• Quotes (30)
• Plot Description
• Soundtrack
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• Shooting Locations
• Popularity
Release Date
• USA: Aug 12, 2005
DVD Release Date
• R1: Dec 13, 2005
Budget $10,000,000
BoxOffice: $0.1M
Official Website:
Pretty Persuasion Website
MPAA Rating
Rated R for strong sexual content and graphic dialogue involving teens, and language.
Running Time
1 hour, 44 minutes
Country USA
Production Companies
REN-Mar Studios, Prospect Pictures
Studio Samuel Goldwyn Films
More info on IMDb.com
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Genre: Drama, Comedy
Tagline: Revenge knows no mercy
Plot: Music-video director Marcos Siega infuses this entertainingly dark social satire with stylish camerawork and clever editing. While visually rooted in the bubble gum teen comedy aesthetic, PRETTY PERSUASION boldly insists on taking brutal stabs at topics as sensitive as the war in Iraq, religion, and race. With a deceptively sweet appearance and a genius IQ, 15-year-old aspiring actress Kimberly Joyce (Evan Rachel Wood) has the world in the palm of her perfectly manicured hand. When she takes new Arab student Randa (Adi Schnall) under her shallow wings, it is with the ulterior motives she has learned from her crazy, porn-watching, coke-snorting racist father (James Woods), his blank trophy wife (Jaime King), and perverted teachers like Mr. Anderson (Ron Livingston). Desperately wanting the publicity, Kimberly convinces her sidekicks Randa and Brittany (Elisabeth Harnois) to make false allegations of sexual abuse against Mr. Anderson. While Anderson is may not be a good teacher or role model, he is not guilty of actual sexual assault. When Anderson buys his wife (Selma Blair) a skirt identical to the uniform worn by his students, his inappropriate feelings are revealed. The film suggests that society can expect no less than Kimberly's self-described precociousness from a
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Behind the Scenes:
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 Discussion forum for this movie
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“Pretty Persuasion” kills itself with unrestrained negativism, but almost resuscitates itself with some great comedy.  -- (FilmThreat.com)
This is a movie that speaks volumes to the thick-skinned cynic and the cautiously-optimistic idealist that co-exist within yours truly. It's a dangerously dark and perpetually ballsy caricature that contains more truth and insight than just about any other "teenager" movie you're likely to see.  --Scott Weinberg (eFilmCritic.com)
"Pretty Persuasion" goes the opposite route, throwing sad, ugly things at us that barely even make sense within the framework of the film, situations where you think, "That character would NOT do that." It wants to have its cake and eat it, too, to make us laugh at its audacious effrontery for 85 minutes, then make us cry at its tragedy for the last 20. But I refuse. I'm a tough customer that way. C--Eric D. Snider (EricDSnider.com)
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Yep, in spite of its darkness and "edge," it wants us too really, really like it. Sorry. As pretty and non-persuasive as you are, we really, really don't.  --KIM MORGAN (Reel.com)
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