While She Was Out (2008)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Susan Montford

Writers:

Susan Montford (screenplay) and
Edward Bryant (short story)

Release Date:

26 March 2009 (Spain)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Everyone has a breaking point. Tonight, she reaches hers

Plot:

Della Myers is an upper-class housewife that lives in a private condominium in the suburbs with her twin children and her abusive husband Kenneth...

Plot Keywords:

Mall | Twin | Gang | Forest | Housewife

Cast

Kim Basinger	...	Della
Lukas Haas	...	Chuckie
Craig Sheffer	...	Kenneth
Jamie Starr	...	Huey
Leonard Wu	...	Vingh
Luis Chávez	...	Tomás
Luke Gair	...	Terri
Erika-Shaye Gair	...	Tammi
Wayne Bernard	...	Angry Driver
Ari Solomon	...	Rent A Cop
Sadie Lawrence	...	Perfume Sales Lady
Alana Husband	...	Lingerie Sales Assistant
Katie Messina	...	Coffee Sales Person
Rachel Hayward	...	Lynn
Lossen Chambers	...	Pharmacy Sales Assistant

Also Known As:

I pagida (Greece) [el]
Legittima Offesa - While she was out (Italy) (video title) [it]
Perseguida (Spain) [es]
Violencia latente (Argentina) (DVD title) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

Argentina:108 min (DVD version) | Greece:88 min

Country:

Germany | Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:16 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA | Mexico:B15 | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Insight Film Studios

Goofs:

Continuity: When Della is killing Vingh (Chinese boy), she stabs him in the neck with a tool. She is then lying on her back with him on top. He has blood rushing out of his mouth 30cm away from her face. And he finally drops dead on her chest. Della stands up - no blood. And her coat is nicely closed.

Movie Connections:

References "Hawaii Five-O" (1968)

When the Trailer is Better than the Movie

Della Myers (Kim Basinger) is an upper-class housewife that lives in a private condominium in the suburbs with her twin children and her abusive husband Kenneth (Craig Sheffer). Della gives all the attention to the twins, neglecting their house and her appearance and upsetting Kenneth. On the Christmas Eve, she drives to the local mall in the night to buy wrapping paper for the gifts, and she does not find any parking space available. When she sees an old car parked on two spots, she leaves a message to the owner calling him "selfish jerk". When the mall closes, Della's car is hold by the driver of the old car and she is threatened by four punks – Chuckie (Lukas Haas), the Afro-American Huey (Jamie Starr), the Chinese-American Vingh (Leonard Wu) and the Latin Tomás (Luis Chávez). When the security guard of the mall protects her, he is shot on the head by Chuckie, Della speeds up her car trying to escape from the criminals. However she crashes her truck nearby a forest while chased by the gang. She takes the toolbox and hides in the wood, fighting against the gang to survive.

A couple of days ago, I saw the trailer of "While She Was Out" and I was anxious to watch the DVD. Unfortunately the trailer is better than the movie, and I am totally disappointed with this dull and implausible collection of clichés. Della Myers is presented as an insecure and neglectful housewife and inexistent as wife; the motherhood is her only interest in her concept of family. She is chased by four mean criminals but she defeats them with a toolbox that seems to be the Batman's utility belt. Therefore, the plot is so absurd that irritates. The gang of criminals is formed by the favorite cliché of American movies, with an Afro-American, a Chinese-American and a Latin together with an American lord to be politically correct. Kim Basinger has a decent acting, but their children are too young for a fifty-five year-old woman. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Enquanto Ela Está Fora" ("While She Was Out")