Wicker Park (2004)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Paul McGuigan

Writers (WGA):

Gilles Mimouni (film L'Appartement)
Brandon Boyce (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Passion never dies.

Plot:

A young Chicago advertising executive believes a woman he sees in a café is his long-lost love. His conviction leads to obsession, as he puts his life on hold to trail her.

Plot Keywords:

Restaurant | Actress | Obsession | Photographer | Key

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Josh Hartnett	...	Matthew
Rose Byrne	...	Alex
Matthew Lillard	...	Luke
Diane Kruger	...	Lisa
Christopher Cousins	...	Daniel
Jessica Paré	...	Rebecca
Vlasta Vrana	...	Jeweller
Amy Sobol	...	Ellie
Ted Whittall	...	Walter
Isabel Dos Santos	...	Chamber Maid
Joanna Noyes	...	Mary
Kerrilyn Keith	...	Female Customer
Mark Camacho	...	Bartender
Marcel Jeannin	...	Theater Director
Stéfanie Buxton	...	Ticket Agent

Also Known As:

Obsessed (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexuality and language.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:M | Malaysia:U | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-7 | Germany:o.Al. | Ireland:12 | Norway:A | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40403)

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

At one point, Brendan Fraser was set to star and Joel Schumacher was set to direct.

Goofs:

Factual errors: There is never a vent between a restroom and another room - especially not in restaurant.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jeweller: [holding a diamond ring] Magnificent, aren't they? "God's tears".
Matthew: Yeah. It's beautiful. So are the others, I... I guess I just have to make the right decision.
Jeweller: In the end it's not your eye that must decide.

Movie Connections:

References Withnail & I (1987)

Soundtrack:

This Dies over Distance

An underrated masterpiece.

Exceeded my large expectations. One of the best films of 2004 with my personal Oscar win for Best Actress. It's an extremely compelling and unique mystery thriller with intricate characters and a storyline that could easily become absurd and convoluted but feels natural and McGuigan allows the viewer to be fully aware of what's happening. It never gets too far ahead of the audience but it doesn't drag for a second. The editing is flawless and meshes the present with the not-so-distant past perfectly. Josh Hartnett delivers a surprisingly emotional performance and adds another strong performance to his recent resume that has really transcended him from the horrific heartthrob clique he was placed in when he first came onto the scene into a serious, talented actor. But the real star of the film is the beautiful Rose Byrne who, as always, delivers a knockout performance that is easily one of the best of the decade. She takes this psychopathic character and somehow makes her immensely sympathetic. I actually found myself rooting for her to be with Matt. Simply with her eyes she portrays this wounded, internally saddened character effortlessly. As I always am when seeing her act, I was completely entranced and amazed. A stunning performance in a brilliant film.