What Do The Critics Say?

"It is amazing to discover just how much this absorbing, intelligent picture has going for it: a strong sense of time and place, interesting characters, painfully sincere direction and an intriguing scenario that pauses and breathes in all the right places." Rex Reed NEW YORK OBSERVER "The film belongs to Brody, an endearing screen presence." Claudia Puig USA TODAY "As Phyllis, Dukakis is every bit as effervescent as she was in her Oscar-winning supporting role in "Moonstruck" (1987)." Phil Villarreal ARIZONA DAILY STAR "The O.C. may be over, but Adam Brody isn't." Stephanie Zacharek SALON.COM "Writer-director Kasdan has made the best film he can make now, which is no small thing. He will make even better ones in the future, which might be a very big thing indeed." Kenneth Turan LOS ANGELES TIMES

"First-time writer/director Jon Kasdan’s witty dialogue mixed with Brody’s pitch-perfect portrayal of the lovable loser make this film different and worth seeing." Brett Register ORLANDO WEEKLY "Despite Adam's glorious performance, the show stealer was Olympia Dukakiswho was hilarious in every scene. From claiming she was dying every second to answering the front door with no pants. She stole the show for me." Vince Koehler ENTERTAINMENT SPECTRUM "Smart and funny in ways many people no longer expect from American comedy." Ken Fox TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE "It's a wistfully humorous romantic weeper with emphasis on the humorous." Roger Moore ORLANDO SENTINEL "Adam Brody (2006's "Thank You for Smoking"), best known for his role on the recently canceled television drama "The OC", is a luminous star in the making. "In the Land of Women" is a touching coming-of-age drama as experienced through the eyes of three people from varying generations. "In the Land of Women" is a poignant study in empathy and, ultimately, rebirth." Dustin Putman THEMOVIEBOY

