Customer Reviews

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Add me to the list of fans who think the wonderful Julianne Moore deserved an Oscar nod for this film. This is a fairly faithful adaptation of Terry Ryan's memoir - both my wife and I have read and enjoyed the book. Ms. Moore portrays Evelyn Ryan, a strong and intelligent "housewife" of the 1950's and mother of ten, who uses her writing talents to win contests, literally keeping her family together and the wolf from the door. As presented in the book, her timing in winning prizes of cash, cars and appliances was uncannily timely. Woody Harrelson does a fine job, too, portraying her alcoholic and explosive husband, Kelly. Laura Dern appears also in a small role as Evelyn's contesting friend Dortha. And the supporting cast of kids are great, too, especially the young actress who portrays daughter "Tuff" (who grew to be the author of the book). I have only minor quibbles with the film. First, I found the "fourth-wall" effect of Ms. Moore talking to the audience with her own character in the same scene a little surreal (I would have thought having "Tuff" as the narrator would have been a better, though conventional, choice); and as expected, some liberties are taken with the book. For instance, in the scene where Kelly ends up with a bowl of Jello mold all over him, I believe it was accidental in the book, while in the film it's quite intentional. While one can understand Evelyn's rage, her character would have never wasted food that way. Otherwise, though, the film does a good job in depicting a housewife's plight in those days, from financial (her husband being the sole signer of the house they purchased with her cash prize), to domestic abuse (the attitude that she just had to put up with an abusive, alcoholic husband, even the implication by a priest that it was her fault). Ms. Moore, as usual, is luminous in the role, and lifts the whole film above the level of an average big-family drama. Other than some occasional profanity from Mr. Ryan, it's a family-friendly film.

If I ruled the world, this year's list of Oscar nominations for Best Picture of 2005 would include THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO. PRIZE WINNER is based on Terry ("Tuff") Ryan's best-selling 2001 memoir THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO: HOW MY MOTHER RAISED 10 KIDS ON 25 WORDS OR LESS. It's an Eisenhower-era haunted house movie in which the monsters are bankers, milkmen, priests, and policemen, while the damsel-in-distress is a tenacious Catholic housewife.

This could have been grim stuff, but filmmaker Jane Anderson (who won Emmy and WGA awards in 1993 for THE POSITIVELY TRUE ADVENTURES OF THE ALLEGED TEXAS CHEERLEADER-MURDERING MOM, and received Emmy, WGA, and DGA nominations in 2003 for NORMAL), takes her lead from Tuff, adopting Tuff's triumphant tone as her own. As "Evelyn Ryan," Julianne Moore gives a performance of incredible depth and nuance: smiling on the outside, screaming on the inside. Woody Harrelson also succeeds in giving husband "Kelly Ryan" a soul, making it clear that Kelly is just as much a victim of societal expectations as Evelyn is.

I frankly don't know why this film didn't do better at box office, and I predict it will be very popular when it hits the DVD shelves on March 14th. It will, of course, be categorized as "a chick flick," and many men will therefore be loath to see it. That's a shame, because Evelyn Ryan was as uniquely American as Truman Capote, Edward R. Morrow and her other well-known male contemporaries, and even though she encased herself in girdles and dowdy dresses, the heroic dimensions of "a life well lived" are clear for all to see.

THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO probably went unnoticed in the theaters because of the title and because of the sappy posters that accompanied its release. Sounds like a silly little flick, but in reality it contains a fine re-creation of the 1950s, of the way women were viewed in that era, of the indomitable spirit of a mother who must raise ten children without the help of an inadequate husband - and a finely wrought performance by one of our bets actresses on the screen today.

Julianne Moore gives one of her signature understated roles as Evelyn Ryan, creating an unlikely character in whom the audience finds a depth of substance and durability. Living in Defiance, Ohio with her machinist cum alcoholic husband Kelly (Woody Harrelson) who is unable to bring home money after his purchases of booze to support his large family. Evelyn copes by entering contests of jingles and poems put out by advertising companies and with her earnings supports her family physically as well as emotionally. Though often thwarted by her husband's actions, she still manages to keep the boat afloat, to maintain her dreams, and to make the best of a bad situation.

