Women in Trouble

Last updated
Women in Trouble
Women in trouble ver4.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sebastian Gutierrez
Written bySebastian Gutierrez
Produced bySebastian Gutierrez
Starring
CinematographyCale Finot
Edited by
Music by Robyn Hitchcock
Production
company
Gato Negro Films
Distributed by Screen Media Films
Release dates
  • March 15, 2009 (2009-03-15)(SXSW)
  • November 13, 2009 (2009-11-13)(United States)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50,000
Box office$18,000 [1]

Women in Trouble is a 2009 American sex comedy film written, produced, and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez and starring Carla Gugino, Connie Britton, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Marley Shelton, Adrianne Palicki, Simon Baker, and Josh Brolin. It was shot in 10 days for $50,000.

Contents

Plot

The film focuses on six women in Los Angeles as their lives become intertwined in the course of 24 hours.

After learning that she is pregnant, porn star Elektra Luxx gets stuck in an elevator with Doris, sister to Addy. Addy has recently started taking her daughter (who is actually the biological daughter of Doris but due to drug abuse and Doris' at the time abusive boyfriend, she was raised by Addy) Charlotte, to see her therapist, Maxine, while secretly using the visits to sleep with Maxine's husband. Upon learning about the affair during a therapy session with Charlotte, Maxine rushes out and gets into her car. While backing out, she hits porn star Holly Rocket, a colleague of Elektra Luxx who had been fleeing with her friend, Bambi, from a job that had gone wrong. Meanwhile, flight attendant Cora finds herself the object of rock star Nick Chapel's affection on a flight to his band's upcoming show.

Cast

Production and sequel

The film was directed by Sebastian Gutierrez. Production began and ended in Los Angeles. The film premiered at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival. [2] The film opened in the United States on November 13, 2009. A sequel, Elektra Luxx , was released on March 11, 2011. Gutierrez returns as the writer–director, and the cast includes Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant, Julianne Moore, and Justin Kirk. Gutierrez is planning on making a third installment, tentatively titled Women in Ecstasy, [3] which was initially planned to be released in 2012.

Critical reception

Women in Trouble polarized critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 29% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Sebastian Gutierrez certainly has an eye for the beauty of the female form, but Women in Trouble lacks a compelling script or point of view to go with its curvaceous visual appeal." [4]

On the positive side, Joe Leydon of Variety gave it a rave review, calling it "[a] compulsively watchable mix of high camp and grand passions, soap opera and softcore sex. Very much in the deliriously lewd style of Pedro Almodóvar—who has co-written unproduced scripts with Gutierrez, and gets a shout-out in the closing credits—this exuberantly uninhibited indie has the anything-goes spirit of something tossed off in a single burst of collaborative energy". [2] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times assessed, "Women in Trouble has sleeper written all over it and a sequel is already in the works". [5] John DeFore writing for The Hollywood Reporter praised the direction: "Gutierrez's script can not supply female characters as believable as Almodovar's, but in the director's chair he gives his cast room to compensate with funny, self-aware performances". [6]

At the other end of the spectrum, Melissa Anderson writing for The Village Voice said that "blue material mixes awkwardly with sob stories". [7] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times was not amused, complaining that "[t]he amateurish production values might be pardoned if the clichés—the hard-core porn star with the soft heart, the therapist who needs to heal herself—inside the poorly lighted, badly shot images weren't so absurd and often insulting." [8] Matthew Connolly of Slant Magazine gave it 1.5 out of 4 stars and said "At a particularly rundown corner of Almodóvar Boulevard and Tarantino Lane, you’ll find Women in Trouble". [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!</i> 1989 Spanish dark romantic comedy film by Pedro Almodóvar

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is a 1989 Spanish dark romantic comedy film co-written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Victoria Abril and Antonio Banderas alongside Loles Léon, Francisco Rabal, Julieta Serrano, María Barranco, and Rossy de Palma. The plot follows a recently released psychiatric patient who kidnaps an actress in order to make her fall in love with him. He believes his destiny is to marry her and father her children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmanuelle Chriqui</span> Canadian and American actress (born 1975)

