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Junebug (film)
Encyclopedia
Junebug is a 2005 American comedy-drama film directed by Phil Morrison
. It was released on August 3, 2005 and stars Amy Adams
, Alessandro Nivola
, Embeth Davidtz
, and Benjamin McKenzie
. It was filmed in the North Carolina
towns of Pfafftown, McLeansville, and Winston-Salem and in New Mexico
.
), an art dealer, travels from Chicago to North Carolina
to pursue a local, self-taught painter (Frank Hoyt Taylor) for her outsider art
gallery she takes the opportunity to meet the family of her husband George (Alessandro Nivola
) who live close by.
There is his flinty, judgmental mother Peg (Celia Weston
); his reserved, contemplative father Eugene (Scott Wilson
); and his sullen, resentful, twenty-ish brother Johnny (Benjamin McKenzie
) who, although married, still lives at home, and is studying for his high school equivalence certificate while working at Replacements, Ltd. as an order processor. Johnny married his wife, Ashley, before either of them finished high school. Relations between Johnny and Ashley are strained, with Ashley believing that a baby will solve their marital problems.
Madeleine and George stay in the baby's nursery and she becomes friends with Johnny's pregnant young wife Ashley (Amy Adams
), a very sweet and friendly, if somewhat naive and talkative girl. The family take Madeline to a church service and she attends Ashley's baby shower
. Madeleine discovers that she does not know much about George, as they have been married only six months, and knew each other only a week before they got married. George's strong Southern family values come through.
The artist Madeleine is trying to sign wavers over signing with her gallery. Ashley goes in to labor, and the family goes to the hospital with her, but Madeleine chooses to go and convince the artist to sign with her gallery, which makes George angry. Ashley's baby boy is stillborn
. She tells George she was going to name it "Junebug". George and Madeleine leave to go back to Chicago.
, as well as classical music by Haydn, Shostakovich, Schubert and Vivaldi. The film begins and ends with the 1977 song "Harmour Love" performed by Syreeta Wright
and written by Stevie Wonder
. During a scene where most of the characters are at a church social, George and two young men are featured singing the hymn “Softly and Tenderly, Jesus Is Calling” by Will Lamartine Thompson
.
No official soundtrack has been released of the film. As a result, Syreeta's album One to One (which contains the song "Harmour Love") has since experienced a resurgence of sales. Yo La Tengo have released some of the original music in a compilation of their work on soundtracks They Shoot, We Score.
which includes:
Phil Morrison (director)
Phil Morrison is an American film director best known for the Academy Award-nominated feature film, Junebug.In 2006, Morrison directed the "Get a Mac" advertising campaign for Apple Inc..-External links:...
. It was released on August 3, 2005 and stars Amy Adams
Amy Adams
Amy Lou Adams is an American actress and singer. Adams began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 black comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous...
, Alessandro Nivola
Alessandro Nivola
Alessandro Antine Nivola is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles in the films Best Laid Plans, Jurassic Park III, Face/Off, and the first two films of the Goal! trilogy.-Personal life:...
, Embeth Davidtz
Embeth Davidtz
Embeth Jean Davidtz is an American-born actress who spent much of her early life in South Africa.-Early life:Davidtz was born in Lafayette, Indiana, while her father was studying chemical engineering at Purdue University. Her parents, John and Jean, later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and then...
, and Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan , better known as Benjamin McKenzie, is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing Ryan Atwood in the television series The O.C. and for playing Ben Sherman in Southland. He appeared in the films Junebug and 88 Minutes which earned him a Sarasota Film...
. It was filmed in the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
towns of Pfafftown, McLeansville, and Winston-Salem and in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
Plot
When newlywed Madeleine (Embeth DavidtzEmbeth Davidtz
Embeth Jean Davidtz is an American-born actress who spent much of her early life in South Africa.-Early life:Davidtz was born in Lafayette, Indiana, while her father was studying chemical engineering at Purdue University. Her parents, John and Jean, later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and then...
), an art dealer, travels from Chicago to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
to pursue a local, self-taught painter (Frank Hoyt Taylor) for her outsider art
Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
gallery she takes the opportunity to meet the family of her husband George (Alessandro Nivola
Alessandro Nivola
Alessandro Antine Nivola is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles in the films Best Laid Plans, Jurassic Park III, Face/Off, and the first two films of the Goal! trilogy.-Personal life:...
) who live close by.
