If you are a fan of Naomi Watts, as I have been since seeing her for the first time in Mulholland Drive, you will not want to miss Ellie Parker - a veritable tour de force for the actor, who gives us not a caricature but rather a sympathetic, flesh-and-blood, 3-dimensional human being whose plight pertains not only to the acting world but to anybody who has ever felt rejected, misunderstood and/or unappreciated by the world at large. This makes its audience much wider than merely the 'Hollywood community' without ever becoming preachy about it, which I especially liked. Some of the scenes feel completely improvised, which I also enjoyed, and her audition scene near the beginning is more than worth the price of admission alone.
42 Reviews
Naomi Watts Comic Tour De Force in Predictable Story
noralee27 November 2005
"Ellie Parker" feels like an extended episode of "Unscripted" through the funny lens of Albert Brooks.
It does show the strains of being expanded from a short, for bits that feel like a "Saturday Night Live" routine, and for typical targets for actors -- acting class, slacker boyfriends, friends competing for the same lousy roles in cheesy WB and Fox TV pilots, pretentious indie directors (and I assume it was intentional that the guy looked like Jim Jarmusch), scheming casting agents, and phony producers.
But it still manages to very amusingly have some original takes on Hollywood. The funniest angle is that no one does know who they are any more, whether from class, day jobs, rapid-fire auditions, therapy, one-night stands of flexible sexuality and recreational self-medication drugs, so that they always feel like they are acting in the movie of their lives. And everyone seems to want to be someone else anyway, such as a night out to see Keanu Reeves wannabe rock star in his band Dogstar.
Key to the success of the movie is the amazingly versatile chameleon Naomi Watts. While I presume the short started in 2001 before her break-out in "Mulholland Drive" as a bit of envy revenge when her good friend Nicole Kidman was already getting big roles, it now seems like nostalgia because she's so beautiful here it's hard to think of her being dumped or cheated on and so talented as she morphs from tragic Southern belle to channeling Debbie Harry as a New York doll to looking astoundingly like the naive young Hayley Mills and a self-referential take on Marilyn Monroe that it's hard to believe Leslie Bibb would get a role over her. She has terrific best friend chemistry with fellow Aussie Rebecca Rigg (who I did not recognize at all from "Farscape"), making me realize how few films showcase Watts with female bonding relationships.
While the in-Hollywood jokes get a bit much and the basic arc is predictable, there are a lot of chuckles. Chevy Chase is very funny in a grown-up cameo as her agent.
I know this may come as a shock to actors, but job hunting is just as merciless in other fields so we civilians can relate to Ellie Parker's travails. It is very sweet that the closing credits include director/actor Scott Coffey's tribute to the strong women who inspired him, particularly his mother.
It does show the strains of being expanded from a short, for bits that feel like a "Saturday Night Live" routine, and for typical targets for actors -- acting class, slacker boyfriends, friends competing for the same lousy roles in cheesy WB and Fox TV pilots, pretentious indie directors (and I assume it was intentional that the guy looked like Jim Jarmusch), scheming casting agents, and phony producers.
But it still manages to very amusingly have some original takes on Hollywood. The funniest angle is that no one does know who they are any more, whether from class, day jobs, rapid-fire auditions, therapy, one-night stands of flexible sexuality and recreational self-medication drugs, so that they always feel like they are acting in the movie of their lives. And everyone seems to want to be someone else anyway, such as a night out to see Keanu Reeves wannabe rock star in his band Dogstar.
Key to the success of the movie is the amazingly versatile chameleon Naomi Watts. While I presume the short started in 2001 before her break-out in "Mulholland Drive" as a bit of envy revenge when her good friend Nicole Kidman was already getting big roles, it now seems like nostalgia because she's so beautiful here it's hard to think of her being dumped or cheated on and so talented as she morphs from tragic Southern belle to channeling Debbie Harry as a New York doll to looking astoundingly like the naive young Hayley Mills and a self-referential take on Marilyn Monroe that it's hard to believe Leslie Bibb would get a role over her. She has terrific best friend chemistry with fellow Aussie Rebecca Rigg (who I did not recognize at all from "Farscape"), making me realize how few films showcase Watts with female bonding relationships.
While the in-Hollywood jokes get a bit much and the basic arc is predictable, there are a lot of chuckles. Chevy Chase is very funny in a grown-up cameo as her agent.
I know this may come as a shock to actors, but job hunting is just as merciless in other fields so we civilians can relate to Ellie Parker's travails. It is very sweet that the closing credits include director/actor Scott Coffey's tribute to the strong women who inspired him, particularly his mother.
"Hello, My Name is Ellie Parker."
nycritic26 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The hunt for a good job can be tiring, time consuming, and occasionally degrading, which is why Ellie Parker, an actress who wants to make it big in Tinseltown, is a beacon who reflects the hopes and dreams of every person who has the needs to Do Something. When we first see her, she is bright, hopeful, aggressive, albeit a little desperate in her attempts to nab that role, going from audition to audition to audition and nary a successful call-back in sight. Her life seems to be hovering on top of a tightrope where the only way is ahead even when the stakes get higher and her predicaments get worse at every turn.
