While She Was Out
Encyclopedia
While She Was Out is a 2008
American thriller film starring Kim Basinger
and Lukas Haas
. Basinger plays a suburban housewife who is forced to fend for herself when she becomes stranded in a desolate forest with four murderous thugs. It was written and directed by film producer Susan Montford
based on a short story by Edward Bryant
. The film was produced by Mary Aloe
and Don Murphy
. Its executive producers included Guillermo del Toro
and Basinger.
, suburban housewife Della Myers (Kim Basinger) gets into an argument with her husband Kenneth (Craig Sheffer
). After putting her two children to bed, she drives to the mall to buy some wrapping paper. At the mall, she can't find a parking space and angrily leaves a note on the window of a car that is parked using up two parking spaces. By the time she finishes her purchase, the parking lot is nearly deserted, and the note is gone from the car. As she enters her own car, the car on which she had left the note pulls up behind her.
She confronts the car, and four kids emerge—Huey (Jamie Starr), Vingh (Leonard Wu), and Tomás (Luis Chávez)—led by Chuckie (Lukas Haas
). A security guard intervenes but is shot by Chuckie in the ensuing standoff. As the gang realizes that they have committed a murder
, Della manages to start her car and drive away. They follow her, intending to kill her as she is the only witness. She crashes her truck in a development area nearby a forest. She takes a road flare and a toolbox out of the car and hides behind a dredger.
Della runs through the buildings under construction as they search for her. After some hide and seek the guys corner and threaten her using the documents they found in her car. As they have her open the toolbox she throws a wrench at Chuckie and escapes again. Chasing her Tomás jumps upon Huey, who falls and breaks his neck.
After some hide and seek in the woods, Della beats and finally kills Tomás with a lug wrench
. She flees through a creek, pursued by Chuckie and Vingh. Della sneaks up on Vingh and kills him with a screwdriver and hides behind a fallen tree. Chuckie tries to persuade Della; he talks about her kids, saying that he is going to pay them a visit. He tells her what he thinks of her, that she lives a boring life she doesn't want, mistreated by her husband. He finds her, touches, and teases her face. She holds his hand, pulls him down and they kiss. He draws his weapon as they engage in foreplay. She tells him to fuck her, and as he is distracted she ignites the road flare and blinds him, takes his weapon, and kills him.
Della returns home, her husband Kenneth complains, that she was out late and is tracking mud throughout the house, but Della ignores him. She goes upstairs to check on her children who are both sleeping. The drunk Kenneth asks what she brought him from the mall, she points the gun at him and says: "Nothing."
. It was released directly to video
in the United Kingdom
.
It was not widely reviewed. According to the L.A. Weekly, it is a "surprisingly enjoyable female revenge tale", describing Basinger's performance as "first-rate" despite "a laughably check-listed, multi-culti band of thugs". The New York Observer
called it "ultra-feminist fun" with a "spectacular" ending. Ain't It Cool News
called Basinger's performance "Her best in years." Bitch
magazine wrote that the film "has an ample amount of cheezy genre conventions, problems with pacing, a gaggle of silly villains, huge plot holes and bad production values" but is "really rather fascinating - and notable - as a horror/thriller that actually gives a damn about the female character it puts in harm's way." However, the L.A. Times said it of "eschews all plot and character development for the hackneyed action scenes and grade-Z dialogue", and Filmcritic.com's review said that its "dialogue is somewhere between kindergarten and film school."
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
American thriller film starring Kim Basinger
Kim Basinger
Kimila Ann "Kim" Basinger is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for her portrayals of Domino Petachi, the Bond girl in Never Say Never Again , and Vicki Vale, the female lead in Batman . Basinger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture...
and Lukas Haas
Lukas Haas
Lukas Daniel Haas is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 25 years during which time he has appeared in more than 36 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions.-Early life and career:Haas was born...
. Basinger plays a suburban housewife who is forced to fend for herself when she becomes stranded in a desolate forest with four murderous thugs. It was written and directed by film producer Susan Montford
Susan Montford
Susan Montford is a Scottish film director, screenwriter, and producer. She is related to the Scottish football commentator Arthur Montford.A film fan as a child, she studied at the Glasgow School of Art where she made short films including Hairpin and Strangers. Her work was shown at the 2000...
based on a short story by Edward Bryant
Edward Bryant
Edward Winslow Bryant Jr. is a science fiction and horror writer sometimes associated with the Dangerous Visions series of anthologies that bolstered The New Wave....
. The film was produced by Mary Aloe
Mary Aloe
Mary Aloe is an American film and television producer, focusing on action and drama. Her best known movies include Battle in Seattle, When a Man Falls in the Forest, While She Was Out, Numb, Tortured, and The Princess and the Marine....
and Don Murphy
Don Murphy
Don Murphy is an American film producer who produced Natural Born Killers and many other films, including Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.-Personal background:...
. Its executive producers included Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro is a Mexican director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and designer. He is mostly known for his acclaimed films, Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy film franchise. He is a frequent collaborator with Ron Perlman, Federico Luppi and Doug Jones...
and Basinger.
