Ellie Parker Comes To DVD April 11th

DVD Confidential has the inside scoop on Ellie Parker, starring Naomi Watts. The DVD is scheduled to be released April 11th. Here is the info, direct from the studio:

"A laugh-out-loud comedy about an aspiring actress trying to make it in Hollywood, “King Kong,” “21 Grams” and “Mulholland Drive” star Naomi Watts has the role of a lifetime in “Ellie Parker”, which is written and directed by Scott Coffey. Strand Releasing Home Video will release “Ellie Parker” on DVD, streeting April 11th.

“Ellie Parker” is a comic character study of a woman in contemporary Los Angeles who is struggling for integrity in her career and personal life – as she waits, and waits, for the actor’s dream of a Big Break. Watts and Coffey produced the film together, gathering a cast that includes Chevy Chase as Ellie’s manager, Rebecca Rigg as her best friend, Mark Pellegrino as her boyfriend, Coffey as a possible love interest and Blair Mastbaum as a crazy German director who may or may not hire her. Keanu Reeves’ band Dogstar also makes a cameo appearance.

A character tailored to Watts’ impressive talents – Variety likened the actress to both Carole Lombard and Lucille Ball in its review of the film, Ellie Parker is the classic aspiring starlet who is perhaps a bit too old for the crazy life she leads. She is determined, however, to get her big break, even as she is forced to endure almost constant rejection and the unreasonable demands of would-be filmmakers and various Los Angeles poseurs. There’s never been such an acerbic look at the underside of the film industry as in “Ellie Parker”.

“A good movie, fearless and true, observant and merciless,” said Roger Ebert in the Two Thumbs Up review from Ebert and Roeper. “Naomi Watts was brave to make it and gifted to make it so well.” The Los Angeles Times raved “’Ellie Parker’ is at once hilarious and harrowing, and in being so, seems right on target…it’s a funny, fractured valentine,” while The New York Times exclaimed “corrosive, deadpan…it’s a tour de force.” Newsday called the film “killingly smart.” Perhaps Salon.com summarized the film most eloquently: “The sharpest, most authentic portrait of Hollywood life made in the last several years.”

“Ellie Parker” was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival, and the film won a Special Jury Award as Best American Film at the Seattle Film Festival. At this same Festival, Watts was specially sited “for her bold, courageous and hilarious performance.”

“Ellie Parker” was initially a 16 minute short film which received great acclaim and lots of shorts film festival awards. Since the response to the short was so positive, Watts and Coffey decided to expand the premise into a feature film, giving the filmmakers the opportunity to explore the character more deeply. Thanks to Watts’ impressively layered performance and Coffey’s obvious affection for some of the archetypes he lampoons, those considering an acting career might think twice."

The DVD of “Ellie Parker” contains over 90 minutes of Special Features, including:

· Commentary Track by Writer/Director Scott Coffey
· Deleted Scenes
· Alternate Scenes
· Bonus Scenes
· Original Theatrical Trailer
· Letterbox, 16x9, Motion Menu

Buy Ellie Parker On DVD