The Bottom Line
Christina Ricci gave her all for Prozac Nation. Not only did the earnest young actress co-produce the film, she also took off her clothes, screamed and wept for the camera. The sad result is laughably bad. Miramax wisely sent this cliched melodrama straight to the DVD graveyard.
Pros
- Christina Ricci looks good with hoop earrings and tight jeans
- The burning melodrama is easy and fun to mock
- Lou Reed sings "Perfect Day" on screen
Cons
- A protagonist who is easy to dislike
- Cliche filled, overwrittten voice overs
- Repetitive, shrill fight scenes between Christina Ricci and Jessica Lange
Description
- Starring Christina Ricci, Anne Heche, Michelle Williams, Jonathan Rhys-Myers, and Jessica Lange.
- Directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg (INSOMNIA).
- Rated: R, Not for sale to persons under age 18.
- Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment.
- DVD Release Date: July 5, 2005.
- Special features: "Anatomy of a Scene" segment from the Sundance Channel.
Guide Review - Prozac Nation
Adapted from Elizabeth Wurtzel's bestselling book, Christina Ricci plays young Lizzie, a troubled young woman who tries to remake her life when she is accepted into illustrious Harvard University. The young actress - wide eyed, busty, and always wearing enormous hoop earrings - gives her all to the part, but unfortunately, the final result is thin and shrill.
The young co-ed seems to have it all going for her: a terrific roommate (Michelle Williams), a hot boyfriend (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and a rising career as music journalist. (Only nineteen years old, her articles appear in Rolling Stone Magazine.) Problem is, she has inner demons that all stem from her parents' ugly divorce. Wurtzel cannot be happy. She insists on physic pain, while making sure always to dress well and seductively smoke cigarettes.
Poor Ricci, stuck in the role of the egotistical unlikeable young woman, tries her hardest to appear miserable. In a way, she succeeds. Her continuous fights with mother, roommate, and boyfriends, will send your fingers to your ears (or at least compel you to fast forward.)
