Virginia (2010 film)

Last updated
Virginia
What's Wrong With Virginia poster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Dustin Lance Black
Written byDustin Lance Black
Produced byScott J. Brooks
Hopwood DePree
Christine Vachon
Starring Jennifer Connelly
Ed Harris
Emma Roberts
Carrie Preston
Toby Jones
CinematographyEric Alan Edwards
Edited byJohn David Allen
Beatrice Sisul
Music by Nick Urata
Production
companies
TicTock Studios
Killer Films
Distributed by Entertainment One
Release dates
  • September 15, 2010 (2010-09-15)(Toronto)
  • May 18, 2012 (2012-05-18)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$12,728

Virginia (originally titled What's Wrong with Virginia) is a 2010 film written and directed by Dustin Lance Black and starring Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Emma Roberts, Carrie Preston, and Toby Jones.

Contents

Plot

In a small town, mentally unstable Virginia has a two-decade affair with a local married sheriff, Dick Tipton. Her son Emmett (Harrison Gilbertson) acts as her protector. [1] During Emmett's quest for the truth of his father's identity, he begins a relationship with Tipton's daughter Jessie. [2]

Cast

Production

The film was shot in West Michigan (Holland, Grand Haven, South Haven, Saugatuck, Zeeland) during fall of 2009 in seven weeks on local streets, homes, and businesses. The project was filmed in Michigan, the decision having been taken to film there due to a state program offering incentives to the entertainment industry. [3] To create Virginia's style, Dustin Lance Black requested Jennifer Connelly's advice to design the set of the character's house, as well as the selection of wardrobe she uses through the film. [4]

Throughout filming and for its premiere at the TIFF, the film was titled What's Wrong With Virginia. Black re-cut the film following its poor initial reception, and it was subsequently re-titled Virginia for theatrical release. [5] IndieWire quoted Black as saying that the film "was pretty bad. So I opened up the edit and got a new editor and went back to script and finishing that film." [6]

Release

The film was first shown on September 15, 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). [7]

On January 17, 2012, Variety announced that Entertainment One have acquired North American distribution rights to Virginia. [8] The film premièred in U.S theaters on May 18, 2012. [9]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 11% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 4.35/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Brave, autobiographical, but also completely off the mark, Virginia is a frantic drama that fails to pull the viewer in." [10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 33 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [11]

While noting that the film was "propped up by a strong central performance" from Jennifer Connelly, Katey Rich of Cinema Blend reported that it was "all over the place in every imaginable way." [12] The Hollywood Reporter felt that "the film is tonally all over the place, eventually settling in a rut that comes a lot closer to resembling bad camp than edgy satire." [13] Screen International similarly found the film tonally confused, writing that "the screenplay becomes as busy and overloaded as a packed roller-coaster, testing the viewer’s patience along the way and offering little in the way of a payoff." [14]

Several of the reviewers who saw the film at TIFF singled out Connelly's acting for praise. Rich wrote that "Connelly has rarely looked more fragile or dangerous; like Virginia she's adrift in a world that doesn't quite appreciate her, and just as you root for Virginia to pull it together and leave town, you root for Connelly to track down a better movie." [12] Chase Whale of Gordon and the Whale wrote that "Jennifer Connelly is normally the bombshell and that's still here, but her comedic elements come into full fruition which loses a little bit of the sex appeal and adds more of the "this girl got herself acting chops" appeal." [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Aronofsky</span> American filmmaker

Darren Aronofsky is an American filmmaker. His films are noted for their surreal, melodramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto International Film Festival</span> Annual film festival in Canada

The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organization behind the film festival is also a permanent destination for film culture operating out of the TIFF Lightbox cultural centre, located in Downtown Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noah Baumbach</span> American filmmaker (born 1969)

Noah Baumbach is an American filmmaker. He is known for making light comedies set in New York City and his works are inspired by filmmakers such as Woody Allen and Whit Stillman. His frequent collaborators include Wes Anderson, Adam Driver and his wife, Greta Gerwig.

