In the Land of Women
Encyclopedia
In the Land of Women is a 2007 American drama film directed and written by Jon Kasdan
. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival
on May 18, 2006. The film premiered in the United States
on April 20, 2007.
) is a young, softcore porn writer living in Los Angeles
when his young, starlet girlfriend Sofia (Elena Anaya
) breaks up with him. Carter pleads with her to stay, but she leaves.
Carter then goes to his mother's home in order to reclaim an item when he sees his mother crying in the living room. She explains that her mentally unstable mother, Phyllis (Olympia Dukakis
), claims that she is dying – though her doctor cannot find anything fatal. Carter's mother tells him that she will be leaving for Michigan
to take care of Phyllis. Carter offers to take his mother's place as caregiver for his grandmother, explaining that he wanted to get out of the life he was currently living and write a biographical story he has been working on for the past eleven years. Though his mother objects to this decision and tries to warn him, he ignores her and flies to Michigan.
Meanwhile, Paige (Makenzie Vega
) and Lucy (Kristen Stewart
) Hardwicke, who live across the street from Phyllis, are returning from school. Lucy's mother, Sarah (Meg Ryan
), calls Lucy to the kitchen. She hesitantly tells Lucy that she has found a lump in her breast, a possible sign of breast cancer
, and is to see a doctor in the coming days. Lucy, shocked, wants to come with her mother when she receives her results, but Sarah quickly refuses.
Outside, Carter finally arrives. He knocks on the door with a cheerful remark, and Phyllis, obviously forgetting her own grandson, slams the door on him. After a quick negotiation, she lets him inside. Phyllis reveals that she has been starving herself the past three weeks, and Carter sees that all of the food in her home has gone stale. After a few brief phone calls with his mother and his boss, Carter begins to clean up his grandmother's home.
When Carter takes out the trash, Lucy, who is smoking on her roof, watches him. He drops the trash, and Lucy begins to snicker; hearing her laughter, Carter turns toward her, and she hides in the shadow of the roof. Sarah hears the noise and comes outside with her dog, Bozo, and warmly introduces herself to Carter. They have a brief talk before Lucy's friends arrive loudly down the road and Sarah goes back inside. Lucy and Carter meet, and she asks Carter not to tell her parents that she smokes. He agrees, and takes a cigarette from her before she leaves.
The next morning, Sarah arrives at Carter's doorstep, bringing cookies and offering for him to walk with her. They walk around the neighborhood, talking about their lives. Sarah eventually mentions Sofia, wondering about his love for her. Carter thinks about his relationship, and decides that it really wasn't true love. He explains that he has written love letters for her, outpouring his affection for Sofia. Carter believes, as a writer, that this is the best work that he has ever done.
After Sarah returns home, she sees that Carter is heartbroken and needs someone to take his mind off Sofia. She asks Lucy to ask Carter out on a date. Lucy bitterly refuses, calling it "lame" to ask someone out from across the street that she doesn't even know. Sarah's husband agrees and Sarah abruptly leaves the room, frustrated. She goes to her bathroom, filling a small cup of medicine to subside her pain. Her husband follows her, trying to assuage the situation by insisting that Lucy will apologize and ask Carter on a date.
The next day, Carter decides to go on a run. While running, he has flashbacks of all the memorable times he had with Sofia: their meeting, their first kiss, and so on, until it finally leads to the breakup. When she utters the word "goodbye" once more, Carter runs into a tree and passes out. When he wakes up, he sees Lucy standing over him. She gives him a ride home and then asks him out. Carter tells her to ask her parents if they would allow her to take him out on a school night, as they normally would not. Lucy, confused, agrees, and goes back inside.
Shortly thereafter, Sarah invites Carter on another walk. This time, she leads him into a small patch of forest. She admits that her husband is having an affair and that she does not love him – at least not the way Carter loved Sofia. They hug and leave to run errands together. They share an awkward moment of both having something to say to the other; Carter begins with the declaration that Sarah's husband is "out of his mind". Sarah smiles, and dismisses what she has to say. Eventually, the two deepen their friendship and later, when she tells him she is sick, they kiss.
