Poison Ivy (film)

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For other uses of "Poison ivy", see Poison ivy (disambiguation).
Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy film poster
Directed by Katt Shea
Produced by Andy Ruben
Written by Melissa Goddard (story)
Andy Ruben (screenplay)
Starring Drew Barrymore
Sara Gilbert
Tom Skerritt
Cheryl Ladd
Music by David Michael Frank
Cinematography Phedon Papamichael
Editing by Gina Mittelman
Distributed by New Line Cinema
Release date(s) May 8, 1992 (USA)
Running time 88 min. (rated version) 92 min. (unrated version)
Language English
Budget $3,000,000, (estimated)
Followed by Poison Ivy II: Lily
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Poison Ivy is a 1992 thriller and drama film directed by Erica Nadler. Andy Ruben (who also produced the film) transformed Melissa Goddard's story into the screenplay. It stars Drew Barrymore, Sara Gilbert, Tom Skerritt and Cheryl Ladd. The original music score is composed by David Michael Frank. This film was shot in Los Angeles, California.

It was nominated for the 1992 Grand Jury prize of Best Film at the Sundance Festival. Sara Gilbert was nominated for Best Supporting Female at the 1993 Independent Spirit Awards. Although it did not fare very well at the box office with its limited theatrical release, the film received favourable word-of-mouth, and became a success on cable and video in the mid 1990s. The film has spawned several sequels and is marketed with the tagline "What Ivy wants, Ivy gets." The most recent sequel, Poison Ivy 4: The Secret Society is scheduled for release in Summer 2008.

The character Ivy was ranked as one of the top 25 bad girls by Entertainment Weekly.

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[edit] Plot summary

Set in Beverly Hills, California, this film follows the lives of a wealthy but dysfunctional American family. Sylvie Cooper (Sara Gilbert) is a misanthropic student at a private high school for the privileged. She befriends "Ivy" (Drew Barrymore), a poor but intelligent and seductive girl attending the school on a scholarship. Sylvie thinks Ivy is sweet but very different and they became best friends after wandering home one school day. Ivy's actual name is unknown, as Sylvie based it on a tattoo on Ivy's leg that depicts a crucifix covered with ivy. Clearly, Ivy becomes seduced by Sylvie's wealthy and privileged home life and sets out to derail her family one by one. Ivy, naturally, steals the affections of Sylvie’s mother Georgie (Cheryl Ladd), to gain her trust. Georgie is convinced she is dying, and constantly spends her time cooped up in her bedroom. It is Ivy that tells her that life is better lived.

It is then implied that Ivy has moved out of her disruptive home life and moved in with Sylvie. Before an important party, Ivy receives a call for Sylvie over tutoring kids to read, a project that she is involved with at school. Ivy, knowing it’s her father, Darryl's (Tom Skerritt) party, schedules the reading project for that exact day. This causes tension between daughter and father. During the party, Ivy openly flirts with Darryl — wearing Georgie's red sequined dress. While in the kitchen after the party, Ivy is caught by Darryl dancing seductively, and Ivy and Darryl fall into a passionate embrace. They are then caught by Georgie, and Ivy dismisses it as a sympathy hug for Darryl, who was upset. Ivy then takes Georgie upstairs and gives her the medication. Georgie then falls asleep, and Ivy fellates Darryl in front of an unconscious Georgie. After this, Darryl and Ivy begin an intense love affair. While driving Ivy home in the rain, Darryl and Ivy have sex on the top of Darryl's Mercedes-Benz for the very first time in the rain. After a few weeks, Ivy finds Georgie attempting suicide on the edge of a balcony in her bedroom. Ivy, knowing Georgie has been contemplating suicide for weeks, pushes Georgie off the edge, killing her. After her funeral, it is implied that Ivy and Sylvie have a relationship bordering on lesbianism.

In the weeks that follow, Ivy and Sylvie go for a ride in her mother's old Chevrolet Corvette. Ivy begins humming a tune that sounds eerily similar to the music that was playing in Georgie's room the day she allegedly committed suicide. Sylvie then naturally questions over whether or not she was there and what she said. To avoid the potentially threatening conversation, Ivy crashes the car, causing Sylvie to be knocked unconscious. Ivy then places Sylvie in the driver’s seat to indicate to Darryl that Sylvie was driving without a license. When it becomes clear what Ivy has done, Sylvie is in the hospital. She escapes, fearing Ivy may have gotten to Darryl. Upon returning home, Sylvie finds Ivy and Darryl stimulating each other anally on the piano. Darryl chases after Sylvie to stop her from running away, yet slips. Ivy then follows Sylvie and asks her to be a "whole new family". Sylvie and Ivy struggle on the edge of the balcony where Ivy pushed her mother, and Sylvie pushes Ivy over the balcony. Ivy is hanging onto Sylvie by her necklace which breaks, causing Ivy to fall to her death just as her father drives back, coming to a stop before her broken body.

[edit] Main cast

[edit] Sequels

[edit] External links