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Movie Review - The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Scott Derrickson |
| Starring: |
Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, and Jennifer Carpenter |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for thematic material, including intense/frightening sequences and disturbing images) |
| Length: |
120 minutes |
| Genre: |
Drama/Horror/Thriller |
| Tagline: |
What happened to Emily? |
| Studio: |
Sony Pictures |
| Website: |
The Exorcism of Emily Rose |
| Release: |
September 9, 2005 |
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PLOT
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Emily Rose (Carpenter) is dead. Her parents and priest (Wilkinson) claim that she was demon possessed, but her
medical records show that she might have had Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, which could've resulted in a state of
psychosis. At any rate, a young girl is no longer amongst the living and someone has to be put on trial, so the
state decides to prosecute the priest who had taken Emily into his care.
Laura Linney decides to accept the offer to defend the priest when her boss tells her that if she can win this
case then she can make senior partner. After all, that's what law is all about, right? Looking out for ol'
number 1. The task won't be easy though. Linney faces an uphill battle because the prosecutor (Scott) has a couple
of medical experts on his side while she has to convince a jury to believe in the "it was the devil's fault"
defense. A movie that is VERY loosely based on a true story ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Expectations. Almost all of life's joys and disappointments hinge on expectations. If they're met we go home
happy. If they're not met we go home frustrated. And if they're exceeded then we go home thrilled, and breakfast
tastes just a little bit sweeter the next morning. If you've ever wondered why so many people set their standards
low, well, it's so that they can't help but be exceeded. What is failure other than neglecting to meet
expectations?
Anyway, all that is a long-winded way of saying that your enjoyment of The Exorcism of Emily Rose will most
likely correlate with your expectations. I think the marketing department made a mistake in trying to push this as
a horror movie. As much (if not more) time is spent in the courtroom as it is on Emily Rose's supposedly possessed
screams and contortions.
If you're expecting and desiring straight-up horror and scares then those expectations will not be met. There are
some creepy moments, but this really isn't all that frightening. Granted, movies don't scare me that easily.
Typically, a walk at night in downtown Memphis is required to manage that. However, there was a guy behind me that
started reciting "The Lord's Prayer" at one point. I don't know if this was an overreaction on his part and he was
actually scared (wuss) or if he was just a moron who was trying to be cute. Either way, I never felt any sense of
fear or dread.
What I did feel was a genuine interest in the story and the courtroom proceedings. The movie is most effective
when flashbacks are telling Emily Rose's story. I especially liked how the movie presented both sides of the
case. In one scene we'll see things from the point of view that Emily is all demon-possessed and whacked out
like she's Tom Cruise in love, and then we'll see the same scene from a medical/scientific viewpoint.
But where the movie let me down was in the distortion of the real facts of the case. Yes, as the prologue tells
us, this is "based on a true story." Those words should always have you reaching for your grain of salt (a
necessary item at most movies these days). This should come as no surprise, but two minutes worth of research
reveals that the case this is based on (the girl's real name was "Anneliese Michel" not "Emily Rose") bears little
resemblance to the overly dramatic portrayal that the movie gives us.
I know it's just a movie, but I couldn't help but be skeptical once everything started to get a little too
coincidental. Something happens to a key witness, Laura Linney starts to see dark figures, we're falsely informed
that there was only one exorcism and it took place on Halloween, Laura Linney starts to wake up every night at
3:00 AM. The priest tells the audience that this is significant because it's known as "the demonic witching hour."
It's an inversion of 3:00 PM - one theoretical time of Christ's death. At this point I started to think,
"Oh come on, now THAT can't be part of the true story." My skepticism started to become a distraction.
Plus, it didn't help that I had, "And she says baby, it's 3:00 AM I must be lonely!" running through
my head. Matchbox 20 lyrics always have a way of ruining a mood.
But that's just a small complaint. I was disappointed when I got home, did some research, and found out that most
of the movie's details regarding the possession and the priest's statements were indeed fictional and had nothing to
do with the real case. My doubts were confirmed. I suppose you have to twist the facts and dramatize everything
when you're trying to scare people, but I was hoping this would be a case where truth really was stranger than
fiction. I convinced myself to expect that would *not* be the case, so my expectations were met and I went home
happy. I was just hoping my Kroger brand cinnamon pop tart would taste sweeter the next morning. Oh well, maybe
next time.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- You can check out this site to get more
information on the real story of Anneliese Michel.
- Laura Linney was in Searching for Bobby Fischer with Joan Allen who was in All the Rage with Josh
Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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As far as the content goes, there isn't a whole lot here that would offend mama. Profanity is pretty light with
one "s" word being the biggest offense. There is no nudity or sexuality either. However, there are some scenes
that might be a little too scary or intense for younger audiences.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The trailer is a little misleading. It focuses more on the horror aspect of the movie when in reality just as much
(if not more) time is spent in the courtroom.
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THE GIST
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The Exorcism of Emily Rose is an entertaining movie as long as you get what you're expecting. I recommend
you go in expecting a courtroom drama with horror elements and a fictional story with tidbits of truth and you
should go home entertained. After all, joy and disappointment hinge on expectations, so sometimes it's best to
have a good idea of what to expect.
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