<i>For Your Consideration</i> (film) 2006 film by Christopher Guest

For Your Consideration is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Christopher Guest. It was co-written by Guest and Eugene Levy, and both also star in the film. The film's title is a phrase used in trade advertisements to promote films for honors such as the Academy Awards. The plot revolves around a group of three actors who learn that their performances in the fictional film they have not even completed yet, Home for Purim, a drama set in the mid-1940s American South, are supposedly generating a great deal of award-season buzz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dustin Lance Black</span> American screenwriter, director, producer and activist

Dustin Lance Black is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and LGBT rights activist. He is known for writing the film Milk, for which he won the Oscar for best original screenplay in 2009. He has also subsequently written the screenplays for the film J. Edgar and the 2022 crime miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven.

<i>Creation</i> (2009 film) 2009 film directed by Jon Amiel

Creation is a 2009 British biographical drama film about Charles Darwin's relationship with his wife Emma and his memory of their eldest daughter Annie, as he struggles to write On the Origin of Species. The film, directed by Jon Amiel and starring real life couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly as Charles and Emma Darwin, is a somewhat fictionalised account based on Randal Keynes's Darwin biography Annie's Box.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Connelly</span> American actress (born 1970)

Jennifer Lynn Connelly is an American actress. She began her career as a child model before making her acting debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America. After a few more years of modeling, she began to concentrate on acting, starring in a variety of films including the horror film Phenomena (1985), the musical fantasy film Labyrinth (1986), the romantic comedy Career Opportunities (1991), and the period superhero film The Rocketeer (1991). She received praise for her performance in the science fiction film Dark City (1998) and playing a drug addict in Darren Aronofsky's drama film Requiem for a Dream (2000).

<i>J. Edgar</i> 2011 film by Clint Eastwood

J. Edgar is a 2011 American political drama film based on the career of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, directed, produced and scored by Clint Eastwood. Written by Dustin Lance Black, the film focuses on Hoover's life from the 1919 Palmer Raids onward. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role along with Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, and Judi Dench, and features Adam Driver in his film debut.

<i>The Bang Bang Club</i> (film) 2010 film

The Bang Bang Club is a 2010 Canadian-South African biographical drama film written and directed by Steven Silver and stars Ryan Phillippe as Greg Marinovich, Malin Åkerman as Robin Comley, Taylor Kitsch as Kevin Carter, Frank Rautenbach as Ken Oosterbroek and Neels Van Jaarsveld as João Silva. They portray the lives of four photojournalists active within the townships of South Africa during the apartheid period, particularly between 1990 and 1994, from when Nelson Mandela was released from prison to the 1994 elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrison Gilbertson</span> Australian actor

Harrison Gilbertson is an Australian actor.

<i>Damsels in Distress</i> (film) 2011 film by Whit Stillman

Damsels in Distress is a 2011 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Whit Stillman and starring Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, and Lio Tipton. It is set at a United States East Coast university. First screened at the 68th Venice International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, it opened in New York and Los Angeles on April 6, 2012.

<i>Wrong</i> (film) 2012 French film

Wrong is a 2012 French-American independent surreal comedy film written and directed by Quentin Dupieux. The film stars Jack Plotnick and premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. It was part of the Toronto International Film Festival's Official Selection. The producers of the film are Gregory Bernard, Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Nicolas Lhermitte and Josef Lieck.

<i>Winters Tale</i> (film) 2014 American film

Winter's Tale is a 2014 American romantic fantasy film based on the 1983 novel Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin. The film is written, produced and directed by Akiva Goldsman. It stars Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly, William Hurt, Eva Marie Saint, Russell Crowe and Will Smith. Winter's Tale premiered at London on February 14 and was theatrically released on February 14 in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures.

<i>The F Word</i> (2013 film) Film by Michael Dowse

The F Word is a 2013 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Dowse from a screenplay by Elan Mastai, based on the play Toothpaste and Cigars by TJ Dawe and Michael Rinaldi, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Megan Park, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis, and Rafe Spall. It focuses on two young people who meet for the first time and, since she has a boyfriend, decide to be "friends."