Moore is radiant as usual, but in this role she is even more subtle in creating an unlikely character than in even her best films. She is a stunning actress and deserved at least an Oscar nomination for her strong work. The story is based on truth and that helps its credibility as a film. But though the story lacks magnitude, Moore brings it to a level of excellence with her extraordinary gifts. Recommended. Grady Harp, March 06

I loved this movie, which didn't get near enough mention on the "year's best" lists. It is a delightful mixture of sweetness and harsh reality and does a wonderful job of showing the 50's and 60's at its best and at its worst. Evelyn, the mother, despite the limitations imposed by her society and her religion, fights back valiantly, using all the talent and brains she has been gifted with, both to win contests and to mother her family. The movie uses a number of little gimmicks that could be overly cute, but aren't, because it doesn't hesitate to show the pain either. The movie vividly portrays the plight of the family beset by alcoholism, when it was a shameful secret that, of course, rarely ended up being a secret. But instead of crying, or using the resulting anger to poison her family, or passively allowing the destructive forces of another's addiction to work its will, Evelyn does what she can to save her family, both emotionally and practically. Julianne Moore does a splendid job of portraying a woman who could be a Pollyanna, but instead shows greater strength than if she tossed the drunken bum out and went outside the home to work. Bravo to her and to the real Evelyn Ryan, and to those who appreciate this great little film.

Set in the post-war 1950s, director Jane Anderson portrays the life of Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore), a mother of ten who supported her family as a "contester" by winning an astounding number of prizes for her hundreds if not thousands of entries. Evelyn is an irrepressible mother, cheerful, dutiful, brilliant, and probably an enabler to her husband Kelly. Kelly (Woody Harrelson) is an insecure, self-loathing under-achiever whose alcoholism explodes into fits of rage and violence. But as was true for that era, he was the man of the house who called all the shots. When the cops arrive to quell their domestic violence, they chat with Kelly about baseball; when the priest comes over he advises Evelyn to be a better wife. If not for Evelyn's soothing, confident oil upon these troubled waters, the Ryan family and marriage would have both disintegrated. In an interesting technical twist Anderson has a double of Evelyn narrate parts of the film. Anderson based the film on the family memoir The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan (one of the ten children). As someone who was raised in a family of eight in the age of Father Knows Best, I loved this emotionally rich film about a mom who had no power but all the influence.

My family lived next door to the Ryans in their early years. After they moved, we also kept in touch with Evelyn and several of the children. My mother used to tell us about all the prizes that Evelyn would win. She really was gifted. The alcoholism of her husband was only slightly known, however. That sort of thing was kept quiet. My mother said the film was very real and close to the facts. Evelyn was a modern-day "Super-Woman!"

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio:

I have actually been meaning to read the book on which this movie is based for a few years now, but still haven't managed to do so. When I saw that it was made into a movie (through no help of TV previews or anything like that, I might add) I knew I had to see it. From what I've been told, the movie stays pretty true to the book, and the Ryan family is happy with the finished product, which is always a plus.

The story is heartwarming, and as you watch you really begin to care about them. You're happy when they're happy, and you're sad when Evelyn or the kids are sad. Julianne Moore did an excellent job in her role as Evelyn Ryan. She plays a very believable 1950s-1960s housewife. I was impressed. Woody Harrelson also did a fantastic job playing Kelly Ryan, the alcoholic husband/father. While I found it difficult to watch the scenes where he'd get drunk and become angry, I was comforted by knowing that he never really meant any of what he did or said. I think the positive spin Evelyn put on most things really made the story as great as it is.

The fact that this is based on a true story has to be the most important reason for why this is such a great movie. Sometimes in life you have to deal with stressful, painful situations - many of which involve financial issues. Seeing how Evelyn dealt with them, almost on a weekly basis, is very inspiring. True, this was the 50s, and times were certainly different back then, but the true message behind this story can still be received and put into action in our daily lives: stay true to yourself, family first, and never underestimate the power of prayer.

