IMDb > Changeling (2008)
Changeling
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Changeling (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 64 | slideshow) Videos (see all 24)
Changeling (2008) -- Clint Eastwood directs Angelina Jolie in The Changeling, a drama in which a mother's prayer for her kidnapped son to return home is answered, though it doesn't take long for her to suspect the boy who comes back is not hers.
Changeling (2008) -- Clip: Rev Briegleb and a lawyer visit with Christine
Changeling (2008) -- Interview: Clint Eastwood "On the film being based on a true story"
Changeling (2008) -- A mother's prayer for her kidnapped son to return home is answered, though it doesn't take long for her to suspect the boy who comes back is not hers.
Changeling (2008) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 33% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Clint Eastwood
Writer (WGA):
J. Michael Straczynski (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Changeling on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
31 October 2008 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | History | Mystery | Thriller more
Tagline:
To find her son, she did what no one else dared.
Plot:
A grief-stricken mother takes on the LAPD to her own detriment when it stubbornly tries to pass off an obvious impostor as her missing child, while also refusing to give up hope that she will find him one day. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 30 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(343 articles)
Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter Takes on Death, Adds High Tension Star
 (From FilmSchoolRejects. 10 November 2009, 2:36 PM, PST)
High Tension’s Cecile de France Joins Eastwood’s Hereafter
 (From Slash Film. 10 November 2009, 11:32 AM, PST)
User Comments:
An interesting story told well. more (278 total)
US TV Schedule:
Mon. Nov. 238:00 PMHBO   
Fri. Nov. 271:10 AMHBO   

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Angelina Jolie ... Christine Collins

Gattlin Griffith ... Walter Collins

Michelle Gunn ... Sandy

Jan Devereaux ... Operator
Erica Grant ... Operator
Antonia Bennett ... Operator

Kerri Randles ... Operator
Frank Wood ... Ben Harris
Morgan Eastwood ... Girl on Tricycle
Madison Hodges ... Neighborhood Girl

John Malkovich ... Rev. Gustav Briegleb

Colm Feore ... Chief James E. Davis

Devon Conti ... Arthur Hutchins

Ric Sarabia ... Man at Diner
J.P. Bumstead ... Cook
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for some violent and disturbing content, and language.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
141 min
Country:
USA
Language:
Portuguese | English
Color:
Black and White (opening and end sequence) | Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #44429) | UK:15 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Ireland:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Denmark:15 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | Japan:PG-12 | South Korea:18 | Czech Republic:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | New Zealand:R16 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Brazil:16 | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Norway:15 | Germany:12 (f) | Hong Kong:IIB | Taiwan:PG-12 | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Austria:14 | France:U (with warning) | Mexico:B | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating)
Filming Locations:
Daniel Webster Elementary School - 2101 E. Washington Boulevard, Pasadena, California, USA more
Company:
Imagine Entertainment more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Based on the true story of the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders, also known as the Wineville Chicken Murders. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: When Rev. Gustav is speaking from the pulpit of his church, the design of the pipe organ is from at least 1950. In the 1920's, the pipes were hidden behind a facade. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Christine Collins: Walter, honey. Time to wake up.
Walter Collins: Just ten more minutes...
Christine Collins: Sorry, sport. You can sleep in tomorrow, that's what Saturdays are for.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The Orange British Academy Film Awards (2009) (TV) more

FAQ

Is "Changeling" a remake of "The Changeling"?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is "Changeling" based on a book?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
120 out of 167 people found the following comment useful.
An interesting story told well., 28 October 2008
Author: John DeSando (jdesando@columbus.rr.com) from Columbus, Ohio

Christine Collins: "The boy they brought back is not my son."

ClintEastwood s knows a good story, and he knows how to tell it on film. Not everything he does is as powerful as his depiction of a dynamic female boxer in Million Dollar Baby, for which Hilary Swank won a best actress Oscar among four for the film. In Changeling he presents another strong woman, Christine Collins, played by the notable Angelina Jolie. Because she is directed to weep at almost every turn and regularly underplay her grit, Jolie won't win accolades, nor will Eastwood rack up the nominations as he frequently does in Oscar season. But his adaptation of the historic Wineville Chicken Murders chills with his perceptions about the capriciousness of crime and the determination of those who choose to fight it.

In a Prohibition-era 1928, Collins gets word that the Los Angeles Police Department is returning her kidnapped eight-year old son. When she sees him at the station, a finely directed sequence showing the forces of motherhood and politics clash, she knows it is not her child. LAPD, needing the good publicity, forces her to take the boy overnight with the logic that she is merely in shock. The rest of this overly long thriller carefully traces the discoveries leading to resolutions and disappointments. Along the way, police corruption is exposed, mental institution incarceration of women is laid bare, and grisly serial murdering is slowly detailed.

Yet in this discursive narrative, Eastwood indulges himself beyond Jolie's annoying crying by gratuitously laboring over the details of an execution. The stark San Quentin setting is ghastly and the villain worthy except for the film's obvious criticism of false mental institution lockup, ironic here because this murderer is clearly deranged enough to be determined unfit for trial.

As in every Eastwood production, the values are first-rate, in this case period costuming and vehicles (those Model T's and trolley cars are beautiful). As in Mystic River, Eastwood knows how to splice family and community together in the struggle against organized crime, from street violence to public service malpractice. The activist preacher Reverend Briegleb (John Malkovich) helps bring the worlds together in his radio broadcasts, Malkovich for once playing good well. Eastwood continues to be the director of choice for depicting crimes and heartaches that strike the common citizen at will.

We all should be as productive in our later years. May he extend well beyond his golf-playing days and into our future.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (278 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Changeling (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why never heard of this killer? (Postd this b4 + my post diappeard.) breinhardt-1
Pissed frillysunshine
Let's keep it on the top 250. angelo_pilla2
Sanford Clark (spoilers) kimberly-20
Who would leave a 9 year old home alone? dragonslayer_
Informal use of word cop eatcircuspeanuts
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Call Northside 777 They Won't Forget Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage Fury Salvatore Giuliano
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb top 250 movies IMDb Drama section
IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.