Ellie Parker (2005)
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52% of critics liked it
(46 reviews) -
41% of users liked it
(5,838 ratings)
Naomi Watts produces and stars in Ellie Parker, a semi-autobiographical story of an Australian actress struggling to make it in Hollywood. Ellie is young enough to still schlep to auditions back and forth across L.A., changing wardrobes and slapping on makeup en route, but just old enough that the… More Naomi Watts produces and stars in Ellie Parker, a semi-autobiographical story of an Australian actress struggling to make it in Hollywood. Ellie is young enough to still schlep to auditions back and forth across L.A., changing wardrobes and slapping on makeup en route, but just old enough that the future feels "more like a threat than a promise." She lives with her vacant musician boyfriend (Mark Pellegrino), who leaves her just about as dissatisfied as any other part of her life, and has a loose definition of the word "fidelity." Helping make sense of their surreal and humiliating Hollywood existence is her best friend Sam (Rebecca Rigg), another out-of-work actress trying her hand at design, who attends acting classes with Ellie to stay sharp. When Ellie gets into a fender bender with a guy who claims he's a cinematographer (Scott Coffey), her perspective on her work and the dating world starts to change. Chevy Chase also makes an appearance in this series of Hollywood vignettes, playing Ellie's agent. Watts, Coffey, and Pellegrino all worked together on David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, where Watts had her breakout performance, and Ellie Parker grew out of the friendship forged between Watts and director/screenwriter Coffey. It was shot on digital video over the course of five years, having begun its life as a series of shorts featuring Watts' character. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi
- Directed By
- Scott Coffey
- Written By
- Scott Coffey
- Genres
- Art House & International, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Nov 11, 2005 Wide
- Studio
- Strand Releasing
Critic Reviews
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Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Like a sputtering career, Ellie Parker pretty much goes nowhere, and it's difficult to imagine that it would be of interest to many beyond the Hollywood community.
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Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The picture looks cheap and feels stretched.
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Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Eventually the energy of the original short runs out and the movie coasts on fumes, but it remains surprisingly enjoyable for all that.
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Jessica Reaves, Chicago Tribune
The premise -- someone trying to inject meaning into a necessarily vacuous existence -- is depressing, but there are moments of vaguely uncomfortable hilarity. The whole endeavor, however, winds up feeling flat and a bit dull.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
This is the movie they should show in college acting classes, instead of tapes of Inside the Actors' Studio.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Naomi Watts
as Ellie Parker
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Rebecca Rigg
as Sam
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Scott Coffey
as Chris
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Mark Pellegrino
as Justin
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Blair Mastbaum
as Smash Jackson
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Chevy Chase
as Dennis Swartzbaum
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Jennifer Syme
as Casting Chick
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Gregory Frietas
as Rick Saul
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Gaye Pope
as Leslie Towne
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Jessica Vogl
as Trixie
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Kim Fay
as Therapist
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Todd Coffey
as Upstairs Neighbour
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David Baer
as Acting Teacher
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Marcel Sarmiento
as Acting Student
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Robbi Chong
as Acting Student
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Jessicka Whitt Crane
as Acting Student
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Brian McCardie
as Acting Student
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Bret Domrose
as Dogstar Band Member
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Robert Mailhouse
as Dogstar Band Member
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Keanu Reeves
as Dogstar Band Member
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Debbie Leavit
as Vicodin Girl
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Gabriella Wall
as 'Slut' Yelling Girl
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Fanshen Cox
as Receptionist
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Samantha Shelton
as Rainbow
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Julie Fay
as Therapist's Companion
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Kate Garwood
as Actress Before Ellie
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Victoria Smirnova
as Russian
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Sergei Afrika
as Russian
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Billy Ray Cyrus
as Russian
- Neil Jackson