This is an all-around excellent movie, and I highly recommend it. If I had to label it, I would call it a feel-good family movie. I wasn't born until 1979, but this movie certainly left me feeling nostalgic for a time twenty years before my own.

Normally, my equation is Julianne Moore = seat in the theater. I go out of my way to see her films; trusting her judgment and loving her work. However, this little jewel somehow surpassed me in the theaters and it wasn't until a rental that I finally saw this work, and the amazing, amazing life of one Evelyn Ryan.

Based on a memoir by Terry Ryan, Prize Winner tells the story of Evelyn, a housewife, mother of ten, and married to a hopeless alcoholic. Due to his drinking problem, the family often found themselves short of cash. To supplement the budget, Evelyn turned to her writing talents, writing jingles, slogans, and sayings for products. Having a knack for such a thing, she finds herself winning a bevy of prizes, some small, like two dollars, and some a little bit bigger, like automobiles.

Interspersed in the happy winning moments are her struggles with her husband, played by Woody Harrelson. A raging drunk, Kelly finds himself barely able to control his moments of exploding anger. In a movie so hopelessly chipper at times, these moments are painful and quite off-putting at times. Evelyn's handling of Kelly is a masterstroke in and of itself. Not able to end her marriage, or get support from the church, Evelyn makes due and brings her family together even when he's being an ass.

Julianne's performance is of her usual high quality and wonderful to watch. She's played 50's housewives before, and she has a knack with it. She manages to bring light into the moments when Woody goes into a tantrum, amazing. Woody's performance seems like a harsh caracature at first, but he grows into his role and he both mellows as he sinks into his failure.

The true winning of the film is director Jane Anderson's brilliant directing decisions that make this film stick out. Frequently, Evelyn often breaks from the movie, and talks to us, still in character. The effect is charming. Cutaways that celebrate the 50's funky style are also quite fun to watch, and propel this film. These help what could have become a Lifetime movie of the week, into a more playful, happy romp, that the real Evelyn would have loved.

In all, this movie isn't about winning prizes, or drunk husbands. It's about everyday heroes. You know the ones. The everyday heroes that go unlauded in our celebrity rife culture. The people that teach our kids long division, or helped us get our first library card, or loaned us money for our first houses, or raised ten kids with some zippy tunes. Our world is full of people whose stories are compelling and wonderful, but may never get told. This one did, thanks to Terry Ryan. And thanks to Julianne Moore and Jane Anderson for bringing this everyday hero to life.

Nice little 50s setting movie with the twist of Evelyn writing
jingles and winning regional and national contests. I had no idea these contests were such a big deal, so that made the movie of interest to me. The movie is generally well paced, and wisely limits itself to just over 90 minutes. Moore gives a fine performance as the peppy, unceaseingly patient Mom of 10 children. Harrelson's father character is a bit odd, but supposedly that's how the family functioned. Some 50s stereotypes are a bit rough and un-nuanced, but several production flares and 50s touches keep the movie bouyant.
Moore's relation with Dern is cheerful and gives the movie
second legs in the second half.

Julianne Moore's performance is flawless.
Woody Harrelson's performance is good.
Laura Dern's performance is good.
The art direction is superb.
The costume design is "factual".
The direction is divine.
The make up is perfect.
The set design is realistic.
The sub-plots aren't convoluted.
The writing is meaningful.

This film is overtly entertaining as it is thought provoking and endearing. Moore's performance within this gem is wonderfully brilliant. Each facet of this film, each part of the whole, works. You'll be "IN" this picture. This is one of those films that grabs you by the shirt and pulls your mind and spirit in with it. Such an experience is this work. Purchase this film and watch, over and over. Each time you'll cry and laugh without any of the experience being lost in the number of times it's viewed.

"Prize Winner...." is a RARITY and should be savored.