Carter also goes to the movies with Lucy and Paige. He finds out that Sofia has been dating Colin Farrell
. Afterward, Lucy brings Carter to a football field because he was curious about the typical high school experience. There she confesses that she is sort of dating the high school quarterback Gabe, who is arrogant and cocky, but that they have not kissed yet. They also talk about Gabe's best friend Eric who seems to be the opposite of Gabe; soft and shy. She also confesses that she knows her father is having an affair, but believes her mother does not know. She claims to be more upset with her mother than her father because her mother is cold and more interested in her image than the truth. Lucy later finds out that Gabe could not wait for Lucy and hooked up with her best friend. She convinces Carter to come to a party with her because he is older and mysterious. During the party, Gabe tries to fight Carter, but Eric steps in saying that Gabe is the one who screwed up. After the party, Carter and Lucy share a kiss which Sarah sees. She tells Carter to leave Lucy alone and to never speak to them again. Afterwards, he slips her a letter. Lucy goes to see Carter who tells her that he is not the guy for her and that if she thought about it, she would realize that she would know who he is. Sarah gets her cancer treatments and it is revealed that everything will be all right. Sarah and Lucy talk and start to heal their relationship. As Lucy drives home from the hospital, she stops to see Eric who she realizes is the guy Carter was referring to. Sarah finally reads Carter's letter which, though similar to a love letter, winds up being more of a "thank you" note.
Carter comes downstairs to find his grandmother has died but does not immediately call the hospital. Instead, he goes outside for some air and meets up with Sarah. She apologizes and they are able to end their friendship on good terms.
The story closes with Carter back in LA at the diner where Sofia broke up with him. He is writing, presumably a script, about his grandmother. He talks to the waitress and seems to be getting on with his life without Sofia.
and grossed US$4.7 million in 2,155 theaters in its opening weekend, coming in eighth at the U.S. box office. The film stayed in theaters for 10 weeks and went on to gross $11 million in the U.S., with a combined worldwide gross of $17.5 million.
The gross exceeded the film's budget, which was $10 million.
, 44% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 108 reviews (48 "fresh", 60 "rotten"). The site reported there was a consensus among critics that the characters in the film were underdeveloped. On Metacritic
, the film had an average score of 47 out of 100 based on 29 reviews.
Jon Kasdan
Jonathan "Jon" Kasdan is an American writer and director.Kasdan is the son of Meg , a writer, and film director Lawrence Kasdan. He is the brother of director and actor Jake Kasdan. His directorial debut, In the Land of Women, was released in the United States in 2007. Kasdan also wrote the film,...
. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
on May 18, 2006. The film premiered in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on April 20, 2007.
Plot
Carter Webb (Adam BrodyAdam Brody
Adam Jared Brody is an American film and television actor and part time musician. He began his career in 1995, appearing on Gilmore Girls and other series, and subsequently came to fame for his role as Seth Cohen on The O.C. Brody later appeared in several film roles, including Mr. & Mrs...
) is a young, softcore porn writer living in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
when his young, starlet girlfriend Sofia (Elena Anaya
Elena Anaya
Elena Anaya is a Spanish actress whose career dates back to 1995.Anaya is the youngest of 5 children. She first received international attention in 2001 for her role in the sexually explicit drama Lucía y el sexo and also appeared in Pedro Almodóvar's Hable con ella .Her best-known Hollywood film...
) breaks up with him. Carter pleads with her to stay, but she leaves.
Carter then goes to his mother's home in order to reclaim an item when he sees his mother crying in the living room. She explains that her mentally unstable mother, Phyllis (Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
), claims that she is dying – though her doctor cannot find anything fatal. Carter's mother tells him that she will be leaving for Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
to take care of Phyllis. Carter offers to take his mother's place as caregiver for his grandmother, explaining that he wanted to get out of the life he was currently living and write a biographical story he has been working on for the past eleven years. Though his mother objects to this decision and tries to warn him, he ignores her and flies to Michigan.
Meanwhile, Paige (Makenzie Vega
Makenzie Vega
-Personal life:Vega was born in Los Angeles, California to a Colombian father and an American mother. She is the younger sister of actress Alexa Vega. Vega currently lives in New York with her mother Gina Rue , and three siblings...
