Little Pink House

Little Pink House
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCourtney Balaker
Written byCourtney Balaker
Produced by
  • Courtney Balaker
  • Ted Balaker
  • Arielle Boisvert
  • Joel Soisson
  • Jeff Benedict
Starring
CinematographyAlex Lehmann
Edited bySoojin Chung
Music by
  • Scott McRae
  • Ryan Rapsys
Production
company
Korchula Productions
Distributed byDada Films
Release dates
  • February 3, 2017 (2017-02-03) (Santa Barbara)
  • April 20, 2018 (2018-04-20) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Canada
LanguageEnglish

Little Pink House is a 2017 American biographical drama film written and directed by Courtney Balaker in her feature directorial debut, based on the book Little Pink House: A True Story of Defiance and Courage by Jeff Benedict, which chronicled the case of Kelo v. City of New London. Starring Catherine Keener and Jeanne Tripplehorn, the film follows Susette Kelo (Keener), a paramedic from New London, Connecticut, who sues the town for attempting to transfer ownership of her property to a corporation through eminent domain.[1]

Although the film is set in New London, Connecticut, Principal photography began in Vancouver on September 14, 2015, and concluded on October 15.

Little Pink House premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 3, 2017, where Balaker won the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema.[2] The film was theatrically released in the United States on April 20, 2018, to positive reviews from critics.

Plot

A small-town paramedic named Susette Kelo emerges as the reluctant leader of her working-class neighbors in their struggle to save their homes from political and corporate interests bent on seizing the land and handing it over to Pfizer Corporation. Ambitious academic Dr. Charlotte Wells, president of the fictional "Walthrop College" (in real life, Connecticut College President Claire Gaudiani) persuades the current governor (John G. Rowland, unnamed in the movie) that this could help his public image by increasing tax revenue for the poor. Susette's battle goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and the controversial 5–4 decision in Kelo vs. City of New London gave government officials the power to bulldoze a neighborhood for the benefit of a multibillion-dollar corporation. The decision outraged Americans across the political spectrum, and that passion fueled reforms that helped curb eminent domain abuse.

Cast

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76%, based on 29 reviews, and an average rating of 6.19/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Little Pink House rises up on the foundation of Catherine Keener's strong central performance..."[4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[5]

A bipartisan congressional screening of the film was held at the U.S. Capitol.[6]

Accolades

References

  1. ^ Lewis, Hilary (January 18, 2017). "First Athena List Film 'Little Pink House' to Open 2017 Edition of Female-Focused Festival (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Hipes, Patrick (February 3, 2017). "'Little Pink House' Santa Barbara Fest Clip: Don't Mess With Catherine Keener". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  3. ^ Farber, Stephen (February 6, 2017). "'Little Pink House': Film Review; Santa Barbara 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Little Pink House (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  5. ^ "Little Pink House Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  6. ^ "Lawmakers to View Eminent Domain Film 'Little Pink House' at U.S. Capitol". The Hollywood Reporter. March 28, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
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