Cellular (2004)

Director:

David R. Ellis

Writers (WGA):

Larry Cohen (story)
Chris Morgan (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

If the signal dies so does she.

Plot:

A young man receives an emergency phone call on his cell phone from an older woman. The catch? The woman claims to have been kidnapped; and the kidnappers have targeted her husband and child next.

Plot Keywords:

Cell Phone | Family In Danger | Fishbowl | Conspiracy | Mother Son Relationship

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Caroline Aaron	...	Marilyn Mooney
Brenda Ballard	...	Irate Customer #1
Kim Basinger	...	Jessica Martin
Will Beinbrink	...	Young Security Guard
Jessica Biel	...	Chloe
Chase Bloch	...	Timid Boy
Chelsea Bloch	...	Surf Girl's Friend
Chantille Boudousque	...	Chloe's Chilly Friend
Robin Brenner	...	Excitable Customer
Richard Burgi	...	Craig Martin
Paige Cannon	...	Girl at Concert
Nikki Christian	...	Porsche Girl
John Churchill	...	Young Guard
Greg Collins	...	Aging Security Guard
Valerie Cruz	...	Dana Bayback

Also Known As:

Final Call - Wenn er auflegt, muss sie sterben (Germany) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, terror situations, language and some sexual references.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Brazil:14 | Malaysia:U | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Denmark:11 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41056)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Center Studios - 450 S. Bixel Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Larry Cohen worked on the script while he tried to get his screenplay Phone Booth (2002) sold. In a New Yorker article he says he wrote the film with the intention that it would be the direct opposite to Phone Booth (Phone Booth is about a man trapped on a phone in a booth, while this movie is about a man who is still trapped on a phone but can go anywhere). However, his friends told him that he had written the same screenplay twice.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ryan is in the boathouse, he does not appear to be wet after diving into the water.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ricky Martin: Mom, will you still be a science teacher when I get into high school?
Jessica Martin: Hmm... You never know. Why?
Ricky Martin: 'Cause I think it'd be kind of weird to have your mom as a teacher.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dialing Up 'Cellular' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Kicking Back

Don't see what all the fuss is about.

I have seen this movie three times and bought it essentially as I am a Kim Basinger fan.

I have to say I cannot see what all the fuss is about. To me this seemed to be a routine race against time thriller, which doesn't take itself too seriously.

Frankly all Basinger did was scream a little too much and act scared fairly well, this however becomes tiresome. Macy's cop seems a little slow on the uptake but deals with the situations he is placed in well and eventually uncovers the truth. Jason Statham just scowls and acts hard but does little else. Chris Evan's is decent as the teen who at first thinks it's a prank call but eventually comes around and goes out of his way (a little to much to believe) for someone he does not know or has not seen before. Chris Evan's airhead friend Chad was also very annoying, and Jessica Biel was wasted in an thankless role.

The action rattles along at a very good pace and our hero is put into various stressful situations and pushed to the limit in his efforts to aid Jessica Martin (Kim Basinger).

All in all though I just found it mildly diverting and a decently spent 90 minutes. However I would not go mad about this film and recommend it to anyone as an awesome thriller, it's just OK 5.5/10