The Inside Story Guided by the formidable words of wisdom dispensed to all writers, write what you know, Jonathan Kasdan found shifting gears from the daily rigors of writing for television to penning a feature length screenplay, became an act of following his own heart and focusing on his love for film. "I’ve been inundated with movies since my earliest memories. Films are my passion. It took a couple of scripts for me to realize that what I had to do was write something that was, among other things, fun. What I ended up writing was far more dramatic and more personal that I had intended. When I sat down to write a movie about what I really loved, it seemed obvious that what I really loved were women, being around them and trying to figure out my relationship with them." So what did he finish up with? "The movie is really about a guy who is in the process of falling in love with his life. When we meet Carter," Kasdan says, "he’s struggling, conflicted and a bit lost. At the end of the movie, his changes are very subtle as he’s had a couple of those moments where he comes into contact with the overwhelming thrill of the journey of his life." Kasdan's script attracted producers Steve Golin and David Kanter. "This is a movie about humanity," says Kanter ("Lake of Fire"). "It’s fresh and original and the dramatic questions posed are very relevant and couched in real language the dialogue is funny and smart. You’re always hoping to find material that will leave an impact on the audience." For producer Golin ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" & "Babel") what makes In the Land of Women such a compelling story, is people colliding at a time when everything in their lives, everything they thought they controlled, is slipping through their fingers, and in that moment, find allies in each other. "The movie spans a very brief period of time. Both Carter and Sarah are going through their own personal crises and for this short window they develop a very poignant bond with each other. It’s about two people at the right time at the right place." Star of the film, Adam Brody describes "In The Land Of Women" as "a really positive movie that's in love with life, in love with people, and in the end, appreciates the everyday moments of life. It’s about relationships and love, and all those things intersecting." The film, which provides a glimpse inside a female-centric world from a young man’s perspective continually caught the actors off-guard thanks to Kasdan’s uncanny ability to articulate a woman’s perspective with such sensitivity. Film critic Matt Pais puts that down to the fact that the film "Manages to appreciate the boldness and the beauty of women without getting too girly about it." Meg Ryan reflects, "It’s the mystery of the movie. How does he know about all these relationships? The tension in the family, all this unspoken stuff and how it plays out and how it affects everything about each of their lives. All the things that are not said and that finally need to be said, and that’s the great catharsis of the movie, is when things are finally expressed and they can finally be healed." "In The Land Of Women" makes the feature film directorial and writing debut for Jonathan Kasdan. How did the cast find working with a first-timer? "Right before a scene, Mr Kasdan comes over to me and reminds me about little things with my character, he helped me so much. He’s so cool!”, says thirteen year old Makenzie Vega. "I think Jon is unbelievable and just so passionate about what’s he’s doing," says Kristen Stewart. "He wrote the script and you can ask him any question and he can tell you every thing you want to know. It’s like he is every character!" "Jon blows me away. He’s so calm," says Adam Brody. "It’s his first movie but you’d think it was his tenth. He knows every aspect of a movie shoot, not just about setting up shots, but also different ways to light, work with actors." Kasdan was equally impressed with Brody who he describes as "a pure, classic leading man in the tradition of Tom Hanks and Cary Grant." By the way, Kasdan also put production of the film on hold for eight months until Brody was available to start filming. That's a pretty big decision to make. "Adam is the heart, soul and life blood of this film," says Kasdan. "I spent five months looking for an actor to play the lead in this largely autobiographical story. What I discovered was that I wasn’t really looking for an actor to play me, I was looking for a movie star to play someone way more attractive and far less neurotic! In Adam I found everything I wanted for Carter." Producer Golin agrees. "Adam brings a lot of good will to Carter. He appears effortless in terms of his performance, he’s very natural and that’s one of Adam’s big strengths. The audience wants to like him even though sometimes he’s doing things that may be questionable. Audiences can’t help but give him the benefit of the doubt." Meg Ryan was cast for the role of Sarah. "When I finished the script and read it," says Kasdan, "it became immediately clear that Sarah’s part was an incredible opportunity to use Meg Ryan. I have been a fan of hers for a long time, she has a real skill and craft that allows her to be funny and attractive, but also she has this incredible evolved soulfulness. I’ve always felt like all the stories I tell on some level are about that space between your ideals and your desires, what you want to be and what you are, and how you reconcile those things on a day-to-day basis." Ryan says she was deeply flattered that Kasdan chose her for the part and signed on without any hesitation. "Sarah’s a bit funny and a little odd," says Ryan, "everything you want to indulge in. What I found interesting is that there are two protagonists in this movie, Carter and Sarah. That doesn’t happen a lot of times for women in films." Portraying Grandma Archer is Academy Award ® winning actress Olympia Dukakis. She welcomed the opportunity to experiment and have fun with the role of a deliciously fragmented old woman. "I thought Grandma would be a lot of fun. She’s out there, quite outrageous. I love how she can be so helpless one minute then give you the finger the next." Playing the role of Lucy is Kristen Stewart, who embodies the essence of an anxious teenager; rebelliousness, beauty and sexual awkwardness. "One of the things I really liked about "In the Land of Women" is that it didn’t stereotype or wasn’t a cliché on teen angst," says Stewart. "Lucy is like so many of my friends, so many girls I know. She’s kind of grooving along being herself then all of a sudden she’s like the popular girl and all that attention kind of freaks her out. She doesn’t know how to deal with that plus she’s got this complicated relationship with her mother that holds a lot of resentment. Carter teaches her a very valuable lesson, you can’t allow your fears and resentment to inhibit your life." "Lucy’s at that age where it’s very typical and natural to rebel against her mother," notes Golin, "and Carter comes along and he’s charming, older and she’s quite intrigued by him." Makenzie Vega brings irresistible charm to the character of Sarah’s youngest daughter, Paige. "Paige is kind of spunky and thinks she’s an adult," says Vega. "I wanted to do this movie because this character suits me. In one of the scenes she’s spitting out words that are bigger than she is, like that’s something that makes her more intelligent." There is another standout besides the cast and the storyline. It is the beautiful suburban setting Grandma Archer and Sarah Hardwicke reside in. For the purpose of the film it is suburban Michigan. In reality the two houses were found in the city of Victoria, located on Vancouver Island. "Jon wanted a slightly heightened reality and we spent a lot of time talking about that when we were driving around looking for locations," says the films production designer Sandy Cochrane. "The story starts off in Los Angeles then shifts to Michigan, so when you arrive in the suburbs of the mid-west, there’s an overwhelming sense of green as opposed to the overexposed, sun-parched landscape of Los Angeles." "Both Jon and I are from Southern California, which doesn’t have the most traditional suburbs," Brody says. "Jon’s got a great crew and they’ve found and transformed our location into this ideal suburb." Evidently the local residents thoroughly enjoyed the experience of having a film shot in their suburb. "They were so cool to let us into their neighborhood night after night, day after day. They would walk their dogs and wave to me, then they started baking things and bringing them by the trailer," Ryan recalls. "I got chai tea from someone’s grandma. It was the biggest, open-armed hug all the time. Adam would leave his dog at one the neighbor’s house who left the door open so that when we stopped shooting around 3am, Adam would just go inside and call and their dogs would hang together. It was just so sweet!" The rest of the locations needed in the film, a mall, ice cream shop, a hospital among others, posed no problem and Victoria easily doubled for the Michigan suburbs. For the L.A portion of the shoot, Kasdan already had real landmarks in mind that he wanted to shoot at such as the 101 Coffee Shop and the Santa Monica Pier. Synopsis

