Synopsis

Rebellious teenager Rachel screams, swears, drinks and is, in a word, uncontrollable. With her latest car crash, Rachel has broken the final rule in mom Lily's San Francisco home. With nowhere else to take the impulsive and rambunctious girl, Lily hauls her daughter to the one place she swore she'd never return; her own mother's home. Matriarch Georgia is not your typical sweet and doting grandmother. She lives her life by a number of unbreakable rules, demanding anyone who shares her home do the same. God comes first and hard work comes a very close second. Now saddled with raising the young woman, it will require each patient breath she takes to understand Rachel's fury. But as Rachel succumbs to her summer of misery and shakes up the tiny Mormon town, Georgia notices something is changing within her granddaughter. Given structure and responsibilities, Rachel is letting her guard down and learning compassion; especially for her mother. Her journey will lead all three women to revelations of buried family secrets and an understanding that, regardless what happens, the ties that bind them together can never be broken.

What The Critics Say

"After her star turn in "Transamerica", Desperate Housewives' Felicity Huffman does a good job of fleshing out the potentially difficult role of Lilly, a perfumed steam-roller with an extremely fragile soul. And Lindsay Lohan matches her more experienced co-stars tooth and nail as Rachel, the rebellious and manipulative teenager whose life is a complete mess. Jane Fonda delivers a sympathetic and relatively restrained performance as the title character, a formidable matriarch who handles life's troubles with stiff-backed stoicism and acerbic wit." Vicky Roach DAILY TELEGRAPH "Even when the lack of forward motion in the narrative shines through, Georgia Rule is worth watching for Lindsay Lohan alone." Dustin Putman THEMOVIEBOY "Written with an ear for both comedy and painful intra-family relationships, "Georgia Rule" exceeds expectations with a smart yet sensitive screenplay and performances that work the drama as a way to wring humour from the characters." URBAN CINEFILE "There are many surprises in "Georgia Rule". Director Garry Marshall (The Princess Diaries, Pretty Woman, Beaches) has just enough savvy to work more daring and complex themes, such as child abuse, alcoholism and religion, into an upbeat film without insult. Despite the humour and romance, the film is unexpectedly and pleasantly dark. Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan and Felicity Huffman make for a captivating trio, and they successfully bring home both the laughs and the tears." Jacinta Walpole FILMINK

"This is really about the women; which isn't a shock, as the director is Garry Marshall, prolific creator of chick flicks from "Beaches" to "The Princess Diaries". The primary reason, in fact, that "Georgia Rule" surprises with its unpredictability and rich characterization is because Marshall made it. Here he's tackling much thornier issues than you'd expect from the helmer of "Pretty Woman", one of the most infamously defanged screenplays in Hollywood history. A far better, more absorbing melodrama than its titular conceit would have you expect." Phoebe Flowers SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL "Lohan's been diddled with by her stepfather, her mother's an alcoholic, grandma's overtly authoritative. Can they ever learn to understand and love each other?" Kevin N Laforest MONTREAL FILM JOURNAL "This is the story of a troubled young woman who uses her sexuality to ruin the planned future of local boy, Harlan (a nice performance from Garrett Hedlund) and who tries to seduce Simon, her boss, the vet. What works for the film is the assurance of Lindsay Lohan as Rachel and the solidity of Felicity Huffman as Lilly." Margaret Pomeranz ABC AT THE MOVIES "..I do agree with you about Lindsay Lohan. I think she’s good." David Stratton ABC AT THE MOVIES