That is, until one after another, things come unraveled: therapy seems to be leading her no place fast, acting class brings her down, her boyfriend cheats on her with her own casting agent, she loses a part to a younger actress who has a Name instead of a name, and she crashes into a cinematographer who after they finally sleep together decides to give her an unwelcome, demoralizing surprise. Her decision to leave the industry comes not as a shock but as a predictability that is numbing because once a person's spirit has been broken, it's a sign that maybe this is not what they should be doing even though they may have the talent to do so. That is, considering she really wants to leave the industry.
The use of digital media gives ELLIE PARKER a documentary-like feel -- Naomi Watts's performance is too real to be acting, and her Ellie is a woman caught under a grey cloud of bad luck who comes across as fiercely talented, at times mannered, but eager to please to get a part. As a woman she has enormous competition from other women and the one scene where she loses a part to a Name starlet is a harsh punch to the gut. Even more so, when her friend Sam (Rebecca Rigg) gets her own job on a cop show and tells her, on top of that, if it wouldn't kill her to take the trash out as she preens and poses in a policewoman's outfit. It's a devastating blow, and Scott Coffey's camera is unflinching in capturing Ellie's agony.
It's a small film, produced by Watts herself and made by friends Pellegrino and Coffey, meant to be seen by an audience who doesn't want to see a grand film filled with practiced performances. There is an ad-lib quality to the movie, down to small scenes where Ellie and her boyfriend (Mark Pellegrino) make love in the bathtub -- it seems real, with no slow takes trying to heighten the moment. Occasionally it lapses into self-conscious cleverness, as when Ellie eats on an ice cream cone only to vomit it out, or when she has that last hopeful audition to "producers" who are stoned out of their minds, but I can see the point -- authenticity. It's probably a tad too long to allow its 90 minute time-frame, and would have worked better as a 60 - 75 minute film, but that is okay: it's still a stark movie that opts to draw a portrait of a failed career and a woman facing this hard reality.
That is, until one after another, things come unraveled: therapy seems to be leading her no place fast, acting class brings her down, her boyfriend cheats on her with her own casting agent, she loses a part to a younger actress who has a Name instead of a name, and she crashes into a cinematographer who after they finally sleep together decides to give her an unwelcome, demoralizing surprise. Her decision to leave the industry comes not as a shock but as a predictability that is numbing because once a person's spirit has been broken, it's a sign that maybe this is not what they should be doing even though they may have the talent to do so. That is, considering she really wants to leave the industry.
The use of digital media gives ELLIE PARKER a documentary-like feel -- Naomi Watts's performance is too real to be acting, and her Ellie is a woman caught under a grey cloud of bad luck who comes across as fiercely talented, at times mannered, but eager to please to get a part. As a woman she has enormous competition from other women and the one scene where she loses a part to a Name starlet is a harsh punch to the gut. Even more so, when her friend Sam (Rebecca Rigg) gets her own job on a cop show and tells her, on top of that, if it wouldn't kill her to take the trash out as she preens and poses in a policewoman's outfit. It's a devastating blow, and Scott Coffey's camera is unflinching in capturing Ellie's agony.
It's a small film, produced by Watts herself and made by friends Pellegrino and Coffey, meant to be seen by an audience who doesn't want to see a grand film filled with practiced performances. There is an ad-lib quality to the movie, down to small scenes where Ellie and her boyfriend (Mark Pellegrino) make love in the bathtub -- it seems real, with no slow takes trying to heighten the moment. Occasionally it lapses into self-conscious cleverness, as when Ellie eats on an ice cream cone only to vomit it out, or when she has that last hopeful audition to "producers" who are stoned out of their minds, but I can see the point -- authenticity. It's probably a tad too long to allow its 90 minute time-frame, and would have worked better as a 60 - 75 minute film, but that is okay: it's still a stark movie that opts to draw a portrait of a failed career and a woman facing this hard reality.
L.A. Blues
baho-131 January 2005
I've always suspected that some movies make Sundance mainly because a famous Hollywood personality is involved. If said star chooses to make a low-budget non-commercial film, it warrants a free pass to the big dance based on risk-taking and "independent spirit." So it is with Ellie Parker, a movie produced by and starring Naomi Watts (and directed by actor Scott Coffey) about the travails of a young actress searching for her identity in L.A.'s shallow and artificial cultural wasteland. It is clear that it was made for industry insiders, who saw in it a painful mirror to their world. The rest of us enjoyed a few funny moments in a movie that had no apparent beginning, middle or end, no discernible plot, plenty of conflict but no resolution. I'm sure there was a point in all that depressing futility. To make it worse, it was shot on a Sony HD cam, so the quality was maybe a tad better than my home movies.
Ellie Parker would be useful if one were trying to thin the herd of aspiring actresses. Maybe they should show it in high schools, kind of like Reefer Madness 50 years ago.
