| | | A Laurie Collyer Film.
Features: DVD
SHERRYBABY (DVD MOVIE)
"Gyllenhaal's sympathetic and charismatic performance binds us to the horror of Sherry's personal demons." Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter
"It sure looks like Oscar bait to me. Bravo!" Lou Lumenick, New York Post
"Grade A! A miracle of an actress!" Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"In Gyllenhaal's all-out performance, it reminded me most of Judy Davis in "High Tide"..." Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
"You can't take your eyes off of [Gyllenhaal]." Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Editor's Note
Maggie Gyllenhaal is mesmerizing as a recovering addict in writer-director Laurie Collyer's feature-length fiction-film debut, SHERRYBABY. Gyllenhaal stars as Sherry Swanson, a troubled woman who has just been released from prison, where she spent three years for robbery to support her heroin addiction. Determined to regain control of her life, she moves into a halfway house and starts looking for a job, being carefully watched by her tough parole officer (Giancarlo Esposito). At an AA meeting, she is drawn to Dean Walker (Danny Trejo), a gritty older man who befriends her--but his ties to her dangerous past life threaten to pull her back in. Sherry's main desire is to reestablish a relationship with her young daughter, Alexis (Ryan Simpkins), who is being raised by Sherry's brother, Bobby (Brad William Henke), and his wife, Lynnette (Bridget Barkan)--but Lynnette doesn't trust Sherry, wanting to keep Alexis for her own. As Sherry struggles to get back on track, she plays by her own rules, with drugs and a return to prison waiting just around the corner. Gyllenhaal gives a raw, bare, powerful performance as the embattled and desperate Sherry, who will do almost anything to regain her daughter's love. Loosely based on the story of one of Collyer's closest childhood friends, SHERRYBABY, which got its start in the Sundance Filmmaker's Lab, is an emotional rollercoaster of a movie, with realistic characters, an excellent cast, and plenty of surprising turns.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 10/27/2009 |
| Running Time: 96 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2006 | | Catalog ID: 33436 | | UPC: 00025193343628 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Nominee (2006) | | | Sundance Film Festival, Laurie Collyer, Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic |
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| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"[O]ne of the most authentic, and moving, journeys the movies has offered this year." -- Grade: A 09/15/2006 p.53Movieline's Hollywood Life
"Maggie Gyllenhaal gives her best performance to date....[An] honest, beautifully observed character drama." 09/01/2006 p.101 Entertainment Weekly
Included in Entertainment Weekly's "Top 10 Films Of The Year" -- "[T]he story of a soul discovering itself." 12/29/2006 p.107 Total Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "Laurie Collyer's low-key drama has a forensic, observational quality that belies the writer-director's background in documentary....Maggie Gyllenhaal's fearless performance places her right at the top of any list of young Hollywood talent." 07/01/2007 p.40 Uncut
4 stars out of 5 -- "SHERRYBABY's raw, gritty edges echo the searching indie movies of the 1970s....A fascinating, addictive film." 08/01/2007 p.132 Sight and Sound
"Collyer's ace in the hole is the skill of lead actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose extraordinarily vital performance powers the film, and is reason above all to see it." 08/01/2007 p.77 Los Angeles Times 6 of 10
Despite some affecting performances (Brad William Henke, who plays Maggie Gyllenhaal's brother, Bobby, is wonderful), Laurie Collyer's "Sherrybaby" travels down a familiar road and doesn't add much to the trip. It also arrives on the heels of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's sublime "Half Nelson" and doesn't fare well in comparison. Where "Half Nelson" focused on one addict's life, "Sherrybaby" focuses on a less finely drawn addict's path, with very different results...Ultimately, almost as if by accident, the movie ends up belonging to Bobby and Lynnette, two simple, sensitive people doing their best to deal with their twisted family. - Carina Chocano
Variety 8 of 10
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a young ex-con trying to reclaim the child who's nearly forgotten her in "Sherrybaby," first narrative feature from writer-director Laurie Collyer (terrif 2000 docu "Nuyorican Dream"). This unadorned, largely downbeat tale is the kind of starkly realistic, small-scale drama that's always a difficult theatrical sell...Gyllenhaal, in her most substantial role since "Secretary," does a fine, unshowy job of limning Sherry's faults without alienating the viewer or pleading for sympathy. Cast is strong, from the protag's wary, thoroughly suburban relatives to Trejo's credibly been-there, done-that ex-gangbanger. - Dennis Harvey
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