
Pretty Persuasion
2005, Comedy/Drama, 1h 50m
79 Reviews 5,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Pretty Persuasion aims for high satire but falls short of poignancy by depending on too much black humor, with too little redeeming humanity to provide balance. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Kimberly Joyce
Mr. Anderson
Mr. Joyce
Emily Klein
Brittany Wells
Gail
Critic Reviews for Pretty Persuasion
All Critics (79) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (26) | Rotten (53)
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June 24, 2006 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Good writing aside, this screenplay contained the elements of two different films. One of them might have been quite persuasive.
September 23, 2005 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review… -
Extremely well written in the fearless way of a smarty pants on a roll in the university cafeteria.
September 23, 2005 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review… -
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September 3, 2005 | Rating: C | Full Review… -
Wood's fine work is undermined by the movie it's trapped in, which feels like a rough draft of itself: Skander Halim's screenplay is unnecessarily twisty and gimmicky, and some of the teenspeak dialogue falls flat, already out of date.
September 2, 2005 | Rating: 2/4 -
The screenplay by Skander Halim falters. It's too convoluted and cloudy to have the intended effect.
September 2, 2005 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Pretty Persuasion
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Aug 19, 2016Wood was amazing in this; however, the movie itself was not good.Erin C Super Reviewer
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Jul 08, 2010<i>"Evil comes in a school uniform."</i> A 15-year-old girl incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama teacher of sexual harassment. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> The first feature film from director Marcos Siega is off beat as both a comedy and drama. The viewer finds himself in situations of uncomfortable, guilty laughter while at the same time mesmerized by the social topics and excellent acting. The cadence of the dialogue is beyond description and is perfectly displayed at the dinner table with Evan Rachel Woods, her dad played by an over the top James Woods and her new step mom. The family dog plays a big part in the "conversation". The heart of the story is the devilishly orchestrated false (or are they?) accusations of sexual harassment against drama teacher Ron Livingston. With so many different agendas at play, we can't help but be drawn into to this story on many levels. Jane Krakowski shows a real Priscilla Presley side as the lesbian, glory-hound reporter. Selma Blair is terrific as Livingston's semi-supportive wife. Make no mistake, the real star of the film, and the reason it works is the extraordinary talents of Evan Rachel Wood. Wood takes teen ego and self-centeredness and revenge to a whole new level. As one of the male teacher's states, her character is the devil. Watching how she manipulates her friends, teachers, boys and adults is quite the guilty pleasure. Very few actresses her age could pull off the role of this complex character.Lorenzo v Super Reviewer
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Feb 02, 2010And this is why i love Evan Rachel Wood, she isn't just young, talented, and breath - taking'ly gorgeous, she is the bitch! Pretty Persuasion revolves around a smart, cunning, not racist high school girl, who plot her plan in such a way that you can't help just love her, well at least I do. She create a media frenzy, with her friend's saying that their English / Drama teacher sexualy harrassed them. Is it true? Or is she just making it up for..?. Of course It doesn't have moral plot, it's just those kinda movie with dark humor, twist events, and challenging cast. The movie wouldn't be the same without Evan Rachel Wood, she is truly a star here. You will see, why she turned out this way, and the ending just open whole lot of interpretation; what ever suits you best. Other cast did good too, most noticable is Jane Krakowski from <i> The Office </i> <i>Kimberly Joyce: I have respect for all races, but I'm very glad that I was born white. As a woman, it's the best race to be. Especially if you want to become an actress, like I do. [pause] Kimberly Joyce: If I wasn't white, then the next thing I would wanna be is Asian because a lot of men like Asian girls because they think they're docile and subservient and sweet which I don't really think is true because I once met this Asian girl at summer camp one time and she was a real bitch. [pause] Kimberly Joyce: If I couldn't be white and I also couldn't be Asian, then my third choice would be African-American because I've always wanted to be a gospel singer and also, black men are more forgiving if your butt gets big. Except I'd definitely want light skin and Caucasian features like... Vanessa Williams or Halle Berry. And finally, you know, no offense or anything Randa, but my very last choice would be Arab. I mean, truth be told you're not in a very enviable position. There's a lot of resentment in this country toward the Middle East and there's a lot of stereotypes floating around which I don't think are true because in the short amount of time I've known you, you haven't tried to bomb anybody and you currently smell okay to me. </i> 8/10Cancelled U Super Reviewer
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Dec 19, 2009Black comedy/drama with Evan Rachel Wood as a manipulative high school girl who persuades two friends to accuse a male teacher of sexual harrassment. As the film goes on we find out Wood's character is pretty evil and being a bitch. Why, we don't know until the end but its often funny and sometimes offensive finding out! With Evan Rachel Wood giving another great performance and also a brilliant supporting role from James Woods. Good script and story. Well acted. Worth a look.Adam M Super Reviewer
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