By the way, Chevy Chase has a small and rather cryptic role as an agent. (The audience wasn't sure if he was trying to be serious or comedic.) I love Chevy Chase, but unlike his old SNL partner Dan Akroyd, he should stick to comedies. He gives a really dreadful performance. But he was refreshingly funny at the Sundance Q&A.
Ellie Parker would be useful if one were trying to thin the herd of aspiring actresses. Maybe they should show it in high schools, kind of like Reefer Madness 50 years ago.
By the way, Chevy Chase has a small and rather cryptic role as an agent. (The audience wasn't sure if he was trying to be serious or comedic.) I love Chevy Chase, but unlike his old SNL partner Dan Akroyd, he should stick to comedies. He gives a really dreadful performance. But he was refreshingly funny at the Sundance Q&A.
A day in the life of a struggling actress
iang_17954 January 2017
The movie has a depressing overtone as the main character "Ellie Parker", struggles to find her identity after plodding through various auditions. While the film quality isn't great, Ellie still manages to persuade the audience to feel for her struggles while she shuttles between auditions and the people who try to take advantage of her. It is perhaps one of the least glamorous roles that I have seen Naomi Watts play, but she still acts with the same conviction although sometimes it seems a little annoying and over-the-top. While some parts of the movie seem overly dramatic and a little unbelievable, it still reflects the versatility the actors need to have (such as mastering different accents and being prepared to switch roles quickly) and the little support that they receive during auditions, especially among seemingly disinterested producers.
Watts is terrific, movie isn't
meebly21 April 2006
I'd looked forward to this one, as most attempts at satirizing Hollywood life in the last two decades, both from studios and indies, have ranged from mediocre to unmitigated disasters. This one offered Naomi Watts in a starring role, and I've adored her since "Mulholland Drive", both as a terrific, versatile actress and as an unqualified beauty (they all seem to come from Australia and the U.K. these days, don't they?).
Well, Ms. Watts does shine in the title role, and she's in every scene, but somehow the film still falls flat. I'm not a big fan of film-making on digital video -- it always comes across to me like I'm watching someone's home movies, an experience I should be paid for, not that I should have to pay for -- but I understand why it's done in certain cases. In this case, it was a mistake.
Writer-director Coffey appears to be going for verite-style realism (I'm assuming he's not so arrogant as to place himself in the uber-pretentious Dogme 95 school), but he doesn't seem to realize that in order for any film to work, the result shouldn't come across as a home movie or, in this case, a student film.
Too much time is spent on Ellie in her car, doing all the things that Angelenos do in their cars because they're just too busy to do them elsewhere (applying makeup, changing clothes, practicing their lines, and the universal asshole-identifier, talking on their cellphones) and too self-absorbed to care how it affects their driving or those around them. This works as satire for one scene -- the next four times it occurs it feels just like being stuck in a car behind one of these narcissists, and it's not an enjoyable feeling. There's a related scene about halfway through that's amusingly ironic, but not worth the endurance test.
Just as with the interior car shots, much of the satire is overripe, pushing the irritation factor of nearly every character to its limits, testing the thresholds of both humorous exaggeration and simple tolerance. No satire should leave you wanting to burn the characters and their milieu to the ground (apart from "Day of the Locust", in which Hollywood does in fact burn, deservedly, but in context).
(As an aside, and for a chuckle, this may be the first time Keanu Reeves isn't the most annoying element of a movie he's in. But then, he appears only as a member of his band Dogstar, playing in a club, and he has no lines.) The other key problem is often endemic to film satire: it moves at a snail's pace. Unless you're the rare individual who's both an struggling thespian in Hollywood AND a caring, thoughtful individual, you will probably find yourself yawning a lot more frequently than laughing during this 95 minutes.
For all its drawbacks, though, this is a showcase for Naomi Watts to show how versatile she is, with the verisimilitude of her having to switch between characters, accents, moods, etc. The overall comment, that she doesn't really seem to be herself very often and has no idea who that self really is within the realm of all her "performing," is funny and worth exploring, but Coffey (or someone else) needs a vehicle that's more engaging, clearer about its objectives, and at least somewhat watchable.
Well, Ms. Watts does shine in the title role, and she's in every scene, but somehow the film still falls flat. I'm not a big fan of film-making on digital video -- it always comes across to me like I'm watching someone's home movies, an experience I should be paid for, not that I should have to pay for -- but I understand why it's done in certain cases. In this case, it was a mistake.
Writer-director Coffey appears to be going for verite-style realism (I'm assuming he's not so arrogant as to place himself in the uber-pretentious Dogme 95 school), but he doesn't seem to realize that in order for any film to work, the result shouldn't come across as a home movie or, in this case, a student film.
Too much time is spent on Ellie in her car, doing all the things that Angelenos do in their cars because they're just too busy to do them elsewhere (applying makeup, changing clothes, practicing their lines, and the universal asshole-identifier, talking on their cellphones) and too self-absorbed to care how it affects their driving or those around them. This works as satire for one scene -- the next four times it occurs it feels just like being stuck in a car behind one of these narcissists, and it's not an enjoyable feeling. There's a related scene about halfway through that's amusingly ironic, but not worth the endurance test.
