Poison Ivy | | Cast : | Sara Gilbert, Drew Barrymore, Tom Skerritt | | Director : | Katt Shea | | Studio : | New Line Home Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | May 08, 1992 | | DVD Released Date : | November 02, 1999 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 14, 2005 | | Summary | Trash With Flash | Content
 | Erotic thriller? Or erotic melodrama? Drew Barrymore inhabits her role as the teenage homewreaker who worms her way into the affections of all the members of a wealthy, but dysfunctional California family. She's riveting. But the script and the direction pretty much let her--and the rest of the talented cast-down.
As a psychological drama, the movie works pretty well for the first hour or so. The bond between two misfit schoolmates (Barrymore and ROSEANNE'S Sara Gilbert) rings true--and its erotic undercurrent is not totally glossed over for once. The flirtation between the teen tart and the repressed and tormented pater familias (Tom Skerritt) is a little more paint-by-numbers, but the actors are so good, they pull it off.
What is less convincing is how quickly the interloper Ivy wins over her friend's initially skeptical, ailing mother (Cheryl Ladd). Ladd's character Georgie is sweet talked out of her suspicions one too many times to be believed. Are we supposed to believe that her illness has left her numb and dumb? This still elegant, sophisticated woman? It's asking too much.
(SPOILER WARNING)
The plot derails so quickly after Mom's sudden death. The most ridiculous moment is the one that leads to Ivy's kinda sorta "confession." Ivy has already been in several situations where she's had to come up with a quick excuse, and she always pulls it off. When it comes to explaining knowing the tune that was playing in Georgie's room before she apparently leapt to her death--well, there are any number of possible explanations, including the fact that Ivy had taken to sleeping in Georgie's room after the latter's death. A veteran conniver like Ivy should have been able to hand her friend a convincing enough line even in the heat of a very stressful moment.
The biggest problem with a film like POISON IVY is that it hints that it's going to reveal the dark corners of the human heart in a knowing way. But it doesn't. Yeah, it exposes the moralistic father's hypocrisy, but only hints at his complexity. In fact, nearly all the characters could have been better developed. There's a hint that the mom isn't really as sick as she seems; or rather, that her illness may have a strong psychosomatic component. Only the two girls are presented in any depth, but even that is obscured when the plot turns to lurid melodrama in the last third.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 13, 2005 | | Summary | Peter Andrew's | Content
| Peter Andrew's ecological re-habilitation process program must be assisted & adopted by the Australian Government both State & Federal.
This man is a genius!!!
He must be given full and complete support (!!!)
This is the only human who can stop the Australian drought........................
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| Rating | | | Date | May 12, 2005 | | Summary | This Movie Should Teach Guys Something! | Content
| This movie has everything going for it for a seductive thriller. The genre of lady killers I think is pheonomenal, and this movie is best comparable to The Crush(Alicia Silverstone)... In it's success and it's entire entertainment.
What I like first of all, is the director Katt Shea. Directing another rare successful thriller later on in her career, The Rage: Carrie 2(Emily Bergl, Jason London).
Sara Gilbert best known as the lazy trouble making daughter Darlene, on the hit tv series Roseanne. Definitely did her best movie as the quiet shy lonely co-star in Poison Ivy. Drew Barrymore got her career start right here, as the seductive maniacal stranger who becomes best friends with Sara Gilbert. Drew Barrymore later went on to fall in small roles such as Batman Forever and Scream... now best known as one of Charlie's Angels. Tom Skerritt, the father of Sara Gilbert I thought played a great supporting role. Being seduced by Barrymore losing his marriage, his daughter's trust... taken over by Drew Barrymore completely. I thought Skerritts best movies and characters were in Alien, Up In Smoke, and Top Gun.
In 5.1 with an unrated version on the DVD, there's nothing else you can ask for. The action in this movie is very slim... it's more of a thriller building you up by suspense and seduction, just like The Crush did. You don't have a lot of sexual scenes, that's one reason why this movie stays true... compared to Poison Ivy 2 and 3.
This movie is no Basic Instinct(Sharon Stone), it's no Fatal Attraction(Glenn Close). This movie has no blood no gore, and breif nudity if that. So how can this be a good thriller? well that's why you got to watch it, it should be good to buy for a lot of you. Poison Ivy, was one of the surprises of the early 90's... or at least it was to me. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 23, 2005 | | Summary | Dangreous and Hot | Content
| Ivy is the new, crazy girl in school. Sylvie is the lonesome, geeky, rich girl. Once Ivy and Sylvie meet, they become pretty good pals. Sylvie invites her to ride home, she also invites Ivy into her house. She was making a deadly mistake.
Anyone can tell that something is definitely odd about Ivy, but she is charming to anyone around her. Sylvie's sick mother is always depressed, but when Ivy comes along, Sylvie's mother starts to love Ivy. Sylvie's dad is really starting to get closer to Ivy, too. But Sylvie herself starts to regret the day that she talked to Ivy, because Ivy is starting to ruin her life. But Ivy wants to stay in Sylvie's house, and whatever Ivy wants, Ivy gets.
This movie was really entertaining throughout the whole thing, and it always kept you wondering what horrible thing that the misuderstood Ivy was going to do next. You were always trying to understand Ivy, wanting to know more about this strong character. This movie was chilling and definitely sexy, and overall, it's a good film. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 21, 2005 | | Summary | Is it good? | Content
| My Granddaughter is 15 and wants this movie. She said that she's seen it before and that it is a lot like "The Crush" with Cary Elwes and Alicia Silverstone. Should I let her get it? I need a quick answer! |
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