Poison Ivy (1992)
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37% of critics liked it
(27 reviews) -
39% of users liked it
(45,838 ratings)
The always challenging transition from adorable child performer to sexy adult star was achieved flamboyantly by actress Drew Barrymore with this erotic drama that unfolds like a paranoia-drenched Lolita (1962). Sylvie Cooper (Sara Gilbert) is a misanthropic student at a private high school for… More The always challenging transition from adorable child performer to sexy adult star was achieved flamboyantly by actress Drew Barrymore with this erotic drama that unfolds like a paranoia-drenched Lolita (1962). Sylvie Cooper (Sara Gilbert) is a misanthropic student at a private high school for children of the privileged. While calling in a phony bomb threat to the TV station where her father, Darryl (Tom Skerritt) is a producer, Sylvia attracts the attention of Ivy (Drew Barrymore). Ivy is an orphan from a poor family, attending the school on a scholarship. She and Sylvia quickly become best friends, and Ivy eventually moves out of her aunt's home and into the Cooper household. Ivy covets the Coopers' lavish lifestyle and luxuries, so she begins plotting to kill Sylvie's ailing mother Georgie (Cheryl Ladd), then seduce the alcoholic Darryl and frame Sylvie for the crime, thus taking over the Cooper house. Director Katt Shea Ruben and her co-writer husband Andy Ruben were veterans of the Roger Corman school of filmmaking. The success of Poison Ivy (1992) on video and cable television inspired a pair of sequels, Poison Ivy 2: Lily (1996) and Poison Ivy: The New Seduction (1997). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Directed By
- Katt Shea
- Genres
- Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Cult Movies
R,
- In Theaters
- May 8, 1992 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Unfortunate thesps take it all very seriously, while technical aspects are emptily polished.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Drew Barrymore stars in a melodrama that borders on high-class kiddie porn.
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, Time Out
Its willingness to take risks, and its insights into the frailties and confusions of teenage friendships, lift the film right out of the rut.
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Why settle for the usual walk around the exploitation block when Shea offers a wild ride with the top down into uncharted territory?
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Hal Hinson, Washington Post
For the most part the actors' work seems incomplete because their characters are cut off before they can fully blossom.
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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Drew Barrymore
as Ivy
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Sara Gilbert
as Sylvie Cooper
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Tom Skerritt
as Darryl Cooper
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Cheryl Ladd
as Georgie Cooper
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Alan Stock
as Bob
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Jeanne Sakata
as Isabelle
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Angel Broadhurst
as Death Rocker
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Warren Burton
as Max
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Randall Caldwell
as Truck Driver
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Leonardo DiCaprio
as 1st Guy
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Tony Ervolina
as Man on Screen
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Michael Goldner
as Man in Car
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Charles Hayward
as Tiny
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Julie Jay
as Nurse Behind Desk
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Billy Charles Kanes
as James
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Lawrence Levy
as Jeff
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E.J. Moore
as Kid
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Mary Gordon Murray
as M.D.
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Lisa Passero
as Lisa
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J.B. Quon
as Another Kid
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Sandy Roth Ruben
as Estelle
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Tom Ruben
as Roofer
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Charla Sampsel
as Orderly
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Tim Winters
as Old Man