Just as with the interior car shots, much of the satire is overripe, pushing the irritation factor of nearly every character to its limits, testing the thresholds of both humorous exaggeration and simple tolerance. No satire should leave you wanting to burn the characters and their milieu to the ground (apart from "Day of the Locust", in which Hollywood does in fact burn, deservedly, but in context).
(As an aside, and for a chuckle, this may be the first time Keanu Reeves isn't the most annoying element of a movie he's in. But then, he appears only as a member of his band Dogstar, playing in a club, and he has no lines.) The other key problem is often endemic to film satire: it moves at a snail's pace. Unless you're the rare individual who's both an struggling thespian in Hollywood AND a caring, thoughtful individual, you will probably find yourself yawning a lot more frequently than laughing during this 95 minutes.
For all its drawbacks, though, this is a showcase for Naomi Watts to show how versatile she is, with the verisimilitude of her having to switch between characters, accents, moods, etc. The overall comment, that she doesn't really seem to be herself very often and has no idea who that self really is within the realm of all her "performing," is funny and worth exploring, but Coffey (or someone else) needs a vehicle that's more engaging, clearer about its objectives, and at least somewhat watchable.
Hmmmm...
ArizWldcat22 January 2005
At Sundance, the tickets to this film were highly coveted and among the first to sell out. We wish we hadn't wasted our time in the wait list line (2 hours!) as the movie turned out to be a disappointment. I never saw the original short that "gave birth," so to speak, to this film, but the director (Scott Coffey) told us that it had been the first 20 minutes or so of the film. Maybe he should have left it at that. The problem (for me, at least) was that the main character of the film was never made into a sympathetic enough person for me to care about. I admit that I did laugh out loud several times during the screening, but the laughs were much too far apart, and in between was a lot of self indulgent navel gazing. I realize that this was the point, to some extent, but it could have been a much better film had I even cared what happened to the main character. I know that I am not the only person who felt this way, as many people left during the screening...some only a few minutes into it, others as it wore on. When the lights went on afterward, there were empty rows in front and in back of me. I don't think this will ever be in theaters; if you're a big fan of Naomi Watts, you may want to rent the DVD. Otherwise, skip this.
one of the most classic 'LA' scenes ever
varinaplan-813-45025826 May 2011
As someone that spent 18 years in the city of Angels, I have met many Ellie Parkers. I adored this little gem, albeit low budget movie, with some of best acting one could feast their eyes on. The scene with Ellie in the car in a complete hyped up, Star Bucks frenzy, smeared with lipstick, banging her head to Blondie and madly shouting out " I wanna suck Vinnie's ####'!!!" in her New Jersey accent, had me rolling on the floor.
For those that know nothing of the dashed dreams of Many desperate Hollywood starlets, and the pure sleaze these women encounter as they try to fulfill their dreams, forget it, you just won't 'get it'. LA is a town, of big talking wannabes and 'Ellie Parker' really led you into that world with it's fake facade and empty promises. Naomi Watts just shines as Ellie Parker. She totally engulfs the screen with her magical expressions of pain, joy, angst, fear, confusion and loneliness.
I felt very empty after the final scene, just as Ellie did. The City of Angels changes you, makes you selfish, egotistical, and almost insane. Ellie knew her pursuit of acting had caused her to become a shell of a person, and as a viewer I really felt her pain.
So it was shot with a cheap camera, big deal. The messages where there, contrary to what many other reviewers said, you just had to be sensitive enough to pick them up.
This film really transported me back to LA, and made me shudder, thanks 'Eliie parker' for reminding me why I left!
For those that know nothing of the dashed dreams of Many desperate Hollywood starlets, and the pure sleaze these women encounter as they try to fulfill their dreams, forget it, you just won't 'get it'. LA is a town, of big talking wannabes and 'Ellie Parker' really led you into that world with it's fake facade and empty promises. Naomi Watts just shines as Ellie Parker. She totally engulfs the screen with her magical expressions of pain, joy, angst, fear, confusion and loneliness.
I felt very empty after the final scene, just as Ellie did. The City of Angels changes you, makes you selfish, egotistical, and almost insane. Ellie knew her pursuit of acting had caused her to become a shell of a person, and as a viewer I really felt her pain.
So it was shot with a cheap camera, big deal. The messages where there, contrary to what many other reviewers said, you just had to be sensitive enough to pick them up.
This film really transported me back to LA, and made me shudder, thanks 'Eliie parker' for reminding me why I left!
One for the fans
lastliberal25 March 2007
If you are a Naomi Watts fan (King Kong, Mulholland Drive) then this is a not to be missed satire that features her at her best. originally a 16-minute short (2001), it was expanded to feature length. It really doesn't have any plot, beginning, meddle or end. It is a stream-of-consciousness type of film showing a day in the life of an aspiring starlet.
I found it amazing that anyone could possible put on makeup while driving down the Los Angeles freeway, and the fact that she changes her shoes into boots and changes skirts was even more incredible. Are all Californians that crazy? This quirky little piece certainly shows the range of Watts and, if any of it at all is close to home, that Hollywood lot is weird.