<i>The Program</i> (2015 film) Biographical film about Lance Armstrong

The Program is a 2015 biographical drama film about Lance Armstrong directed by Stephen Frears, starring Ben Foster as Armstrong and Chris O'Dowd as journalist David Walsh.

<i>The Current War</i> 2017 historical drama film directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

The Current War is a 2017 American historical drama film inspired by the 19th-century competition between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse over which electric power delivery system would be used in the United States. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, written by Michael Mitnick, and executive produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Zaillian, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Edison, Michael Shannon as Westinghouse, Nicholas Hoult as Nikola Tesla, and Tom Holland as Samuel Insull, alongside Katherine Waterston, Tuppence Middleton, Matthew Macfadyen and Damien Molony.

<i>White Lie</i> (film) 2019 Canadian film

White Lie is a 2019 Canadian drama film written and directed by Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas. The film stars Kacey Rohl as Katie Arneson, a university student who fakes a cancer diagnosis for the attention and financial gain, but gets caught up in having to maintain her lie.

<i>Nightbitch</i> (film) 2024 film by Marielle Heller

Nightbitch is a 2024 American black comedy horror film written and directed by Marielle Heller, based on the 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder. The film stars Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Arleigh Snowden, Emmett Snowden, Mary Holland, Ella Thomas, Archana Rajan, and Jessica Harper.

<i>Brother</i> (2022 film) 2022 Canadian film

Brother is a 2022 Canadian drama film, written, produced and directed by Clement Virgo. An adaptation of David Chariandy's award-winning novel of the same name, the film centres on the relationship between Francis and Michael, two Black Canadian brothers growing up in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario in the early 1990s.

<i>Black Ice</i> (2022 film) 2022 Canadian film

Black Ice is a 2022 Canadian documentary film, directed by Hubert Davis and produced by Vinay Virmani. Based in part on Darril Fosty and George Fosty's 2004 non-fiction book Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925, the film presents a history of the Coloured Hockey League of the Maritimes of the early 20th century, and the lingering history of anti-black racism in the sport of ice hockey.

References

  1. Cieply, Michael (2010-09-10). "In Vastness of Toronto, Small Films Take Root". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  2. Stevens, Michael (2010-09-24). "Jennifer Connelly Asks "What's Wrong with Virginia"". SneakPeek News. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  3. "What's Wrong with Virginia to premiere at Toronto Film Festival". Hollandsentinel.com. 2010-08-17. Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  4. Connelly, Jennifer (October 4, 2010). DP/30 – What’s Wrong With Virginia, actress Jennifer Connelly (Interview). Interviewed by Poland, David. Toronto: Movie City News.{{cite interview}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. Hartmann, Margaret (April 23, 2012). "Troubled Jennifer Connelly Drama Re-Cut as a Comedy". Hollywood.com. Hollywood.com, LLC. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  6. Jagernauth, Kevin. "Watch: Trailer For Dustin Lance Black's Re-Edited 'Virginia' (aka 'What's Wrong With Virginia')". Indie Wire. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  7. "What's Wrong with Virginia premiere". Toronto Sun . 2010-09-16. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  8. Abrams, Rachel. "'Virginia' finds home with Entertainment One". Variety. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  9. "Virginia". iTunes Movie Trailers. apple. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  10. "Virginia (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  11. "Virginia Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  12. 1 2 Rich, Katey (12 September 2010). "TIFF Review: What's Wrong With Virginia Is A Messy Pastiche". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  13. Rechtshaffen, Michael (14 October 2010). "What's Wrong With Virginia -- Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  14. Feinstein, Howard (13 September 2010). "What's Wrong With Virginia". Screen Daily. Screen International. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  15. Whale, Chase (16 September 2010). "TIFF 2010 Review: WHAT'S WRONG WITH VIRGINIA". Gordon and the Whale. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)