Plot
On Christmas EveChristmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
, suburban housewife Della Myers (Kim Basinger) gets into an argument with her husband Kenneth (Craig Sheffer
Craig Sheffer
Craig Eric Sheffer is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading role as Norman Maclean in the film A River Runs Through It and of Keith Scott on the television series One Tree Hill.-Early life:...
). After putting her two children to bed, she drives to the mall to buy some wrapping paper. At the mall, she can't find a parking space and angrily leaves a note on the window of a car that is parked using up two parking spaces. By the time she finishes her purchase, the parking lot is nearly deserted, and the note is gone from the car. As she enters her own car, the car on which she had left the note pulls up behind her.
She confronts the car, and four kids emerge—Huey (Jamie Starr), Vingh (Leonard Wu), and Tomás (Luis Chávez)—led by Chuckie (Lukas Haas
Lukas Haas
Lukas Daniel Haas is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 25 years during which time he has appeared in more than 36 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions.-Early life and career:Haas was born...
). A security guard intervenes but is shot by Chuckie in the ensuing standoff. As the gang realizes that they have committed a murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, Della manages to start her car and drive away. They follow her, intending to kill her as she is the only witness. She crashes her truck in a development area nearby a forest. She takes a road flare and a toolbox out of the car and hides behind a dredger.
Della runs through the buildings under construction as they search for her. After some hide and seek the guys corner and threaten her using the documents they found in her car. As they have her open the toolbox she throws a wrench at Chuckie and escapes again. Chasing her Tomás jumps upon Huey, who falls and breaks his neck.
After some hide and seek in the woods, Della beats and finally kills Tomás with a lug wrench
Lug wrench
Lug wrench is the U.S. name for a type of socket wrench used to turn lug nuts on automobile wheels. In the UK it is commonly known as a wheel brace or wheel wrench....
. She flees through a creek, pursued by Chuckie and Vingh. Della sneaks up on Vingh and kills him with a screwdriver and hides behind a fallen tree. Chuckie tries to persuade Della; he talks about her kids, saying that he is going to pay them a visit. He tells her what he thinks of her, that she lives a boring life she doesn't want, mistreated by her husband. He finds her, touches, and teases her face. She holds his hand, pulls him down and they kiss. He draws his weapon as they engage in foreplay. She tells him to fuck her, and as he is distracted she ignites the road flare and blinds him, takes his weapon, and kills him.
Della returns home, her husband Kenneth complains, that she was out late and is tracking mud throughout the house, but Della ignores him. She goes upstairs to check on her children who are both sleeping. The drunk Kenneth asks what she brought him from the mall, she points the gun at him and says: "Nothing."
Cast
- Kim BasingerKim BasingerKimila Ann "Kim" Basinger is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for her portrayals of Domino Petachi, the Bond girl in Never Say Never Again , and Vicki Vale, the female lead in Batman . Basinger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture...
as Della - Lukas HaasLukas HaasLukas Daniel Haas is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 25 years during which time he has appeared in more than 36 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions.-Early life and career:Haas was born...
as Chuckie - Craig ShefferCraig ShefferCraig Eric Sheffer is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading role as Norman Maclean in the film A River Runs Through It and of Keith Scott on the television series One Tree Hill.-Early life:...
as Kenneth - Jamie Starr as Huey
- Leonard Wu as Vingh
- Luis Chávez as Tomás
- Luke GairLuke GairLucas "Luke" Gair is a Canadian child actor and dancer. Luke is best known for his appearance as Terri in While She Was Out...
as Terri - Erika-Shaye Gair as Tammi
Release and reception
The film received a limited U.S. theatrical release via Anchor BayAnchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
. It was released directly to video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
It was not widely reviewed. According to the L.A. Weekly, it is a "surprisingly enjoyable female revenge tale", describing Basinger's performance as "first-rate" despite "a laughably check-listed, multi-culti band of thugs". The New York Observer
New York Observer
The New York Observer is a weekly newspaper first published in New York City on September 22, 1987, by Arthur L. Carter, a very successful former investment banker with publishing interests. The Observer focuses on the city's culture, real estate, the media, politics and the entertainment and...
called it "ultra-feminist fun" with a "spectacular" ending. Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles, dedicated to news, rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres...
called Basinger's performance "Her best in years." Bitch
Bitch (magazine)
bitch, whose tagline is feminist response to pop culture, is an independent, quarterly magazine published in Portland, Oregon with more than 50,000 readers. bitch magazine is one branch of the reader-supported non-profit organization bitch media...
magazine wrote that the film "has an ample amount of cheezy genre conventions, problems with pacing, a gaggle of silly villains, huge plot holes and bad production values" but is "really rather fascinating - and notable - as a horror/thriller that actually gives a damn about the female character it puts in harm's way." However, the L.A. Times said it of "eschews all plot and character development for the hackneyed action scenes and grade-Z dialogue", and Filmcritic.com's review said that its "dialogue is somewhere between kindergarten and film school."