The Inside Story For the past 30 years, director Garry Marshall has mastered the genre of comedy/drama. He has drawn in audiences with his subtle humor and moving scenes, working with A-list talent who say that the filmmaker doesn’t direct his movies, he hosts them. From’80s hits including "Overboard" and "Beaches"; his '90s box-office smashes "Pretty Woman" and "Runaway Bride"; and this decade’s high-grossing "The Princess Diaries" and "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement", Marshall has brought to life characters for audiences to embrace. In turn, he has made household names out of such unforgettable women as Vivian Ward and Mia Thermopolis, also known as Julia Roberts and Anne Hathaway. And now there’s Rachel Wilcox. Screenwriter Mark Andrus wanted to craft a script that told the tale of a place and a people he knew intimately: rural Idaho. Andrus grew up in a Mormon family, and he hoped to realistically portray that world of deep spiritual devotion, hard work and close family and the humor that comes from the interplay. "Georgia Rule" was that story. Once again, Morgan Creek CEO James G Robinson found the script fitted into what his company was looking for. "Anyone who’s been married or raised daughters understands what goes on between these women, particularly if the girl is a teenager. I thought it would be a lot of fun to produce this, and everything fell into place," he says. "Mark wrote a great script. We had Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman and Lindsay Lohan to star, and Garry Marshall to direct. All three bases were covered: good story, good director, good cast." Director Garry Marshall (who signed on after Lindsay Lohan was cast in the lead role of Rachel) recalls he "was curious to work on a movie that explored forgiveness and trusting what your child says. Usually, I do comedy/drama. "Georgia Rule" is drama/comedy, so it was a new switch for me." And the cast, did that play any part in his decision to sign on? "It’s nice to work with beautiful women who can act and have talent, " he notes. "From Julia who was twenty two in "Pretty Woman" to Anne who was eighteen in Princess Diaries; and here’s Lindsay, twenty, right in the middle of my picture; I seem to understand them." First actress to be cast was Lindsay Lohan. "The script reminded me of Ann Margret's character in one of my favorite films, "Kitten With a Whip". She was very Lolita-esque as well. Rachel doesn’t understand the difference between love and sex in a lot of ways. I think it’s important to play a character so any girl or boy that has ever gone through a situation like this can hopefully learn from." And what about working with Oscar® winner Jane Fonda? "I dressed as her in Barbarella for Halloween one year", Lohan offered, "it’s a very small world. I just feel very lucky to work with people I’ve always admired." Jane Fonda (who oddly enough is a Georgia resident), chose the role of the title character as a chance to work with Marshall and bring writer Andrus' words to the screen. "Mark observes characters beautifully, and this is a character-driven story about three generations of women who are all multidimensional. They have humor as well as pathos and depth," she explained. Fonda plays grandmother Georgia in the film. "I’m a grandmother now, and I know how very often as parents we can find it easier to be intimate with other people than with our own children. Sometimes grandchildren provide us with a second chance." And the intrusion into Georgia's happy settled life at 247 Hillview Street, Hull, Idaho? "Georgia’s been pretty happy for thirteen years. So there she is, quite happy with her rules and, suddenly everything falls apart. The two other generations of women intrude on her life, and the ghosts of the past come back to be healed," she said. And Lohan's performance as her on-screen grand-daughter? "Lindsay’s raw and has an ability to access her emotions that’s very beautiful. She’s made me cry several times when I gave her the offstage lines; she’s very moving." Playing Georgia's daughter and Rachel’s alcoholic motheris the star of "Transamerica" and one of the big stars of "Desperate Housewives", Felicity Huffman. On working with Fonda? "Here’s a woman that has a resume as long as my body and two Academy Awards ® and she comes in and asks me, 'What do you think'?" She notes Lohan strikes her as powerful. "Lindsay moves from being dangerous to wounded. You're always waiting to see where it’s going to come from. That's a great game to play when it almost turns into emotional improv." Her onscreen husband Arnold, played by Cary Ewles says of the Golden Globe winning actress, "Felicity is an extraordinary actor. She always manages to bring a wonderful level of strength and fragility to her roles. She is also fearless, and that is always fun to play off." Ewles himself received a big wrap from director Marshall. "It is a tough role, so a number of actors avoided it," he recalls. "And lo and behold, Cary Elwes came and was quite good. He wasn’t afraid of it. He said, 'Let me try it', and he made contributions to the script I thought were excellent." Newcomer Garrett Hedlund was cast as Harlan, the naive local boy who doesn’t know what to make of Rachel and her charms. "It's the red zone for Harlan," says Hedlund. "He can’t go there. He’s got a girl, and he’s about to be married. This is out of bounds territory." Hedlund has the most memorable line in the film. After messing around with Rachel, he confesses his infidelity to girlfriend June. Harlan pleads with her, "It was only a blow-job. We didn't kiss!" Fonda explains, "The boys are all virgins until they get married, and they go away to do their mission work for the Mormon Church." Cast as local Veterinary Surgeon and unofficial Hull, Idaho doctor Simon is another of my favourite actors, Dermot Mulroney who, by the way, will