I found it amazing that anyone could possible put on makeup while driving down the Los Angeles freeway, and the fact that she changes her shoes into boots and changes skirts was even more incredible. Are all Californians that crazy? This quirky little piece certainly shows the range of Watts and, if any of it at all is close to home, that Hollywood lot is weird.
don't rent it, save your money
bikerc27 April 2006
As much as I like Naomi, I found extremely hard to follow this movie. It seemed to be filmed with a video camera you buy from your favorite electronics store and it followed Naomi's character relentlessly, with jerky movements, from all her endeavors to become an actress to more private moments such as being in the bathroom. I am not too sure if the director tried to give the movie an air of reality show, but the camera didn't give any space and the screen seemed to be suffocating. This movie looks like a movie made by a kid who just got his camera as a birthday present, takes the camera, strolls in the city and films anything that moves with the pretentious claim that it is worth. Well, after half an hour I couldn't stand it anymore.
So, save your money...
So, save your money...
Fun if you like this sort of thing
badlatino13 November 2005
"Ellie Parker" is the sort of movie that you wish you could have made in college. It's funny, somewhat different, and has a beautiful leading lady, that of which goes by the name of Naomi Watts in this case. It also has an incredibly low budget.
As a matter of fact, it looks as though it could have been a college student's project. An hour and a half showcasing Naomi Watt's fantastic amount of talent as Ellie Parker: A struggling actress jumping from audition to audition with the hope of landing a part in anything she can get. Her loser boyfriend is no help, neither is her agent, and as the days go by, she loses more and more hope.
Whether she's cruising down Sunset Strip to her next audition, or yelling into her cellular flying down the 101, there is a part of us throughout the entire movie that wants to know what is going to happen to Ellie next. She's lovable. She's talented. She's been through more than we (the audience) can begin to understand. But most importantly, she's determined.
If you adore Watts as much as this reviewer does and you want to see her in something realistic (as close as it gets), check out "Ellie Parker". You won't get to see her like this in "King Kong." That's for sure.
As a matter of fact, it looks as though it could have been a college student's project. An hour and a half showcasing Naomi Watt's fantastic amount of talent as Ellie Parker: A struggling actress jumping from audition to audition with the hope of landing a part in anything she can get. Her loser boyfriend is no help, neither is her agent, and as the days go by, she loses more and more hope.
Whether she's cruising down Sunset Strip to her next audition, or yelling into her cellular flying down the 101, there is a part of us throughout the entire movie that wants to know what is going to happen to Ellie next. She's lovable. She's talented. She's been through more than we (the audience) can begin to understand. But most importantly, she's determined.
If you adore Watts as much as this reviewer does and you want to see her in something realistic (as close as it gets), check out "Ellie Parker". You won't get to see her like this in "King Kong." That's for sure.
The Ellie Word
meeza14 November 2006
"Ellie Parker" is a deranged, but yet, intuitive film on the struggling Hollywood actresses lifestyle of casting calls, nocturnal partying, and internal conflicts. Naomi Watts was a tour-de-force as the Parker protagonist. Her effusive expressions were a thing of beauty. Watts' acting voltage remains hot in Tinsletown. Too bad the same cannot be said for the Ellie Parker character she plays. Ellie goes from auditioning for a part in a Southern period piece soap opera to going through the opposite the end of the Hollywood spectrum just a few hours later by auditioning for a part in a soft-porn cheap flick. Director Scott Coffey shot the film in video which gave it a reality take. Mr. Coffey woke us up with his tasty-sugary crafty techniques but was a bit "sweet & low" with his cyclical screenplay. Chevy Chase also drives the film with a scene-stealer performance as Parker's eccentric agent, Dennis Swatzbaum. My primary "Ellie Parker" peeve of the film was the arrogant character Sam, played by Rebecca Rigg! The movie got definitely rigged with her suffocating performance. "Ellie Parker" would be an effective prototype study for aspiring female actresses, but will not probably satisfy the general movie audience. Nonetheless, that Parker Sister, Naomi Watts, is the super savior of "Ellie Parker". *** Average
Watts Slightly Wasted in an Inconsequential Film
evanston_dad16 November 2006
With the exception perhaps of "King Kong," Naomi Watts has looked like total hell at some point in every movie she's starred in. She's a brave actress, one with Hollywood starlet looks but without any of the Hollywood starlet vanity.
One can't help but feel that she's somewhat wasted in "Ellie Parker," an offbeat, super low-budget film about one struggling actress's daily trials in that vast wasteland known as L.A. The film looks like the kind of thing I would make if I had a fairly high-quality digital camcorder and some editing software. But I do not hold the movie's visual style against it, and it's not for that reason that I think Watts was slumming a bit. No, it's the material that makes "Ellie Parker" a less than (o.k. MUCH less than) satisfying viewing experience.
