Stuck (2007 film)

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Stuck

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Stuart Gordon
Produced by Jay Firestone
Ken Gord
Robert Katz
Written by Stuart Gordon
John Strysik
Starring Mena Suvari
Stephen Rea
Distributed by Prodigy Pictures/Amicus
Release date(s) May 21, 2007 (Cannes Film Market) - premiere
Country United States
Language English
Budget $5,000,000
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Stuck is a 2007 horror-thriller directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea. The film premiered May 21, 2007 at the Cannes Film Market.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Inspired by a true story, Stuck centers on retirement-home caregiver Brandi Helper (Mena Suvari) who accidentally hits a pedestrian with her car. With the homeless man Tom (Stephen Rea) trapped in her car's windshield, Brandi drives home with the promise that she will get the man help. But as she begins to debate the issue, Brandi feels this accident will destroy her life and opts to let the man die slowly in her garage. When Tom realizes he is being left to die, he painfully tries to escape.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Production

Stuck is based on the hit-and-run committed by Chante Jawan Mallard that killed a homeless man, Gregory Biggs. Mallard struck Biggs with her car, causing him to become lodged in the windshield. She returned home with Biggs still trapped in the windshield, and subsequently allowed him to die in her garage without contacting authorities. She was later convicted of and sentenced for Biggs' death.

The film marks the first production under the newly reformed Amicus Productions.[1] It was filmed in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.

[edit] Release

The film premiered May 21, 2007 at the Cannes Film Market. It was also shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival, Edmonton International Film Festival, Wisconsin Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival, and RiverRun International Film Festival. Stuck opened in limited release in the United States on May 30, 2008.[2]

[edit] Critical reception

Stuck received generally favorable reviews from critics. As of May 30, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 79% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 19 reviews.[3] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 72 out of 100, based on 9 reviews.[4]

Stephen Holden of The New York Times called the film a "grim, expert little thriller." Holden compared the character Tom Bardo and the setting of the film to director Stuart Gordon's 2005 film Edmond (which Suvari also appeared in). Holden wrote "Stuck, while not strictly a horror film, is steeped in gore and carries a seam of mocking gallows humor as relentless as that of Sweeney Todd." Holden said the film "is exceptional because its characters feel like real people plunged into a disorienting situation in which they behave like monsters."[5] Ken Fox of TV Guide gave the film 3 stars out of 4, and called the film "a drum-tight, extremely grisly thriller. And odd as it may sound given the subject matter, it's also surprisingly funny." Fox praised the script by John Strysik, calling it "blackly funny" and said "Rea does quite a bit with a role that keeps him face down and bleeding like a stuck pig for most of the movie, but this is definitely Suvari's show."[6]

Robert Wilonsky of the The Village Voice said "Stuck is both darkly comic and disgusting; the name alone reduces the crime to a sick joke."[7] Joe Leydon of Variety said "Stuck is ingeniously nasty and often shockingly funny as it incrementally worsens a very bad situation, then provides a potent payoff..." Leydon called it a "darkly comical farce" and said it could generate a cult following through a "carefully calibrated theatrical rollout, especially if it generates want-to-see buzz in key regions of the blogosphere." Leydon called the script "crafty" and the director Stuart Gordon "establishes a heightened-reality tone of bleak hilarity early on." Leydon said the film "overall has the look and feel of a tawdry B-movie. Whether that's due to budgetary limitations or artistic inspiration, it serves the material well."[8]

J.R. Jones of the Chicago Reader said "As the title of this splatter comedy by writer-director Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) indicates, [Tom]'s like a bug stuck to her windshield, and that's about the level of humanity and insight one can expect here."[9]

[edit] Awards and nominations

Director Stuart Gordon won the Silver Raven award at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film and also the Staff Prize for Narrative Feature at the San Francisco Indiefest for the film.[10]

[edit] Box office performance

The film opened in limited release in the United States on May 30, 2008 and grossed an estimated $10,200 in 2 theaters.[11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stroh teams with Katz. Variety (2007-05-16). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
  2. ^ Stuck (2007) - Release dates. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  3. ^ Stuck Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  4. ^ Stuck (2008): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  5. ^ Stephen Holden (2008-05-30). Sorry, Your Body's in My Windshield. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  6. ^ Ken Fox. Stuck Review. TV Guide. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  7. ^ Robert Wilonsky (2008-05-27). Stuck: Disgusting Dark Comedy. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  8. ^ Joe Leydon (2007-10-08). Stuck Review. Variety. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  9. ^ J.R. Jones. Stuck. Chicago Reader. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  10. ^ Stuck (2007) - Awards. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
  11. ^ Stuck (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.

[edit] External links

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