Georgia (1995 film) 1379878 199281126 2008-03-19T05:44:53Z Feudonym 3634119 /* Awards & Nominations */ {{Infobox_Film | name = Georgia | image =| caption = movie poster | director = [[Ulu Grosbard]] | producer = [[Ulu Grosbard]]<br>[[Barbara Turner]]<br>[[Jennifer Jason Leigh]] | writer = [[Barbara Turner]] | starring = [[Jennifer Jason Leigh]]<br>[[Mare Winningham]]<br>[[Ted Levine]]<br>[[Max Perlich]] | movie_music = | distributor = [[Miramax]] | released = [[19 May]], [[1995]] ([[France]]) | runtime = 115 min. | language = [[English language|English]] | imdb_id = 0113158 | music = | awards = | budget = | }} {{redirect|Georgia (film)|the earlier Australian production|Georgia (1988 film)}} '''''Georgia''''' is a [[1995]] American independent movie starring [[Jennifer Jason Leigh]] and [[Mare Winningham]]. In the film, Leigh played Sadie Flood, a [[Punk rock|punk]]y barroom singer who has a complicated, jealous but loving relationship with her older sister, Georgia, played by Winningham. Georgia is a successful, talented and well-adjusted [[folk music]] singer and a happily married mother of two. Sadie is passionate but self-destructive and untalented. While she seeks fame, she destroys herself through drug and alcohol abuse. Although the movie focuses largely on Sadie, it was apparently titled ''Georgia'' because Sadie defines her own identity so much through her older sister. [[John Doe (musician)|John Doe]] of the [[Punk rock|punk]] band [[X (U.S. band)|X]] played a supporting role and performed as a member of Sadie's band. The music in the film consisted of 13 songs which were recorded live and performed by the actors ("a risk that has paid off spectacularly in terms of emotional intensity", according to ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' critic Kenneth Turan). These included covers of songs by [[Lou Reed]], [[Elvis Costello]] and, most famously, [[Van Morrison]]: in the talked-about centrepiece of the film, Sadie drunkenly performs a raw, gruelling 8½-minute version of Morrison's "Take Me Back" in a ragged [[Janis Joplin]]-style gut howl at an [[AIDS]] [[benefit concert]]. It's a scene that some viewers found mesmerizing while others found it insufferable. The film was a very personal project for Jennifer Jason Leigh: it was written by her mother, [[Barbara Turner]], Leigh and Turner co-produced it themselves, and she chose as her co-star her longtime real-life friend [[Mare Winningham]], whom she had known since the age of 13. It was directed by [[Ulu Grosbard]], a friend of her mother's. ''Georgia'' was released in the U.S. on December 8, 1995. It received a highly positive critical reception. Susan Wloszczyna of ''[[USA Today]]'' described the film as "a painful though sadly humorous portrait of sisterhood," and [[Roger Ebert]] said ''Georgia'' was "a complex, deeply knowledgeable story about a truly lost soul and her downward spiral" in his 3.5/4-star review. [[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said “''Georgia'' is Leigh’s high-wire act, and her fierce, funny, exasperating and deeply affecting portrayal commands attention.” [[James Berardinelli]] of ''Reel Views'' praised it as “a tour de force for Leigh... there are times when it's uncomfortable to watch this performance because it's so powerful”, adding “''Georgia'' doesn't possess an amazingly original narrative, but what distinguishes this picture is the depth of the characters and the amazing power with which the two leads breathe life into them.” Kenneth Turan of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' said “Leigh’s exceptional performance tears you apart… we’ve never seen anything like it before”, adding that "''Georgia'' is not an easy film, but in the American independent arena, it outperforms everything in sight.” It was also voted one of 1995’s ten best films by ''[[Interview]]'', ''[[New York Post]]'', ''[[Detroit Free Press]]'', ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]'' and ABC Radio Network. <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Jenniferjasonleighingeorgia.jpg|frame|left|Jennifer Jason Leigh as Sadie in ''Georgia'']] -->Jennifer Jason Leigh was voted the year’s [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] by the [[New York Film Critics Circle]] and at the [[Montreal World Film Festival]], nominated for an [[Independent Spirit Award]], and was widely predicted to receive her first [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination for the role. Surprisingly though, it was Mare Winningham who actually went on to receive an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination (as well as an [[Independent Spirit Award]] and [[Screen Actors Guild]] nomination) as [[Best Supporting Actress]], while Leigh was controversially overlooked by the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]], much to the disappointment of critics and fans. Speaking to ''MetroActive'' magazine, Winningham said: “I felt incredibly honored and touched to be nominated… But it was hard to be separated from Jennifer, because she was the heart and soul of that film. While we were making the movie, I thought not only that she would get a nomination, but that she would win. I saw the kind of work she was doing. In my mind she will always be the greatest performance of that year, and a lot of other people thought so, too. [[Meryl Streep]] grabbed me at the [[Academy Awards]]. She said, 'Jennifer should be here!' and I said, 'I know!'” When ''[[Leaving Las Vegas]]'' star [[Elisabeth Shue]] won her [[Independent Spirit Award]] as Best Actress, she personally dedicated it to Leigh’s performance in ''Georgia''. For all its critical acclaim, ''Georgia'' was not as successful commercially, grossing only $2.9 million in the U.S. In the ten years since its release, however, it has picked up a small but devoted cult following. == Awards & Nominations == * [[Academy Awards]]: Mare Winningham, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (nomination) * '''[[New York Film Critics Circle]]: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Best Actress (won)''' * '''[[Montreal World Film Festival]]: Grand Prix of the Americas for Best Picture (won)''' * '''[[Montreal World Film Festival]]: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Best Actress (won)''' * [[Screen Actors Guild]]: Mare Winningham, Best Supporting Actress (nomination) * [[Independent Spirit Awards]]: Ulu Grosbard, Best Director (nomination) * '''[[Independent Spirit Awards]]: Mare Winningham, Best Supporting Female (won)''' * [[Independent Spirit Awards]]: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Best Female Lead (nomination) * [[Independent Spirit Awards]]: Max Perlich, Best Supporting Male (nomination) ==External links== *{{imdb title|id=0113158|title=Georgia (1995)}} [[Category:1995 films]] [[Category:Miramax films]] [[de:Georgia (Film)]] [[ru:Джорджия (фильм, 1995)]]