) and Lucy (Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
) Hardwicke, who live across the street from Phyllis, are returning from school. Lucy's mother, Sarah (Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
), calls Lucy to the kitchen. She hesitantly tells Lucy that she has found a lump in her breast, a possible sign of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, and is to see a doctor in the coming days. Lucy, shocked, wants to come with her mother when she receives her results, but Sarah quickly refuses.
Outside, Carter finally arrives. He knocks on the door with a cheerful remark, and Phyllis, obviously forgetting her own grandson, slams the door on him. After a quick negotiation, she lets him inside. Phyllis reveals that she has been starving herself the past three weeks, and Carter sees that all of the food in her home has gone stale. After a few brief phone calls with his mother and his boss, Carter begins to clean up his grandmother's home.
When Carter takes out the trash, Lucy, who is smoking on her roof, watches him. He drops the trash, and Lucy begins to snicker; hearing her laughter, Carter turns toward her, and she hides in the shadow of the roof. Sarah hears the noise and comes outside with her dog, Bozo, and warmly introduces herself to Carter. They have a brief talk before Lucy's friends arrive loudly down the road and Sarah goes back inside. Lucy and Carter meet, and she asks Carter not to tell her parents that she smokes. He agrees, and takes a cigarette from her before she leaves.
The next morning, Sarah arrives at Carter's doorstep, bringing cookies and offering for him to walk with her. They walk around the neighborhood, talking about their lives. Sarah eventually mentions Sofia, wondering about his love for her. Carter thinks about his relationship, and decides that it really wasn't true love. He explains that he has written love letters for her, outpouring his affection for Sofia. Carter believes, as a writer, that this is the best work that he has ever done.
After Sarah returns home, she sees that Carter is heartbroken and needs someone to take his mind off Sofia. She asks Lucy to ask Carter out on a date. Lucy bitterly refuses, calling it "lame" to ask someone out from across the street that she doesn't even know. Sarah's husband agrees and Sarah abruptly leaves the room, frustrated. She goes to her bathroom, filling a small cup of medicine to subside her pain. Her husband follows her, trying to assuage the situation by insisting that Lucy will apologize and ask Carter on a date.
The next day, Carter decides to go on a run. While running, he has flashbacks of all the memorable times he had with Sofia: their meeting, their first kiss, and so on, until it finally leads to the breakup. When she utters the word "goodbye" once more, Carter runs into a tree and passes out. When he wakes up, he sees Lucy standing over him. She gives him a ride home and then asks him out. Carter tells her to ask her parents if they would allow her to take him out on a school night, as they normally would not. Lucy, confused, agrees, and goes back inside.
Shortly thereafter, Sarah invites Carter on another walk. This time, she leads him into a small patch of forest. She admits that her husband is having an affair and that she does not love him – at least not the way Carter loved Sofia. They hug and leave to run errands together. They share an awkward moment of both having something to say to the other; Carter begins with the declaration that Sarah's husband is "out of his mind". Sarah smiles, and dismisses what she has to say. Eventually, the two deepen their friendship and later, when she tells him she is sick, they kiss.
Carter also goes to the movies with Lucy and Paige. He finds out that Sofia has been dating Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
. Afterward, Lucy brings Carter to a football field because he was curious about the typical high school experience. There she confesses that she is sort of dating the high school quarterback Gabe, who is arrogant and cocky, but that they have not kissed yet. They also talk about Gabe's best friend Eric who seems to be the opposite of Gabe; soft and shy. She also confesses that she knows her father is having an affair, but believes her mother does not know. She claims to be more upset with her mother than her father because her mother is cold and more interested in her image than the truth. Lucy later finds out that Gabe could not wait for Lucy and hooked up with her best friend. She convinces Carter to come to a party with her because he is older and mysterious. During the party, Gabe tries to fight Carter, but Eric steps in saying that Gabe is the one who screwed up. After the party, Carter and Lucy share a kiss which Sarah sees. She tells Carter to leave Lucy alone and to never speak to them again. Afterwards, he slips her a letter. Lucy goes to see Carter who tells her that he is not the guy for her and that if she thought about it, she would realize that she would know who he is. Sarah gets her cancer treatments and it is revealed that everything will be all right. Sarah and Lucy talk and start to heal their relationship. As Lucy drives home from the hospital, she stops to see Eric who she realizes is the guy Carter was referring to. Sarah finally reads Carter's letter which, though similar to a love letter, winds up being more of a "thank you" note.
