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List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 22355
Released: December 13, 2005 |
| Our Price: $2.35 |
| Used Price: $1.51 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Kimberly Joyce (Evan Rachel Wood) is an insanely intelligent, wildly funny, shockingly cruel and sexy-beyond-her-years Beverly Hills teenager who will stop at nothing to become famous, including accusing her drama teacher (Ron Livingston) of sexual harrassment. Believing the world is an orchestra and she is the conductor, Kimberly masterfully manipulates all those around her. She convinces her two best friends to join her in a campaign against their befuddled teacher. Kimberly entangles the entire Beverly Hills community in her carefully woven web of seduction and deceit in this clever comedy.
Description of Pretty Persuasion:
Unsettling but frequently funny, Pretty Persuasion stars Evan Rachel Wood as a 15-year-old with a talent for manipulation that could easily rival the most corrupt characters in Dangerous Liaisons. Wood plays Kimberly, an aspiring actress and student at an exclusive high school. Her best friend, Brittany (Elisabeth Harnois), has made off with Kimberly's boyfriend and been awarded the coveted lead role of Anne Frank in a school production--a part that was originally offered to Kimberly, but then withdrawn by authorities. Meanwhile, life at home is no picnic: Kimberly's father (James Woods) is a babbling anti-Semite, and her estranged mom calls infrequently. There's a lot of time for the teen to conjure elaborate revenge schemes, one of which catches a teacher (Ron Livingston) and naive Muslim girl (Adi Schnall) in a sexual harrassment trial. The sharp cast (including an excellent Jane Krakowski as a corrupt, televison news reporter) and director Marcos Siega's arch tone are the best things about the film, which veers successfully between loopy comedy and dark, psychological drama. Skander Halim's literate script finds intelligent purpose even in the most banal situations. --Tom Keogh
Pretty Persuasion Reviews:
I bought it with a gift card and still think I got ripped off 
2007-08-31 - I paid $3.00 for this 110 minutes of brain cell destroying material. This has got to be one of the worst movies ever made. Horrible script that has not a single likable character. I really don't know what to say about this movie. I would not recommend it, I hope parents don't let their kids watch it and I am sorry I watched it. Now, if you want a free copy just find the dumpster that I am about to deposit it in.
ugh
2007-08-29 - I watched about 10 minutes of this and then decided this was the worst movie ever made. I lost all respect for the writers, producers and actors, particularly Evan Rachel Wood, for being associated with this tasteless piece of trash. Run screaming from any showing. It seeks to shock with pornographic and racist dialogue, but all you can feel is dumbfounded that the "creators" -- and that's giving them more credit than they're due -- apparently believed that obscenity without any redeeming social value becomes satire if it is extreme enough.
This film had as much intelligence as three-year-olds seeking shock value with potty mouthed rantings. Boring, crude, and insulting to anyone of even minimal intelligence -- in fact, I think the dog in the movie was the only one who came out of this production with any integrity. And that's because it was the only one who had no choice about in being involved in it.
Watching anything else -- bread rise, dust gather, paint dry -- would be a better use of your time than giving this even ten minutes
Interesting cinema but disturbing 
2007-07-17 - So there was nothing else on cable one night and I ended up watching this movie. I'm not sure I, personally, would even call it a comedy at all (I gather most people would classify it as a "black comedy"). Also, although it held my attention, just keep in mind before you watch it that it does not have a "cute" ending, nor a "touching" ending, nor a "happy" ending. It has a decidedly disturbing ending. I suppose I can appreciate it on some levels of filmmaking, but I admit that I am a sucker for warm and fuzzy movies with happy endings, which this definitely is not.
Holy Pretty Persuasion Batman! 
2007-03-04 - To be sure, this is the most radical high school movie I've seen since HEATHERS. If you are easily offended, this film is certainly NOT for you as it seems determined to offend just about everyone along the way.
Evan Rachel Wood portrays a character who is at once annoying, sadistic and mesmerizing. In short, Wood is magnificent. She plays a young girl named Kimberly who is used to getting her way - no matter what it takes. She manipulates people of both genders with ease, and is the ultimate hypocrite in being so conniving while at the same time attempting to convince people that she stands for intra-cultural relations.
While this movie has some fairly funny scenes, it is not a movie that will leave a good taste in your mouth - at all. Be sure & keep that in mind should you decide to watch it. It is what I would term a dark comedy about the nostalgic days of high school.
Wood's character was hardly the worst
2007-02-23 - At least she was gorgeous. But seriously, I thought that her "evilness" was mundane and not so disturbing. So, a high schooler tries to ruin a few lives and is probably a psychopath. What's the big deal about that? Characters like her are a dime a dozen in the real world. As social commentary, this film failed because I could care less about people like her. Where the film succeeds is in its portrayal of the Ron Livingston character. Now here's the the real villain of the movie; a man who hides behind his profession to ruin lives. What I found most despicable about him was that he pretended to have his students best interests at heart even while his true motive was to realize his fantasies. His scenes with Randa and Brittany were especially disturbing, almost like rape scenes. People like him are the true villains of the world, because they really believe that they are good. So I don't think the Wood character was all that special because the Livingston character was even more revolting. In real life, people are not that disturbed by an Eichmann character, but they are by a serial cannibal, aren't they?
