All the Real Girls
Encyclopedia
All the Real Girls is a 2003 romantic drama film written and directed by David Gordon Green
. The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival
on January 19, 2003. It stars Paul Schneider
, Zooey Deschanel
, Shea Whigham
, Danny R. McBride
, Patricia Clarkson
, Maurice Compte and Benjamin Mouton. The film follows the romance between a young, small-town womanizer and his best friend’s sexually inexperienced younger sister. While the film fared poorly at the box office, it was generally well received by critics and was nominated for several awards when it was shown at film festivals in 2003.
) is a womanizer in his early twenties who lives in a small Southern town, where he earns a living fixing cars for his uncle. Paul still lives with his mother, Elvira (Patricia Clarkson
), who works as a clown cheering up children at the local hospital. He spends most of his time hanging out with his best friend and self-proclaimed partner-in-crime, Tip (Shea Whigham
), and their friends Bo (Maurice Compte) and Bust-Ass (Danny R. McBride
). Among his friends, Paul has a reputation as a ladies' man, but he's not at all known for being involved with long-term relationships; most of Paul's romances last only a few weeks, and he's slept with nearly every girl in town. Paul is beginning to reach a point where he would like to lead a different life, and that feeling becomes all the more clear when he meets Noel (Zooey Deschanel
), Tip's teenage sister who has come back home after attending a boarding school. Noel is more thoughtful and mature than the girls Paul is used to. Paul and Noel soon fall in love, but for Paul this is a different sort of relationship than he's accustomed to — Noel is still a virgin, and her contemplative nature gives him a desire to be a better, stronger person. However, Tip doesn't approve of Paul dating his younger sister, which leads to a rift between these longtime friends.
of the Chicago Sun Times said “Green is 27, old enough to be jaded, but he has the soul of a romantic poet. Wordsworth, after all, was 36 when he published, ‘The Rainbow comes and goes and lovely is the Rose.’ How many guys that age would have that kind of nerve today?” He gave the film a four out of four star rating.
All the Real Girls was not a financial success at the box office. It was made on a budget of $2,500,000 and premiered on January 19, 2003 at the Sundance Film Festival
. The film was released on February 14, 2003 and played in six theaters, bringing in $39,714 in its opening weekend. By the time the film ended its theatrical run on July 10, 2003 it had made $549,666.
The film was nominated for awards at several different film festivals all over the world. Green was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize but won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival
along with Clarkson for her role in the film. At the 2004 Chlotrudis Awards, All the Real Girls was nominated for Best Actress, (Deschanel), Best Cinematography (Tim Orr), Best Director (Green), and Best Original Screenplay (Green and Paul Schneider). Deschanel was also nominated for Best Female Lead at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards
and Best Actress at the 2004 Mar del Plata Film Festival.
David Gordon Green
David Gordon Green is an American filmmaker. He has directed dramas such as George Washington, All the Real Girls, and Snow Angels, as well as the thriller Undertow, all of which he wrote or co-wrote...
. The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
on January 19, 2003. It stars Paul Schneider
Paul Schneider (actor)
Paul Andrew Schneider is an American film actor.-Early life and career:Schneider was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated from the North Carolina School of Arts...
, Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress, musician, and singer-songwriter. In 1999, Deschanel made her film debut in Mumford, followed by her breakout role as young protagonist William Miller's troubled older sister Anita in Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous...
, Shea Whigham
Shea Whigham
Franklin Shea Whigham, Jr. , best known as Shea Whigham, is an American actor notably starring as Elias "Eli" Thompson on the HBO dramatic series Boardwalk Empire.-Early life:...
, Danny R. McBride
Danny R. McBride
Daniel Richard "Danny" McBride is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and voice artist.-Career:...
, Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
, Maurice Compte and Benjamin Mouton. The film follows the romance between a young, small-town womanizer and his best friend’s sexually inexperienced younger sister. While the film fared poorly at the box office, it was generally well received by critics and was nominated for several awards when it was shown at film festivals in 2003.
Plot
Paul (Paul SchneiderPaul Schneider (actor)
Paul Andrew Schneider is an American film actor.-Early life and career:Schneider was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated from the North Carolina School of Arts...