Carter comes downstairs to find his grandmother has died but does not immediately call the hospital. Instead, he goes outside for some air and meets up with Sarah. She apologizes and they are able to end their friendship on good terms.
The story closes with Carter back in LA at the diner where Sofia broke up with him. He is writing, presumably a script, about his grandmother. He talks to the waitress and seems to be getting on with his life without Sofia.
Cast
- Adam BrodyAdam BrodyAdam Jared Brody is an American film and television actor and part time musician. He began his career in 1995, appearing on Gilmore Girls and other series, and subsequently came to fame for his role as Seth Cohen on The O.C. Brody later appeared in several film roles, including Mr. & Mrs...
as Carter Webb - Kristen StewartKristen StewartKristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
as Lucy Hardwicke - Makenzie VegaMakenzie Vega-Personal life:Vega was born in Los Angeles, California to a Colombian father and an American mother. She is the younger sister of actress Alexa Vega. Vega currently lives in New York with her mother Gina Rue , and three siblings...
as Paige Hardwicke - Meg RyanMeg RyanMargaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
as Sarah Hardwicke - Olympia DukakisOlympia DukakisOlympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
as Carter's Grandmother, Phyllis - JoBeth WilliamsJoBeth WilliamsJoBeth Williams is an American film and television actress and director, and current President of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.-Early life:...
as Agnes Webb, Carter's Mother - Elena AnayaElena AnayaElena Anaya is a Spanish actress whose career dates back to 1995.Anaya is the youngest of 5 children. She first received international attention in 2001 for her role in the sexually explicit drama Lucía y el sexo and also appeared in Pedro Almodóvar's Hable con ella .Her best-known Hollywood film...
as Sofia - Clark GreggClark GreggRobert Clark Gregg is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He co-starred as Christine Campbell's ex-husband Richard in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which debuted in March 2006 and concluded in May 2010...
as Nelson Hardwicke - Ginnifer Goodwin as Janey
- Adrian Hough as Dr. Whitman
- Brenda James as Iris
- Dustin MilliganDustin MilliganDustin Wallace Milligan is a Canadian film and television actor known for his role as Ethan Ward on 90210.-Life and career:...
as Eric Watts - Rob Reinis as Avi
- Elise GatienElise GatienElise Gatien is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Candance "CJ" Ward in the Cartoon Network live-action series Tower Prep.-Career:...
as Tiffany - Danielle SavreDanielle SavreDanielle Kathleen Savre is an American actress, singer and dancer.-Life and career:Savre was born and lives in Simi Valley, California. Her parents' names are Randy and Kathie and she also has an older sister, Stephanie....
as Hayley Duncan - Christine Danielle ConnollyChristine Danielle ConnollyChristine Danielle Connolly is a Canadian actress and has been in such films as Underworld Evolution, and 2007's In the Land of Women with Meg Ryan and Adam Brody.-Personal life:She is the oldest of five children...
as Tanya
Commercial
The film was released April 20, 2007 in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and grossed US$4.7 million in 2,155 theaters in its opening weekend, coming in eighth at the U.S. box office. The film stayed in theaters for 10 weeks and went on to gross $11 million in the U.S., with a combined worldwide gross of $17.5 million.
The gross exceeded the film's budget, which was $10 million.
Critical
The film received mixed reviews. As of September 2007 on the review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 44% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 108 reviews (48 "fresh", 60 "rotten"). The site reported there was a consensus among critics that the characters in the film were underdeveloped. On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the film had an average score of 47 out of 100 based on 29 reviews.
External links
- Adam Brody Seduces Chicago on ‘In the Land of Women’, MidwestBusiness.com, 4/17/07
- In the Land of Women Review at Recenzenci.pl (PL)