Parker is going through an identity crisis, but unfortunately for us, it's not a very interesting one. She spends all of her time trying to be something that other people want her to be. Even when she's alone, driving from one audition to another, she's practicing lines and accents, and putting on costumes to fit a part. One senses that the filmmakers wanted to show the acting life as it really is for the majority of people in the business: a harrowing, degrading, grueling and exhausting process that leaves those living it adrift. As Parker says at one point in the film, she feels like her life hasn't started yet, and that everything is an audition for some future part. I'm not sure we need yet one more movie that deflates the glamour of Hollywood. I had a hard time not getting frustrated with Parker -- she chooses the acting life, so it's up to her to deal with the consequences. There's nothing stopping her from getting an unglamorous desk job like millions of other Americans who go to work every day and don't spend all of their time whining about it.
"Ellie Parker" does provide some fascinating glimpses into the entertainment industry, especially in a scene that shows Parker and her friend attending an acting class -- it goes a long way to supporting my half-serious belief that all really good actors must be to a certain extent mentally unbalanced. There's also a delightfully weird final scene that shows Parker auditioning to a living room full of stoned and bored movie producers, a scene that leaves you wondering how certain films ever get made at all.
But most of the movie feels underdeveloped and inconsequential, like a film-student experiment.
Grade: C
One can't help but feel that she's somewhat wasted in "Ellie Parker," an offbeat, super low-budget film about one struggling actress's daily trials in that vast wasteland known as L.A. The film looks like the kind of thing I would make if I had a fairly high-quality digital camcorder and some editing software. But I do not hold the movie's visual style against it, and it's not for that reason that I think Watts was slumming a bit. No, it's the material that makes "Ellie Parker" a less than (o.k. MUCH less than) satisfying viewing experience.
Parker is going through an identity crisis, but unfortunately for us, it's not a very interesting one. She spends all of her time trying to be something that other people want her to be. Even when she's alone, driving from one audition to another, she's practicing lines and accents, and putting on costumes to fit a part. One senses that the filmmakers wanted to show the acting life as it really is for the majority of people in the business: a harrowing, degrading, grueling and exhausting process that leaves those living it adrift. As Parker says at one point in the film, she feels like her life hasn't started yet, and that everything is an audition for some future part. I'm not sure we need yet one more movie that deflates the glamour of Hollywood. I had a hard time not getting frustrated with Parker -- she chooses the acting life, so it's up to her to deal with the consequences. There's nothing stopping her from getting an unglamorous desk job like millions of other Americans who go to work every day and don't spend all of their time whining about it.
"Ellie Parker" does provide some fascinating glimpses into the entertainment industry, especially in a scene that shows Parker and her friend attending an acting class -- it goes a long way to supporting my half-serious belief that all really good actors must be to a certain extent mentally unbalanced. There's also a delightfully weird final scene that shows Parker auditioning to a living room full of stoned and bored movie producers, a scene that leaves you wondering how certain films ever get made at all.
But most of the movie feels underdeveloped and inconsequential, like a film-student experiment.
Grade: C
Watts Wows, Movie Flops
aliasanythingyouwant20 April 2006
Scott Coffey's Life of A Lower-Rung Hollywood Nitwit, Ellie Parker, is interesting only as a showcase for the shape-shifter charms of Naomi Watts, a performing chameleon with an endless repertoire of faces (sultry, girlish, devious, ravishing, vacant). The film might actually be more worthwhile, and would certainly be more bearable, with the sound off, sparing us the interminable feather-headed nattering of its deliberately shallow, narcissistic characters, and allowing us to concentrate more fully on the thespic acrobatics of Watts, who, through the character of struggling, stubborn, wayward Ellie Parker, is afforded a chance to show off her near-freakish ability at sudden metamorphosis, going from harried phone-talking California twit to foul-mouthed gum-chomping Jersey girl and back, working the shift, the brakes like a race-car driver navigating the twists and turns of Watkins Glen. It's a show-off performance but Watts is not a show-off, she occupies the character of Ellie Parker fully, never tipping her hand. Her commitment to the role is commendable, her willingness to place herself in absurd situations, to unmask herself a little (some of Ellie's struggles are no doubt culled from Watts' own biography), but it's all in service of material that's not worthy of her, that cheapens her accomplishment, diminishes her. It's a thin gruel of a movie, lacking in insight, full of scenes that don't go anywhere, shot like a film student making an audition reel.
Looks like a Home Video - Terrible
jameszakaria27 February 2008
I just caught this awful movie on the Sundance Channel, and this is exactly the kind of awful, awful movies that give Sundance a bad name.
What would possess the filmmakers to shoot this with a homevideo camera, not light it and generally make a mockery of the very concept of film is beyond comprehension.
Why would Naomi Watts waste her time on this amateurish gibberish? Who knows? She certainly didn't do herself any good. Her acting is usually quite flimsy and without a professional movie to fall back on, she is as uninteresting as it gets.
Don't waste your time.
What would possess the filmmakers to shoot this with a homevideo camera, not light it and generally make a mockery of the very concept of film is beyond comprehension.
Why would Naomi Watts waste her time on this amateurish gibberish? Who knows? She certainly didn't do herself any good. Her acting is usually quite flimsy and without a professional movie to fall back on, she is as uninteresting as it gets.
