Review: The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (**)

THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes



RATING (0 TO ****): **



THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO is a true story that rarely rings true.
As syrupy and repetitive as those TV jingles whose creation the movie is
about, the film features Julianne Moore as an always chirpy automaton named
Evelyn Ryan and Woody Harrelson as Kelly, her drunken loser of a husband.
No matter how despicable Kelly's actions, Evelyn keeps smiling like one of
the Stepford Wives, acting as if she is completely incapable of noticing his
ridiculous behavior. There is such little chemistry -- positive or
negative -- between Moore and Harrelson that they might as well have been
acting on separate sets against a blue screen with their performances
spliced together in post-processing.



For comedy to work, there has to be a certain genuineness in the characters,
but writer and director Jane Anderson, working from Terry Ryan's book, is
never able to make her characters come alive. Anderson, who is best known
for her script of HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT, can never decide if she
wants THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO to be a comedy or a drama. There
are a few laughs in it, but the drama only works in the way it makes you
think about how challenging the real life of Evelyn Ryan must have been. In
other words, it makes you want to read the book and skip the movie.



The setup for the plot is intriguing and, indeed, it was actually one of the
fall films I have been most curious about and looking forward to. Evelyn
was a mother of 10 kids -- does anyone, other than blended families, have
more than 5 kids anymore? -- who coped with her family's precarious
financial situation by entering contests. Most of her prizes were a few
dollars or a small kitchen appliance, won for a poem or a jingle. But,
every now and then, she'd win a bigger prize. With her husband spending the
family's milk money on booze, she needed every bit of help she could get.
Her household got 12 large bottles from the milkman every time he came by so
you'd think her husband would appreciate her, but he didn't. More than once
they lost or came close to losing their home. It's interesting to note,
however, that Evelyn refuses to do other work in order to make money, and
none of the kids are shown helping out by obtaining gainful employment.



The script is full of creaky moments. Moore has to say things like, "You
have brightened my day considerably." A real trooper, she gives the role way
more than it deserves. The child actors, although they are many, are
completely interchangeable and bland. In the only possible exception to
that rule, Ellary Porterfield, as the older daughter Tuff, does have a
spark, although just a spark, of life about her.



A good idea and a true story isn't enough. The writer and director must
create real characters that will draw us into the narrative. Anderson was
unable to do this. Hopefully, Ryan's book is better.



THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO runs 1:39. It is rated PG-13 for
"thematic elements, some disturbing images and language" and would be
acceptable for kids around 11 and up.



The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, September 30,
2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the
Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.



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