next be seen in the film, "Zodiac". "We were looking for a Sam Shepard-type, and Dermot fell into this role," says director Marshall. "Simon becomes in Rachel’s life what her father who ran away didn’t become." As part of Mulroney's preperation for the role he was actually given a brief tutoring lesson on basic medicine. "I received a 'how to fake doing the stitches' lesson, so I’m pretty good on that." If you are wondering, 'was the film shot in Idaho', the answer is, no. "Georgia Rule" was filmed on location throughout Southern California. From the foothills of Monrovia in the San Gabriel Valley and Santa Paula in Ventura County to Stage Seven at the Sunset and Gower Studios in Hollywood and the city of Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley outside of Los Angeles, key locales were selected to create the fictitious city of Hull. Locations for the mountain and lake scenes were shot in Mount Wilson in the San Gabriel Valley and Franklin Canyon Lake, in the heart of the city of Los Angeles. "Once you’re an hour outside of the city, some of these countrysides are really rugged and remote. With the mountains in the background, they look as much like a country road as the country roads in Idaho," notes Mulroney. For the cast, filming "Georgia Rule" was a testing time. "It was 120 degrees outside! I’m walking barefoot outside on really hot pavement in a desert, and Felicity is in the scene in a Mercedes with the air conditioning on," Lohan remembers. Huffman agrees the temperature was outrageous. "It was 120 degrees! We were way up in the Sierras, and everyone was dying. Then there’s Garry, with his Popsicle, moving around for fifteen hour days and directing brilliantly," she said. Marshall recalls, "Even the most temperamental people tend to gather together in the shade. It was a shade-related melding of this cast, because they were so hot they would stand under anything that gave them relief." When asked what effect he hopes the film will have, Marshall responds: "I did a picture years ago called "Nothing in Common", with Jackie Gleason and Tom Hanks; it was about a father-son relationship. And wherever I traveled people said, 'You know, after I saw that, I called my father. I haven’t talked to him in 10 years, but I called up my father.' I hope "Georgia Rule" will bring families a little closer together." The Verdict "After seeing "Because I Said So" I'd just about sworn off chick flicks forever. Thank goodness "Georgia Rule" came along and turned me around. "Georgia Rule". An interesting name for a film. That's because Georgia has a rule for everything in her home, a home to which her estranged daughter Lilly is; through desperation, frustration and disappointment, sending her troubled, out of control teenage daughter Rachel for the summer holidays. Unlike "Because I Said So", which did little for the standing of women or it's cast, "Georgia Rule" is, even when Rachel is at her worst, a very interesting drama/comedy . That's because for all their faults, these three damaged characters somehow manage to salvage their lives and in the process of achieving that, endear themselves to us. There will be I am sure, audience members who, through their own life experiences, can relate to the characters in "Georgia Rule". Having gone through some part of what is contained in the storyline of the film those audience members will I suspect breath a heartfelt sigh of relief at the outcome Georgia, Lillie and Rachel achieve. "Georgia Rule" is art imitating life that some may at times find is a little intimidating. Recommended. 3 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "GEORGIA RULE" stars .......
Two time Academy Award ® winner Jane Fonda ["Fun with Dick and Jane", "On Golden Pond", "Stanley & Iris" and "Monster-in-Law"]; Golden Globe winner Felicity Huffman ["Magnolia", "Christmas With The Cranks" and "Transamerica"]; Dermot Mulroney ["Copycat", "Lovely & Amazing", "About Schmidt", "Must Love Dogs" and "The Family Stone"]; Cary Elwes ["Wish You Were Dead", "Saw", "Ella Enchanted" and "Walk the Talk"]; Garrett Hedlund ["Troy", "Friday Night Lights", "Four Brothers" and "Eragon"]; Hector Elizondo ["The Other Sister", "Runaway Bride", "The Princess Diaries" and "The Princess Diaries 2"] and Lindsay Lohan ["Mean Girls", "A Prairie Home Companion", "Just My Luck" and "Bobby"] as Rachel.
"GEORGIA RULE" was .......
directed by Gary Marshall ["Beaches", "Pretty Woman", "Runaway Bride", "The Princess Diaries" and "The Princess Diaries 2"]; screenplay by 1998 Writers Guild of America Award winner Mark Andrus ["Late for Dinner", "As Good as It Gets", "Life As A House" and "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"]; production design by Albert Brenner ["Summer of '42", "The Sunshine Boys", "Pretty Woman" and "Backdraft"]; cinematography by Karl Walter Lindenlaub A.S.C & B.V.K ["The Banger Sisters", "Maid in Manhattan", "Because Of Winn-Dixie" and "Guess Who"]; original music by John Debney ["The Emperor's New Groove", "Chicken Little", "The Ant Bully" and "Barnyard "]; costume design by Gary Jones ["Beaches", "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood", "Spider-Man 2" and "The Princess Diaries 2"]; produced by David C Robinson ["", "Two For The Money", "Man Of The Year" and "The Good Shepherd"] and James G Robinson ["The Last of the Mohicans", "Two If by Sea", "Exorcist III", "Exorcist: The Beginning" and "The Good Shepherd"]. Who's Who?

Jane Fonda Lindsay Lohan Felicity Huffman Dermot Mulroney Cary Elwes Garrett Hedlund Hector Elizondo Dylan McLaughlin Zachary Gordon Laurie Metcalf Tereza Stanislav

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Georgia Rachel Lilly Simon Arnold Harlan Izzy Sam Ethan Paula Violin Teacher

Run Time 112 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Morgan Creek - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.