For as long as he could remember, Carter Webb had been falling in love with women. And for as long as he could remember, he'd been searching for the right one. He thought he'd found everything he was looking for in Sophia. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. When Carter is dumped by Sophia in a North Hollywood coffee shop, he sees his entire life flash before his eyes. Heartbroken and depressed, Carter escapes Los Angeles, heading across the country to suburban Michigan to care for his ailing grandmother. An eccentric and complicated personality, Grandma offers Carter a uniquely different perspective on life and death. Soon after his arrival, Carter stumbles into the lives of the family living directly across the street, Sarah Hardwicke and her two daughters: Paige , a precocious eleven-year-old and her older sister Lucy, an angst-ridden teenager looking for love. While Sarah faces her own personal crisis, Lucy wrestles with the fears that define her. Through his relationships with these women, as well as his grandmother, Carter begins to discover that what felt like the end, was really only just the beginning of his adventure.

The Verdict "It's not that often adults and late teenagers get the chance to see a film like "In The Land Of Women". With its pleasant storyline, interesting characters and beautiful suburban setting (which is in reality located on Vancouver Island, Canada), "In The Land Of Women" is a rarity. Cinemagoers searching for a film devoid of gratuous violence, foul language and lashings of sex, should give full consideration to this film. Former "O.C." star Adam Brody gives a strong performance in the lead role of Carter Webb. A new-look Meg Ryan adds strength to the supporting cast which includes Kristin Stewart (her second role in a row as a troubled teenager), Makenzie Vega (played the young Nancy in "Sin City") and, veteran actress Olympia Dukakis (Academy Award winner for "Moonlighting"). Seventy six year old Dukakis, who will be remembered for her fine performances in films such as "Steel Magnolias" (1989) and more recently "The Event" (2003), nearly steals the show thanks to some very funny lines. The scenes she is in are real gems. Well worth a look at. Recommended 3 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "IN THE LAND OF WOMEN" stars .......
Adam Brody ["American Pie 2", "The Ring", "Grind" and "Thank You for Smoking"]; Meg Ryan ["You've Got Mail", "Proof Of Life", "In The Cut" and "Against the Ropes"]; Kristen Stewart ["Panic Room", "Catch That Kid", "Zathura: A Space Adventure" and "The Messengers"]; JoBeth Williams ["Jungle 2 Jungle", "Fever Pitch" and "Crazylove"]; Makenzie Vega ["Made", "Saw" and "Sin City"] and 1998 Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis [" Moonstruck", "Mighty Aphrodite" and "Mr. Holland's Opus"] as Grandma Phyllis.
"IN THE LAND OF WOMEN" was .......
directed by Jonathan Kasdan ["In The Land Of Women"]; screenplay by Jonathan Kasdan ["In the Land of Women"]; art direction by Margot Ready ["The Santa Clause 2", "Fantastic Four" and "Ghost Rider"]; costume design by Trish Keating ["The Boy Who Could Fly", "The 6th Day" and "Man About Town"]; production design by Sandy Cochrane ["Look Who's Talking Now", "Along Came a Spider" and "The Santa Clause 2"]; cinematography by Paul Cameron ["Swordfish", "Man On Fire", "Collateral" and "Deja Vu"]; original music by Stephen Trask ["Hedwig and the Angry Inch", "Camp" and "In Good Company"]. Who's Who?

Adam Brody JoBeth Williams Makenzie Vega Kristen Stewart Meg Ryan Olympia Dukakis Elena Anaya Rob Reinis Dustin Milligan

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Carter Webb Agnes Webb Paige Hardwicke Lucy Hardwicke Sarah Hardwicke Phyllis Sofia Buñuel Avi Rosenberg Eric Watts

Run Time 98 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Hoyts Distribution - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.