The Girl in the Park | Rotten Tomatoes

The Girl in the Park

R

2007

1 hr. 49 min.

Drama

List

71%

14 Reviews

Tomatometer

40%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Julia's (Sigourney Weaver) pain and despair from losing her daughter resurface when she meets Louise (Kate Bosworth).

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Critics Consensus

Sigourney Weaver delivers a towering performance in this poignant meditation on unresolved grief.

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dave j

Written and directed by David Auburn with successful businesswoman Julia (Sigourney Weaver) attempting to move on after losing her daughter 16 years ago from an obvious kidnapping, she then crosses paths with a young lady (Kate Bosworth) who may or may not be her daughter 16 years older. Spoils It turns out the character played by Kate Bosworth was not Julia's missing daughter she had loss 16 years earlier, but more of an opportunist craving for a mother she never had. And of course as a result of this creates a rift between her relationship with her actual son, Chris (Alessandro Nivola) and his wife Celeste (Keri Russell).

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A movie with a very strong realistic message about loss, guilt, and acceptance. Although the plot is a little bit unbelievable at times, at other times it conveys very realistic feelings, actions, and character development. It's a slow movie, but if you have ever experienced loss or guilt, it is very emotional, connectable, and a joy to watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Could be a true story ? Disturbing, deep and sad, but very watchable..

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Loss leads to mental instability and an opening for abuse by unscrupulous grifter, and eventually, healing and learning for all.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Signourney Weaver is great as the mother who after 16 years has still not managed to come to terms with the sudden disappearance of her three-year-old daughter in a park. When she befriended a young woman with problems and took her under her wing, I was wondering if she would turn out to be her lost child. I am glad that it did not go down the predictable route and it was more about how Julia tried to replace her missing daughter with this girl. Only Signourney really shone in her role, but the other characters were a little bit bland.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The Girl in the Park is not what I'd call an accurately descriptive title though Susan Sarandon is a mom who loses her daughter when she disappears from where her mom saw her seconds or minutes before she turned her back to pick up a blown over drink bottle. The girl cannot be found and we see no kidnapper and then the film, unsatisfactorily so, skips into the future about sixteen years to when she is divorced, her son is engaged and the ex-husband has someone in his life but she doesn't. She meets a troubled girl and shows kindness to her despite lies and betrayal. This girl may be her daughter. 7/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

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David Auburn

Director

Sigourney Weaver

Julia Sandburg

Kate Bosworth

Louise

Alessandro Nivola

Chris

Keri Russell

Celeste

David Rasche

Doug

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Angie Errigo

Empire Magazine

An overwrought melodrama with bold intentions but poor execution.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 5, 2008

Full Review

Derek Adams

Time Out

Essentially about loss, guilt and regret, Auburn's film also examines Julia's increasingly unhealthy obsession with her surrogate daughter, which gives it an air of uneasy tension that never amounts to much.

Rated: 3/6

Dec 5, 2008

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

The film stretches credibility a little with the coincidences that could yet make Louise the missing girl, but gives the actors plenty to work with.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 5, 2008

Full Review

Elliott Noble

Sky Cinema

Auburn leaves too many dramatic holes and blows his potentially explosive 'Festen' moment by allowing a confrontation over dinner to fizzle into anti-climax.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 5, 2008

Full Review

Christopher Tookey

Daily Mail (UK)

The kindest adjectives to describe Weaver's performance would be 'overwrought' and 'unsympathetic'.

Rated: 1/5

Dec 5, 2008

Full Review

Matthew Turner

ViewLondon

Impressively directed, sharply written and emotionally involving drama with a terrific central performance from Sigourney Weaver.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 4, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

Julia's (Sigourney Weaver) pain and despair from losing her daughter resurface when she meets Louise (Kate Bosworth).

Director: David Auburn
Executive Producer: Christian Arnold-Beutel, Devesh Chetty, Philip Fier, Robyn Gardiner
Screenwriter: David Auburn
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Dec 1, 2009

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