Don't waste your time.
All of the correct ingredients for an awesome indie film.
diandrafossey9 November 2020
Great story, wonderful pace and a superb performance from Naomi Watts. Everything about this film feels authentic and driven by passion. The time I spent enjoying this movie was over too quickly. Ellie Parker will certainly offer you something to reflect on long after you've heard her story.
what a lame film
alexjones8312 January 2006
just a mess
the cameraman needs to learn how to hold a video camera steadily or buy a tripod :)
now onto the content did it even have a script the actors (if you can call them that) looked as if they were making the dialogue up as they went along stuttering and struggling for words
a lot of the scenes look like a storyline borrowed from a cheap porn film (without the sex)
why the hell did chevy chase lower himself to appearing on this putting his name near this disasterpiece tarnishes the legacy he built in national lampoons and caddyshack
I honestly believe i could do better if i walked around with my video camera for a couple of days
the cameraman needs to learn how to hold a video camera steadily or buy a tripod :)
now onto the content did it even have a script the actors (if you can call them that) looked as if they were making the dialogue up as they went along stuttering and struggling for words
a lot of the scenes look like a storyline borrowed from a cheap porn film (without the sex)
why the hell did chevy chase lower himself to appearing on this putting his name near this disasterpiece tarnishes the legacy he built in national lampoons and caddyshack
I honestly believe i could do better if i walked around with my video camera for a couple of days
I loved this movie....
SexyCinephile27 January 2005
I saw this at Sundance and I certainly didn't see anyone walking out during that screening. Sundance movie goers are notoriously supportive of films at the festival and I have a hard time believing there were people walking out.
I thought Scott Coffee wrote a very original and true to life story of Hollywood. There have been many movies about Hollywood life but this one is real and true to the bone. Every actor who sees this will see themselves in this and say "Why didn't I write this?". The answer is, Scott thought of it and we didn't. Way to go Scott.
Naomi Watts is wonderful as always. Many layers to this. Maybe people outside Hollywood wont get this movie. Their loss.
I thought Scott Coffee wrote a very original and true to life story of Hollywood. There have been many movies about Hollywood life but this one is real and true to the bone. Every actor who sees this will see themselves in this and say "Why didn't I write this?". The answer is, Scott thought of it and we didn't. Way to go Scott.
Naomi Watts is wonderful as always. Many layers to this. Maybe people outside Hollywood wont get this movie. Their loss.
Slightly aimless but held aloft by the raw talent of Naomi Watts.
celebsongs23 August 2012
Written and directed by Scott Coffey and starring Naomi Watts in the title role, Ellie Parker is an intimate insight into the world of a struggling Hollywood actress who's own fragmented sense of identity and failing ability to achieve balance in her real life relationships causes all manner of turmoil. Shot entirely on digital video -much of it hand-held, Coffey's film wobbles, loses focus and has the look of something anyone with a basic understanding of shot sequencing could cut together. What makes the film special is Naomi Watts. After having won acclaim for her startling portrayal of 'Betty' in David Lynch's Mullholland Drive, Watts once again shows her calibre as an actress with a gutsy and committed display of raw talent. In many ways, Ellie Parker works as a perfect companion piece to Mulholland Drive as we follow Watts through awkward auditions and witness her neurotic behaviour giving way to mini emotional implosions. Watts demonstrates great courage and faith in those around her by flinging herself head first into the surreal drama while never over emphasising or losing her way with the character. The entire film is about her performance and despite things getting occasionally bogged down, Watt's 'on the edge' display is never far from compelling throughout. While it might wander around aimlessly, Ellie Parker is held aloft by Naomi Watts' distinguished performance and for that reason alone deserves to be seen.
I don't know who I am anymore.
hhfarm-123 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Here's the spoiler so we get it out of the way. The point of the movie - and this is like so totally amazing when it hits you - is that when you're an actor and you're auditioning a lot you sometimes "don't know who you are anymore".
No really. That had never occurred to me. I bet it has never occurred to anyone else before either.
So if you like Naomi Watts and you wanted to see her in a vanity piece about how soul-suckingly painful "Hollywood" is. And, you know, that incredible revelation above. This is your movie.
Maybe you always wanted to see Naomi Watts talk on Oprah about how enervating Hollywood is. Or perhaps you wanted to see Naomi Watts play Rosanna Arquette - all those quirky ditzy quirky mannerisms that are a mask for the quirky girl underneath. Or you wanted to see Rosanna Arquette play Naomi Watts.
Or, hey, maybe you just wanted to see someone winge about how hard acting is when you are so good but the producers and your boyfriend and your agent are all jerks. And at times "you don't know who you are anymore."
If any of that speaks to you, this is your movie.
If you wanted humor, insight into Hollywood, acting, a decent script, a real (vs fake) cinema verity feel; or if you just don't like to see Naomi Watts be Naomi Watts for the 20th time; then you won't like this.
No really. That had never occurred to me. I bet it has never occurred to anyone else before either.