Emmanuelle Sophie Anne Chriqui is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for playing Sloan McQuewick on HBO's Entourage (2004–2011), Claire Bonner in Snow Day (2000), Dalia in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), Lorelei Martins on CBS's The Mentalist (2008–2015), and Lana Lang on The CW's Superman & Lois (2021–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Gugino</span> American actress (born 1971)

Carla Gugino is an American actress. After early roles in the films Troop Beverly Hills (1989), This Boy's Life (1993), Son in Law (1993), and Snake Eyes (1998), Gugino received wider recognition for her starring roles in the Spy Kids trilogy (2001–2003), Sin City (2005), Night at the Museum (2006), American Gangster (2007), Righteous Kill (2008), Race to Witch Mountain (2009), Sally Jupiter in Watchmen (2009), Sucker Punch (2011), Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), San Andreas (2015), Gerald's Game (2017), and Gunpowder Milkshake (2021).

<i>Judas Kiss</i> (1998 film) 1998 film by Sebastian Gutierrez

Judas Kiss is a 1998 American crime thriller film that starred Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Roscoe Lee Browne, Carla Gugino, Simon Baker-Denny, Gil Bellows, Richard Riehle, and Til Schweiger. It was directed by Sebastian Gutierrez.

<i>Rise: Blood Hunter</i> 2007 American film

Rise: Blood Hunter is a 2007 American action horror film written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez. The film, starring Lucy Liu and Michael Chiklis, is about a reporter (Liu) who wakes up in a morgue to discover she is now a vampire. She vows revenge against the vampire cult responsible for her situation and hunts them down one by one. Chiklis plays a haunted police detective whose daughter is victimized by the same group and seeks answers for her gruesome death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marley Shelton</span> American actress (born 1974)

Marley Eve Shelton is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Wendy Peffercorn in David Mickey Evans's coming-of-age comedy The Sandlot (1993), the Customer in Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez's neo-noir anthology film Sin City (2005), Dr. Dakota Block in Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's double-feature film Grindhouse (2007), and Sheriff Deputy Judy Hicks in two installments of Wes Craven's Scream franchise (2011–2022). Her other notable films include Pleasantville (1998), Never Been Kissed (1999), Sugar & Spice (2001), Valentine (2001), Bubble Boy (2001), and Rampage (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrianne Palicki</span> American actress and model (born 1983)

Adrianne Lee Palicki is an American actress and model. She is best known for her starring roles as Tyra Collette in the NBC sports drama series Friday Night Lights (2006–2011), as Bobbi Morse in the ABC superhero drama series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014–2016), and as Commander Kelly Grayson in the Fox/Hulu science fiction comedy-drama series The Orville (2017–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rya Kihlstedt</span> American actress

Rya Kihlstedt is an American actress. She starred in the 1997 comedy film Home Alone 3 as Alice Ribbons. The following years she appeared in films Deep Impact (1998), Women in Trouble (2009) and The Atticus Institute (2015). On television, she had a recurring roles as Dr. Michelle Ross in the Showtime crime drama Dexter and as Marilyn Rhodes in the ABC musical drama Nashville. In 2015, she starred in the NBC miniseries Heroes Reborn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malin Akerman</span> Swedish and American actress (born 1978)

Malin Maria Akerman is a Swedish and American actress. She first appeared in smaller parts in both Canadian and American productions, including The Utopian Society (2003) and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004). Following a main role on the HBO mockumentary series The Comeback (2005), Akerman co-starred in the commercially successful romantic comedies The Heartbreak Kid (2007) and 27 Dresses (2008). She gained wider recognition for her role as Silk Spectre II in the 2009 superhero film Watchmen, for which she received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

<i>Legion</i> (2010 film) 2010 American film

Legion is a 2010 American supernatural action horror film directed by Scott Stewart and co-written by Stewart and Peter Schink. The film stars Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Kate Walsh, and Dennis Quaid. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group acquired most of the film's worldwide distribution rights, releasing the film theatrically in North America on January 22, 2010 through Screen Gems. A story of the Second Coming, Legion follows a group of people as they attempt to protect an infant savior from angels and the possessed in an apocalypse.

