Anywhere but Here (film)

Anywhere but Here is a 1999 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film, based on the novel of the same name by Mona Simpson. The screenplay was written by Alvin Sargent, and the film was directed by Wayne Wang. It was produced by Laurence Mark, Petra Alexandria, and Ginny Nugent. It stars Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, and Shawn Hatosy.

Filming began in late June 1998. The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 17, 1999, before being released in the United States on November 12.

Plot
Adele August (Susan Sarandon) is an eccentric woman who, with her reluctant daughter, Ann (Natalie Portman), leaves a small Wisconsin town and moves to Beverly Hills to realize her dreams. However, it becomes apparent that Adele is uncertain of what those dreams are - expressing ideas such as marrying a rich man - and often makes irresponsible and impulsive decisions, such as purchasing a used Mercedes she cannot afford in order to drive to Beverly Hills. While upset with Adele's decisions, the more practical Ann finds she cannot leave her mother and resents her for leaving Ann's stepfather for a better life. Furthermore, Ann still loves her father, who left her family when Ann was still young.

When living in Beverly Hills, Adele improvises from day to day, often unable to pay the bills. She winds up dating a successful dentist, but learns that he doesn't love her and has dumped her for a younger woman. Things get complicated when Adele has a fight with Jimmy and Ann starts dating her crush, Peter. Forcing her daughter to enroll in Beverly Hills High School, where a lot of rich kids and movie star kids go to, Adele hopes that Ann will become an actress and attend UCLA, despite Ann's interest in going away to Brown University. Although Adele fails in many respects, she eventually accepts her daughter's plans and decides to help her.

Cast

 * Susan Sarandon as Adele August
 * Natalie Portman as Ann August
 * Shawn Hatosy as Benny
 * Hart Bochner as Josh Spritzer
 * Eileen Ryan as Lillian
 * Ray Baker as Ted
 * John Diehl as Jimmy
 * Bonnie Bedelia as Carol
 * Faran Tahir as Hisham Badir
 * Caroline Aaron as Gail Letterfine
 * Corbin Allred as Peter
 * Michael Milhoan as Cop
 * John Carroll Lynch as Jack Irwin
 * Steve Berra as Hal
 * Eva Amurri, the daughter of Susan Sarandon, has a cameo appearance as a girl on television.

Reception
The film received positive reviews from critics. It currently holds a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus reads: "The clever reversal of roles between Portman and Sarandons' characters (Portman is constantly worried and looking out for her mother, not vice versa) makes the movie interesting and worth watching. Transcends the tired cliche well."

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars and noted "The movie's interest is not in the plot, which is episodic and 'colorful,' but in the performances. Sarandon bravely makes Adele into a person who is borderline insufferable. Sarandon's role is trickier and more difficult, but Portman's will get the attention. In 'Anywhere But Here,' she gets yanked along by her out of control mother, and her best scenes are when she fights back, not emotionally, but with incisive observations."

Filming locations

 * Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills, California
 * Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows, Beverly Hills
 * Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California
 * Los Angeles, California
 * Westwood Village, Westwood, Los Angeles, California,

Soundtrack
A soundtrack to the film was released on November 2, 1999, ten days before the theatrical release. The soundtrack was distributed by Atlantic Records and Wea.

The soundtrack features original music by Lisa Loeb, Danny Elfman and k.d. lang. It also featured tracks by artists such as LeAnn Rimes, Sarah McLachlan, and Pocket Size, as well as other various artists. Rimes' song, "Leaving's Not Leaving", was released as a B-side track with her single, "Big Deal", on September 28, 1999.

Awards and nominations
Golden Globe Awards Young Artist Awards Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards
 * Nominated - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Natalie Portman
 * Nominated - Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress - Natalie Portman
 * Nominated - Best Contemporary Hair Styling (Feature) - Paul LeBlanc

Box office
The film opened at #5 at the North American box office and made $5.6 million USD in its opening weekend.