There is his flinty, judgmental mother Peg (Celia Weston
Celia Weston
Celia Weston is an American actress of stage, film and television, and a character actress. Professionally, she may be best known for her role as Jolene Hunnicutt on Alice.-Life and career:...
); his reserved, contemplative father Eugene (Scott Wilson
Scott Wilson (actor)
Scott Wilson is an American actor.-Movies:Wilson appeared in such films as In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Gypsy Moths, The Great Gatsby, The Right Stuff, A Year of the Quiet Sun, Malone, Dead Man Walking, The Grass Harp, Junebug, The Host, Monster, Young Guns II, Pearl Harbor, and...
); and his sullen, resentful, twenty-ish brother Johnny (Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan , better known as Benjamin McKenzie, is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing Ryan Atwood in the television series The O.C. and for playing Ben Sherman in Southland. He appeared in the films Junebug and 88 Minutes which earned him a Sarasota Film...
) who, although married, still lives at home, and is studying for his high school equivalence certificate while working at Replacements, Ltd. as an order processor. Johnny married his wife, Ashley, before either of them finished high school. Relations between Johnny and Ashley are strained, with Ashley believing that a baby will solve their marital problems.
Madeleine and George stay in the baby's nursery and she becomes friends with Johnny's pregnant young wife Ashley (Amy Adams
Amy Adams (actress)
Amy Lou Adams is an American actress and singer. Adams began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 black comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous...
), a very sweet and friendly, if somewhat naive and talkative girl. The family take Madeline to a church service and she attends Ashley's baby shower
Baby shower
In some countries, a baby shower is a way to celebrate the pending or recent birth of a child by presenting gifts to the parents at a party. The term "shower" is often assumed to mean that the expectant mother is "showered" with gifts.-Description:...
. Madeleine discovers that she does not know much about George, as they have been married only six months, and knew each other only a week before they got married. George's strong Southern family values come through.
The artist Madeleine is trying to sign wavers over signing with her gallery. Ashley goes in to labor, and the family goes to the hospital with her, but Madeleine chooses to go and convince the artist to sign with her gallery, which makes George angry. Ashley's baby boy is stillborn
Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus has died in the uterus. The Australian definition specifies that fetal death is termed a stillbirth after 20 weeks gestation or the fetus weighs more than . Once the fetus has died the mother still has contractions and remains undelivered. The term is often used in...
. She tells George she was going to name it "Junebug". George and Madeleine leave to go back to Chicago.
Cast
- Embeth DavidtzEmbeth DavidtzEmbeth Jean Davidtz is an American-born actress who spent much of her early life in South Africa.-Early life:Davidtz was born in Lafayette, Indiana, while her father was studying chemical engineering at Purdue University. Her parents, John and Jean, later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and then...
as Madeleine Johnsten - Amy AdamsAmy AdamsAmy Lou Adams is an American actress and singer. Adams began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 black comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous...
as Ashley Johnsten - Celia WestonCelia WestonCelia Weston is an American actress of stage, film and television, and a character actress. Professionally, she may be best known for her role as Jolene Hunnicutt on Alice.-Life and career:...
as Peg Johnsten - Benjamin McKenzieBenjamin McKenzieBenjamin McKenzie Schenkkan , better known as Benjamin McKenzie, is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing Ryan Atwood in the television series The O.C. and for playing Ben Sherman in Southland. He appeared in the films Junebug and 88 Minutes which earned him a Sarasota Film...
as Johnny Johnsten - Alessandro NivolaAlessandro NivolaAlessandro Antine Nivola is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles in the films Best Laid Plans, Jurassic Park III, Face/Off, and the first two films of the Goal! trilogy.-Personal life:...
as George Johnsten - Scott WilsonScott Wilson (actor)Scott Wilson is an American actor.-Movies:Wilson appeared in such films as In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Gypsy Moths, The Great Gatsby, The Right Stuff, A Year of the Quiet Sun, Malone, Dead Man Walking, The Grass Harp, Junebug, The Host, Monster, Young Guns II, Pearl Harbor, and...
as Eugene Johnsten - R. Keith Harris as Bud, the young Pastor
Score and soundtrack
Though much of the movie is free of background music, its score is made up of original music by Yo La TengoYo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...