<i>Elektra Luxx</i> 2010 film by Sebastian Gutierrez

Elektra Luxx is a 2010 comedy film directed and written by Sebastian Gutierrez featuring Carla Gugino. The film is a sequel to the ensemble comedy Women in Trouble. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2010, where it was acquired by Sony Pictures, and it was released to the rest of the country on March 11, 2011.

Sebastián Gutiérrez is a Venezuelan film director, screenwriter and film producer. He wrote the screenplays to the films Gothika, Snakes on a Plane, The Eye and The Big Bounce, and wrote and directed two independent ensemble comedies, Women in Trouble and Elektra Luxx.

<i>The Mighty Macs</i> 2009 American film

The Mighty Macs is a 2009 American sports drama film by director Tim Chambers. It stars Carla Gugino in the lead role of Cathy Rush, a Hall of Fame women's basketball coach. The film premiered in the 2009 Heartland Film Festival and was released theatrically in the United States on October 21, 2011 through indie film label Freestyle Releasing.

<i>Lone Star</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Lone Star is an American drama television series which originally ran on Fox from September 20, 2010 to September 27, 2010, airing Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

<i>Girl Walks into a Bar</i> 2011 American film

Girl Walks into a Bar is a 2011 multiple story line ensemble comedy film produced exclusively for Internet distribution. It is directed by Sebastián Gutiérrez from his own script, much like the anthology style of Gutiérrez's Women in Trouble, and follows a group of apparent strangers in interlocking stories taking place in ten different bars during the course of one evening throughout Los Angeles.

<i>Wonder Woman</i> (2011 TV pilot) American TV series or program

Wonder Woman is an unaired television pilot produced by Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment for NBC, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. David E. Kelley wrote the pilot, which was directed by Jeffrey Reiner. Adrianne Palicki starred as the main character. The Wonder Woman pilot was expected to debut in 2011, but NBC opted not to buy the series.

<i>Hello, My Name Is Doris</i> 2015 film by Michael Showalter

Hello, My Name Is Doris is a 2015 American coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Laura Terruso and Showalter, about a woman in her 60s who tries to act on her attraction to a younger co-worker. It stars Sally Field in the title role, alongside Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root, Elizabeth Reaser, Natasha Lyonne and Tyne Daly.

"Chaos Theory" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., it follows Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they deal with the monstrous Lash. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Lauren LeFranc, and directed by David Solomon.

Jett is an American action crime drama television series created by Sebastian Gutierrez. It stars Carla Gugino and premiered on June 14, 2019, on Cinemax. The drama ended with only 1 season and 9 episodes.

With/In is a 2021 American anthological drama film that revolves around themes of confinement and isolation.

References

  1. ↑ "Women in Trouble (2009)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Leydon, Joe (March 30, 2009). "Women in Trouble". Variety .
  3. ↑ Fleming, Michael (December 15, 2008). "Carla Gugino to star in 'Elektra Luxx'". Variety.
  4. ↑ "Women in Trouble". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  5. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (November 13, 2009). "Review; 'Women's' lives go out of control". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  6. ↑ DeFore, John (March 17, 2009). "Women in Trouble — Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  7. ↑ Anderson, Melissa (November 10, 2009). "Women in Trouble Awkwardly Mixes Blue Material with Sob Stories". The Village Voice . Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  8. ↑ Dargis, Manohla (November 12, 2009). "Love, Sex, Whatever". The New York Times . p. C12. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  9. ↑ Connolly, Matthew (November 10, 2009). "Review: Women in Trouble". Slant Magazine .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.