So if you like Naomi Watts and you wanted to see her in a vanity piece about how soul-suckingly painful "Hollywood" is. And, you know, that incredible revelation above. This is your movie.
Maybe you always wanted to see Naomi Watts talk on Oprah about how enervating Hollywood is. Or perhaps you wanted to see Naomi Watts play Rosanna Arquette - all those quirky ditzy quirky mannerisms that are a mask for the quirky girl underneath. Or you wanted to see Rosanna Arquette play Naomi Watts.
Or, hey, maybe you just wanted to see someone winge about how hard acting is when you are so good but the producers and your boyfriend and your agent are all jerks. And at times "you don't know who you are anymore."
If any of that speaks to you, this is your movie.
If you wanted humor, insight into Hollywood, acting, a decent script, a real (vs fake) cinema verity feel; or if you just don't like to see Naomi Watts be Naomi Watts for the 20th time; then you won't like this.
not to be missed
steandric27 January 2005
this is an indie gem not to be missed by anyone who loves good arty movies and great performances. beautifully developed from its 2001 16-min (part one) short of the same name, scott coffey (directer/writer/co-producer) and naomi watts (lead actress/co-producer) have worked miracle again, presenting the world with a 95-min feature film that contains all the essences that make up a great low-budgeted comedy-drama. naomi watts' lively and heart-breaking portrayal of ellie parker is one of the most charming and sympathetic that we have ever seen in movie history. scott coffey's script and direction also excel on their own respective merits. highly recommended.
Naomi Watts gives us an enlightening glimpse of a somewhat struggling industry
jordondave-280852 April 2023
(2005) Ellie Parker
DOCU-DRAMA
Camcorder docudrama with Naomi Watts playing alter ego, struggling actress "Ellie Parker" an Australian while living in LA. Who eventually moved in with her best friend Sam (Rebecca Rigg) another actress who is also from Australia after Ellie caught her live- in boyfriend cheating on her.
This can either be interpreted either as a pessimistic or an optimistic vehicle for anyone who want to break into the 'acting' industry. Because anyone who says it is easy - it is not, as I like to think "Naomi Watts" from watching this she is a professional actress if she has the ability to shed tears on cue.
Camcorder docudrama with Naomi Watts playing alter ego, struggling actress "Ellie Parker" an Australian while living in LA. Who eventually moved in with her best friend Sam (Rebecca Rigg) another actress who is also from Australia after Ellie caught her live- in boyfriend cheating on her.
This can either be interpreted either as a pessimistic or an optimistic vehicle for anyone who want to break into the 'acting' industry. Because anyone who says it is easy - it is not, as I like to think "Naomi Watts" from watching this she is a professional actress if she has the ability to shed tears on cue.
Ugh
resolemcrey9 August 2007
Though I find it star uncommonly attractive and charming this movie is a real stinker. So pretentious and worse, dull. Some scenes, especially having to do with acting classes or auditions are excruciating and not in a good way. The wince factor here is very high. The film looks like a student film and it's inexplicable, to me, why such big stars are in it. Chevy Chase, who I have always found quite agreeable in movies, is wasted here and seems to fumble through his one scene as if he had just been given the lines that morning. I really can't believe I made it all the way to the end of this. But I did, more as a tribute to Naomi Watts, who is always, at least, watchable. She's almost given too much to do here but it all adds up to nothing. Sorry, Naomi. I will follow you anywhere but, please, no more Ellie Parkers.
Ellie Parker is a cutie pie :-)
karlbark8 August 2010
Well, ...(I am rather hesitant to say this)....but, I suspect that this film's audience are people who are already in some way connected to the business. (Of making films, that is). (It seems to me that the humour is mainly intended for them).
-0-
However, I also want to stress that I did find Naomi Watts' performance outstanding!
Up until now, (as far as I am concerned), Naomi Watts has been, basically, "a pretty face". (And a very pretty face it is)! ;-) But in this film she really showed that she is really and truly an *actress*! (And a very fine actress, actually)! -I was impressed!
Karl Barkarson,
-from Iceland
-0-
However, I also want to stress that I did find Naomi Watts' performance outstanding!
Up until now, (as far as I am concerned), Naomi Watts has been, basically, "a pretty face". (And a very pretty face it is)! ;-) But in this film she really showed that she is really and truly an *actress*! (And a very fine actress, actually)! -I was impressed!
Karl Barkarson,
-from Iceland
How to kill your career
glamourgutter3 September 2006
We need the MPAA to create a mandate-Ellie Parker cannot be considered a movie. It seems the easiest conceit of a film plot is making a 'film in a film.' Consider this:you don't need to create sets, they're there already. You can use the director's office, his house, hell, show the casting couch,it's there already for the using! Also you don't have to try as hard, she's playing an actress,she acting, but is she acting in the film or acting like she is acting in the film?Who knows?Who cares!If I had any admiration for Naomi Watts before this I certainly wouldn't now.She has exposed not only her tenuous artifice of her acting and acting in general, she has shown us how foolish we are to devote time and money watching crap fly around on a screen.And I thought King Kong was the coffin's nail...
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