Ellie Parker (2005) Movie Information:

Ellie Parker (2005) Directed by: Scott Coffey Ellie Parker (2005) Written by: Scott Coffey Ellie Parker (2005) Cast: Naomi Watts, Chevy Chase, Rebecca Riggs, Scott Coffey, Mark Pellegrino

Ellie Parker (2005) U.S. Distributor: Strand Releasing Ellie Parker (2005) U.K. Distributor: TLA Releasing

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Ellie Parker (2005) Synopsis:

Ellie Parker (Naomi Watts) races around town from one audition to another, changing make-up, clothes and personality. She speeds along, barely attending to her whirlwind life as she strives to get cast in a movie. Her best friend Sam (Rebecca Rigg), her boyfriend Justin (Mark Pellegrino) and her new fling Chris (Scott Coffey) just don’t seem to help. As Ellie considers giving up after losing faith in the craft, her manager Dennis (Chevy Chase) doesn’t exactly talk her out of it. One last insane audition for Ellie, and she’s back in the game… or is she?

Ellie Parker (2005) Movie Review:

Writer-director-actor-cinematographer Coffey sharply catches the life of an aspiring actress in this entertaining fly-on-the-wall comedy, which contains another tour de force performance from Watts.

Ellie Parker (Watts) is a bundle of nerves as she drives from audition to audition across Los Angeles, changing clothes, make-up, hairstyles and personalities in the car. And her personal life is just as fragmented, especially when she catches her boyfriend (Pellegrino) in bed with a casting agent (Syme) and she's rear-ended by a wannabe cinematographer (Coffey). Her best friend Sam (Rigg) takes her in and her agent (Chase) tries to talk her into sticking with the job. But is it worth all this pain?

The raw filming style--handheld cameras, natural lighting and sound--makes the movie feel bracingly real, and Ellie is thoroughly engaging, even though she's more than a little unhinged. Her inner fantasies and therapy sessions open up a deeply confused inner life. Jealousies, insecurities and mood swings are bad enough without all the nutty stuff that happens to her every day. But Coffey doesn't dwell on any of it; he nimbly bounces from scene to scene, piling on the misadventures and drawing us into her world of hope against all reason.

Of course, Watts takes this character and runs with it. The film is like a comical variation of the woman she played in Mulholland Drive as she zigzags from high comedy to intense tragedy in seconds to impress casting directors and to compete with Sam. She's perfect in every scene--funny, scary and surprisingly touching. She also gets one of the most hysterical spit-takes in recent memory. And the cast around her is terrific.

There are moments when it gets a rather silly or falls back on the obvious gag. Several scenes actually build to goofy punch-lines. But this is a witty observation of the mechanics of acting and the struggles of an actor. There's also a serious edge to it, looking at broken dreams and the fact that talent just doesn't equal success. Together, Coffey and Watts layer in so many telling touches that it becomes an unmissably scruffy little gem.

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Ellie Parker (2005) review written by: Rich Cline