Cardboard Palace

Author(s): Douglas Hall
Location: N/A

“Cardboard Palace”

Directed by Jonathan Demme
Written by Ted Tally
Produced by Jonathan Demme, Steven Soderbergh, and Ted Tally

Principal Cast:

Shannyn Sossaman … Becky, troubled young woman with a much older husband and pregnant with her first child, suffers from past memories from her abusive father and suffers from depression Tessa Allen … Sarah, the promiscuous young girl

Edward James Olmos … Randy, much older husband to Becky, determined to discover who killed his sister

Helena Bonham Carter … Natalie, Randy’s slaughtered and butchered sister, drug-addicted woman who married her own stepson

Jared Leto … Brandon, Natalie’s almost always drugged-up, anger problematic husband who is having an affair

Jennifer Lopez … Veronica, Brandon’s lover, sluttish and trite model who wants a divorce from her writer husband to marry Brandon and help him from his drug-induced ways

Russell Sams … Alex, writer who is shocked when wife Veronica wants a divorce for the drug-addicted Brandon

Other Characters:

Tessa Allen … Natalie’s promiscuous daughter planning to run away with a convicted child molester

Randy Quaid … Leonard, Becky’s sick-minded father, convicted child molester who raped Veronica, beat on and molested Becky when she was younger and is now planning to run away with Sarah after he becomes the prime suspect in Natalie’s death

Debbie Reynolds … May, grandmother to Becky who always has wisdom-warm advice, sort of conscience and helps Becky through to the light a little

Tagline: "Everyone has secrets. Even if they aren’t secrets at all"

Synopsis: Becky is a depressed, pregnant, young housewife who realizes her grandmother May has a few weeks to live. Randy is Becky’s much older husband who is looking for clues to discover who was the man who raped, butchered, and dumped his sister Natalie’s body in a small town creek bed. Suspects turn out being numerous from writer Alex, his wife Veronica, and her lover Brandon who happens to be Natalie’s abusively drug-addicted husband. Another suspect is one with far darker secrets. Becky’s own father Leonard, a convicted child molester who is sleeping with Natalie’s barely teenaged daughter Sarah. When the mystery begins to clear up to it’s finale, there is one question left. Who killed Natalie and Veronica?

What the press would say:

Violently disturbing in many of the film’s dramatic moments, ‘Cardboard Palace’, is a beautifully rendered realistic drama that is the best bluntly life-changing picture since ‘Requiem for a Dream’. Filled with exquisitely three-dimensional characters and performances by some actors and actresses critics have doubted on, ‘Cardboard Palace’ is a sad and provocative portrayal of some dark topics of human nature. Deserving Oscars are Edward James Olmos as Randy who realizes that he may be just as crazy as the madman behind the killing of his sister when he breaks down into insanity. Shannyn Sossaman deserves an Oscar for her dramatically powerful role as woman tortured with what many have steered her life towards as she becomes emotionally disrupted and plans a suicide. Jared Leto deserves gold for his fascinating performance as drug addict who is the one behind the slaughter of Natalie. And Jennifer Lopez stuns many critics with her exceptional portrait of Veronica. She scares you with her blank stares and her voice of sweetness when deep down, she is a despicable monster waiting for its prey. ‘Cardboard Palace’ is a one-time ticket to a movie that may change your life. And for a movie to do that, it MUST deserve an Oscar.

For Your Consideration:
Picture
Director: Jonathan Demme
Original Screenplay
Actor – Edward James Olmos
Actress – Shannyn Sossaman
Supporting Actor – Jared Leto
Supporting Actress – Jennifer Lopez
Film Editing