, as well as classical music by Haydn, Shostakovich, Schubert and Vivaldi. The film begins and ends with the 1977 song "Harmour Love" performed by Syreeta Wright
Syreeta Wright
Syreeta Wright , who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was a Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter most notably known for her work with Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston.-Early life and career:...
and written by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
. During a scene where most of the characters are at a church social, George and two young men are featured singing the hymn “Softly and Tenderly, Jesus Is Calling” by Will Lamartine Thompson
Will Lamartine Thompson
William Lamartine Thompson was a noted American composer, best known for his hymns, born on November 7, 1847 in East Liverpool, Ohio, died New York City on September 20, 1909.-Well-known works:...
.
No official soundtrack has been released of the film. As a result, Syreeta's album One to One (which contains the song "Harmour Love") has since experienced a resurgence of sales. Yo La Tengo have released some of the original music in a compilation of their work on soundtracks They Shoot, We Score.
Home media
The DVD was released on January 17, 2006 by Sony Pictures EntertainmentSony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
which includes:
- 10 deleted scenesDeleted ScenesA deleted scene is a scene removed from or replaced by another scene in the final version of a film or television series.It may also refer to:* "Deleted Scenes", an episode of the Adult Swim animated television series, Aqua Teen Hunger Force...
- Cast audio commentaryAudio commentaryOn disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
with Embeth Davidtz and Amy Adams - Outsider Art Photo Gallery
- French subtitles
- Behind-the-scenesMaking-ofIn cinema, a making-of, also known as behind-the-scenes, is a documentary film that features the production of a film or television program...
featurettes - CastingCasting (performing arts)In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
sessions
Awards
- 78th Academy Awards78th Academy AwardsThe 78th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2005 and were held on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, with Tom Kane making his first appearance as the show's announcer...
:- Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Amy Adams, nominated)
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
- 2006 Amanda AwardsAmanda (award)The Amanda Award is an award given annually at the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, Norway, to promote and improve Norwegian film. The award originated in 1985, and has since 2005 been exclusively a film award...
:- Best Film — International (nominated)
- 4th Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards:
- Breakthrough Film Artist — for acting (Amy Adams, won)
- Best Supporting Performance (Amy Adams, runner-up)
- 11th Critics' Choice AwardsBroadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2005The 11th Critics' Choice Awards are given on January 9, 2006 to honor the finest achievements in 2005 filmmaking.-Top 10 Films:#Brokeback Mountain#Capote#Cinderella Man#The Constant Gardener...
:- Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, won – tie)
- 15th Gotham AwardsGotham AwardsThe Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City...
:- Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, won)
- Breakthrough Director (Phil Morrison, nominated)
- 21st Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit Awards 2005The 21st Independent Spirit Awards, given by Film Independent on 4 March 2006, will honor the best in film for 2005.-Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote*Jeff Daniels - The Squid and the Whale*Terrence Howard - Hustle & Flow...
:- Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, won)
- Best First Screenplay (Angus MacLachlan, nominated)
- Piaget Producers Award (Mike S. Ryan, nominated)
- 40th National Society of Film Critics AwardsNational Society of Film Critics Awards 2005The 40th National Society of Film Critics Awards, given by the National Society of Film Critics on 7 January 2006, honored the best in film for 2005.-Best Picture::1. Capote2. A History of Violence3. 2046-Best Director::...
:- Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, won)
- 2005 Online Film Critics Society AwardsOnline Film Critics SocietyThe Online Film Critics Society is a professional association for film critics who publish their reviews, interviews, and essays on the Internet.The OFCS was founded in 1997...
:- Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, nominated)
- 4th San Francisco Film Critics Circle AwardsSan Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards 2005The 4th San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards, honoring the best in film for 2005, were given on 12 December 2005.-Winners:*Best Picture:**Brokeback Mountain*Best Director:**Ang Lee - Brokeback Mountain...
:- Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, won)
- 10th Satellite AwardsSatellite Awards 2005The 10th Satellite Awards, honoring the best in film- and television making in 2005, were given on 17 December 2005.-Best Actor - Drama: Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote*Jake Gyllenhaal - Jarhead...
:- Best Supporting Actress — Drama (Amy Adams, nominated)
- 12th Screen Actors Guild Awards:
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role (Amy Adams, nominated)
- 14th Southeastern Film Critics Association AwardsSoutheastern Film Critics Association Awards 2005The 14th Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards, honoring the best in film for 2005, were held on 19 December 2005.-Top 10 films:#Brokeback Mountain#Good Night, and Good Luck.#Capote#Crash *Academy Award for Best Picture*...
:- Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, won)
- 2005 Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe 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...
:- Special Jury Prize for Acting (Amy Adams, won)
- Directing Award — Dramatic (Phil Morrison, nominated)