American Venus

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American Venus

2007

1h 20m

Drama

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4 Reviews

21%

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250+ Ratings

When figure skater Jenna (Jane McGregor) loses a national championship, she decides to quit the sport, infuriating her mother and coach, Celia (Rebecca De Mornay). Unable to handle her mother's controlling and abusive ways, Jenna flees Seattle and goes to Vancouver, British Columbia. Despite her father's best efforts to stop her mother, Celia soon finds out where Jenna has gone, and follows her. When her gun is confiscated at the Canadian border, Celia becomes obsessed with finding new firearms.

Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Never settling on a consistent tone or establishing a convincing context for its central character, the movie ultimately seems to grow bored even with itself.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 12, 2007

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

Writer-helmer Bruce Sweeney can't decide if the lead figure is a comic caricature or pathetic mental case; his resolution is so desultory it feels like he ceased caring.

Sep 21, 2007

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Globe and Mail

As a filmmaker with a gift for social satire, Sweeney isn't at his best focusing almost exclusively on one character.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 6, 2007

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a strange, almost indescribable little movie...

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 15, 2007

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Audience Member

Dreadful but oddly compelling mother/daughter relationship which devolves into full-on mental illness. But what the mother's illness is, is impossible to say. Perhaps empty nest anxiety coupled with a handgun erotica fixation. Weird.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Writer-helmer Bruce Sweeney can't decide if the lead figure is a comic caricature or pathetic mental case; his resolution is so desultory it feels like he ceased caring.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

It's not predictable and the movie has some unexpected twists. The acting is good, the story is a little underdeveloped however, too much is not explained. It never bored me though.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

if you see one movie about penis envy, make it this one.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

Had to turn it off, the story was so long winded and what an awful plot.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

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Audience Member

Another movie I disliked. Celia is a disturbed woman who is addicted to handguns and needs to manipulate the people around her, especially her daughter. But I learned nothing by watching it, other than perhaps an appreciation for Canada's gun laws.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

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Bruce Sweeney

Director

Rebecca De Mornay

Celia Lane

Jane McGregor

Jenna Lane

Matt Craven

Bob Lane

Nicholas Lea

Dougie

Anna Amoroso

Michelle

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Synopsis

When figure skater Jenna (Jane McGregor) loses a national championship, she decides to quit the sport, infuriating her mother and coach, Celia (Rebecca De Mornay). Unable to handle her mother's controlling and abusive ways, Jenna flees Seattle and goes to Vancouver, British Columbia. Despite her father's best efforts to stop her mother, Celia soon finds out where Jenna has gone, and follows her. When her gun is confiscated at the Canadian border, Celia becomes obsessed with finding new firearms.

Director: Bruce Sweeney
Producer: Stephen Hegyes
Screenwriter: Bruce Sweeney
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 4, 2017
Runtime: 1h 20m