the actors' genuine emotions.
Theatrical Release:19-05-2000
Synopsis: Based on the 1993 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES tells the dreamlike tale of the Lisbons, a family living in a sheltered 1970s suburbia. When Cecilia (Hannah Hall), the youngest of... Based on the 1993 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES tells the dreamlike tale of the Lisbons, a family living in a sheltered 1970s suburbia. When Cecilia (Hannah Hall), the youngest of the five teenage Lisbon daughters, inexplicably commits suicide, the rest of the family--Mr. Lisbon (James Woods), an awkward high school math teacher; Mrs. Lisbon (Kathleen Turner), a stern, humorless housewife; and the four remaining sisters: Lux (Kirsten Dunst), Bonnie (Chelse Swain), Mary (A.J. Cook), and Therese (Leslie Hayman)--recedes into a morbid cloud of repression and denial. As the girls are forced to retreat from everyday life by their conservative mother, they become the subject of fascination for a group of neighborhood boys, who narrate the story and hope to rescue the girls from their listless confinement. The first feature by director-screenwriter Sofia Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola's daughter), THE VIRGIN SUICIDES is a mesmerizingly atmospheric film that perfectly captures both the moody tone of the book and the light-saturated feel of the 1970s. Dunst gives a standout performance as the promiscuous Lux, who becomes the sole obsession of high school ladies' man Trip Fontaine (Josh Hartnett). The movie also includes cameos by Danny DeVito and Scott Glenn. In addition to songs by Heart and Todd Rundgren, the film features an evocative score by the French duo Air. [More]
Starring: James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett
Starring: James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, Hannah Hall, A.J. Cook, Chelse Swain, Danny DeVito, Scott Glenn, Jonathan Tucker, Leslie Hayman, Anthony DeSimone, Michelle Duquet, Michael Paré
Director: Sofia Coppola
Director: Sofia Coppola
Screenwriter: Sofia Coppola
Producer: Dan Halsted, Chris Hanley, Francis Ford Coppola, Julie Costanzo
Composer: Air
Reviews for The Virgin Suicides
The film unspools with such a rich and peculiar unpredictability that it feels as though we are seeing -- or dreaming -- these things for the first time.
Sofia Coppola does have a firm aesthetic grasp on the '70s, and an even firmer emotional grasp on teenage-hood, evident in the excellent acting she has teased from the ensemble cast. But surface is not enough to make The Virgin Suicides live.
Sofia Coppola is working from a fundamentally strong source, and she has put together a cast and crew that make The Virgin Suicides worth watching.
Sofia Coppola's adaptation of The Virgin Suicides ... captures the loveliest visuals and bits of language from Eugenides' book and faithfully, but not slavishly, transfers them to the screen.
This shimmery, darkly comic adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides' novel marks the assured, often inspired feature film debut of writer-director Sofia Coppola.
With its morose subject matter, this comedy would certainly have to be classified as a black comedy, but its tone is disarmingly light.
The film is an effective and aching portrait of that awkwardness that's unique only to adolescence.
Latest News for The Virgin Suicides
July 15, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: Pretty Persuasion
One of Sundance's more buzzed-about films was the dark high school comedy "Pretty Persuasion," and now you can check out the trailer over at Quicktime's Trailer Site.... More...
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