Sordid Lives (2000)

Director:

Del Shores

Writers (WGA):

Del Shores (play)
Del Shores (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 May 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

A black comedy about white trash.

Plot:

As three generations of a family in a small Texas town gather for a funeral, we learn the hilarious, sad, trashy truth of the "Sordid Lives."

Plot Keywords:

Girlfriend | Male Frontal Nudity | Nymphomaniac | Mother Son Relationship | Therapy

Awards:

5 wins

Cast

Olivia Newton-John	...	Bitsy Mae Harling
Kirk Geiger	...	Ty Williamson
Sarah Hunley	...	Juanita Bartlett
Newell Alexander	...	Wardell 'Bubba' Owens
Beau Bridges	...	G.W. Nethercott
Earl Houston Bullock	...	Odell Owens (as Earl H. Bullock)
Beth Grant	...	Sissy Hickey
Delta Burke	...	Noleta Nethercott
Leslie Jordan	...	Earl 'Brother Boy' Ingram
Mitch Carter	...	Bumper
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Latrelle Williamson
Sharron Alexis	...	Sara Kaufman
Ann Walker	...	LaVonda DuPree
Mary Margaret Lewis	...	Ethel (as Mary-Margaret Lewis)
Rosemary Alexander	...	Dr. Eve Bolinger

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Daly-Harris Productions

Trivia:

This film contains many of the original actors from the long running stage-production, with the actors who originated Bonnie Bedelia and Beau Bridges roles (Mary Margaret Lewis and Mitch Carter) playing the receptionist Ethel and security guard in the mental institution.

Goofs:

Continuity: In our first view of the corpse, it is wearing red lipstick. In the very next view, the lips are pink. Then they are red again in subsequent scenes.

Quotes:

Brother Boy: Well I did it. I walked all the way down that hall with one less piece of female attire... that is, if you consider a wig attire.

Movie Connections:

References "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962)

Soundtrack:

Trust Yourself

worth the wait

My girlfriend and I saw trailers and the great website for Sordid Lives over a year ago and couldn't wait to see it. We kept checking back to see if it had finally made it's way out to us in LA every so often and had begun to figure we'd have to wait for the dvd release. Then driving today we saw it playing at a little house on LaBrea and hit up the next showing.

This film was well worth the wait. It's true that the camera work isn't flashy and it's easy to tell it was adapted from a play. But all the great characters and witty dialogue are so engaging you hardly notice. The whole cast does and excellent job and I honestly haven't laughed during a film this much since Waiting for Guffman. Although I think the film may be more targeted at gay audiences there seems to be something for everyone in this. Rarely have I seen a movie that managed to be this funny while being touching and real at the same time without seeming completely contrived and cheesy.