) is a womanizer in his early twenties who lives in a small Southern town, where he earns a living fixing cars for his uncle. Paul still lives with his mother, Elvira (Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
), who works as a clown cheering up children at the local hospital. He spends most of his time hanging out with his best friend and self-proclaimed partner-in-crime, Tip (Shea Whigham
Shea Whigham
Franklin Shea Whigham, Jr. , best known as Shea Whigham, is an American actor notably starring as Elias "Eli" Thompson on the HBO dramatic series Boardwalk Empire.-Early life:...
), and their friends Bo (Maurice Compte) and Bust-Ass (Danny R. McBride
Danny R. McBride
Daniel Richard "Danny" McBride is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and voice artist.-Career:...
). Among his friends, Paul has a reputation as a ladies' man, but he's not at all known for being involved with long-term relationships; most of Paul's romances last only a few weeks, and he's slept with nearly every girl in town. Paul is beginning to reach a point where he would like to lead a different life, and that feeling becomes all the more clear when he meets Noel (Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress, musician, and singer-songwriter. In 1999, Deschanel made her film debut in Mumford, followed by her breakout role as young protagonist William Miller's troubled older sister Anita in Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous...
), Tip's teenage sister who has come back home after attending a boarding school. Noel is more thoughtful and mature than the girls Paul is used to. Paul and Noel soon fall in love, but for Paul this is a different sort of relationship than he's accustomed to — Noel is still a virgin, and her contemplative nature gives him a desire to be a better, stronger person. However, Tip doesn't approve of Paul dating his younger sister, which leads to a rift between these longtime friends.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul Schneider Paul Schneider (actor) Paul Andrew Schneider is an American film actor.-Early life and career:Schneider was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated from the North Carolina School of Arts... |
Paul |
| Zooey Deschanel Zooey Deschanel Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress, musician, and singer-songwriter. In 1999, Deschanel made her film debut in Mumford, followed by her breakout role as young protagonist William Miller's troubled older sister Anita in Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous... |
Noel |
| Shea Whigham Shea Whigham Franklin Shea Whigham, Jr. , best known as Shea Whigham, is an American actor notably starring as Elias "Eli" Thompson on the HBO dramatic series Boardwalk Empire.-Early life:... |
Tip |
| Danny R. McBride Danny R. McBride Daniel Richard "Danny" McBride is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and voice artist.-Career:... |
Bust-Ass |
| Patricia Clarkson Patricia Clarkson Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under... |
Elvira |
| Benjamin Mouton | Uncle Leland |
| Maurice Compte | Bo |
| Heather McComb Heather McComb Heather McComb is an American actress.McComb started acting at age 2 in a commercial for Publisher's Clearing House. When she appeared in the telefilm Generation X in 1996, she became the first actress to portray the X-Men character of Jubilee on screen... |
Mary-Margaret |
| Matthew Chapman The Brothers Chaps The Brothers Chaps are Michael "Mike" Chapman and Matthew "Matt" Chapman, creators of the Homestar Runner series of animated cartoons. The brothers are originally from Indiana, but now live in Atlanta, Georgia.-Matthew Chapman:... |
Man in Background |
Reception
All the Real Girls got mostly positive reviews when it was initially released in 2003. All the Real Girls currently has a 71% rating at rottentomatoes.com The film’s current rating on metacritic.com is 71 out of 100. Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun Times said “Green is 27, old enough to be jaded, but he has the soul of a romantic poet. Wordsworth, after all, was 36 when he published, ‘The Rainbow comes and goes and lovely is the Rose.’ How many guys that age would have that kind of nerve today?” He gave the film a four out of four star rating.
All the Real Girls was not a financial success at the box office. It was made on a budget of $2,500,000 and premiered on January 19, 2003 at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. The film was released on February 14, 2003 and played in six theaters, bringing in $39,714 in its opening weekend. By the time the film ended its theatrical run on July 10, 2003 it had made $549,666.
The film was nominated for awards at several different film festivals all over the world. Green was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize but won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
along with Clarkson for her role in the film. At the 2004 Chlotrudis Awards, All the Real Girls was nominated for Best Actress, (Deschanel), Best Cinematography (Tim Orr), Best Director (Green), and Best Original Screenplay (Green and Paul Schneider). Deschanel was also nominated for Best Female Lead at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
and Best Actress at the 2004 Mar del Plata Film Festival.