Polished Alliance

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

“Polished Alliance”

Written and Directed by Curtis Hanson
Produced by Brian Grazer and Curtin Hanson

Principal Cast:

Julianne Moore … Stevie Lewis
Lindsay Lohan … Tesla Gray
Philip Baker Hall … Roger Hamilton
Val Kilmer … Brendon Gray

Tagline: "A friend is someone you will help for the rest of your life… till death do you part"

Synopsis: Tesla Gray (Lindsay Lohan) suffers depression after losing her mother at eight, suffering abuse from her father (Val Kilmer) since she was two, and now turning eighteen, must face much stress as she moves out onto a life of her own. Finding a disgusting rat-infested apartment her father was “nice” enough to buy for her, she works minimum wage in a bingo hall, selling hot dogs and hamburgers to old people. She keeps her apartment by sleeping with the sex job manager (Philip Baker Hall). Next door lives Stevie (Julianne Moore). Stevie is a woman who had a sex change two years earlier and is trying to overcome discrimination against her sexuality. She barely can get a job and loses her apartment, mostly because of her preference. Tesla and Stevie become friends when Tesla allows Stevie to live with her in her apartment after she is booted out. The two share with each other a powerful and inseparable bond. They begin to raise money with jobs (Stevie gets one at the bingo hall) and dirtiness (prostitution). In the end, they try to raise enough money to get their own house and adopt a child and live a life of happiness with each other. Unfortunately, a terribly tragic occurrence is in store for both of them.

What the press would say:

Curtis Hanson’s brave picture shows life in the most depressing of ways at times, but also brings to the screen a strong presence on how important and powerful friendship is to a human being. Featuring two powerful performances, Lindsay Lohan will make people regret disregarding her as an actress thanks to her wonderfully magnetic and fully nuanced portrayal as a girl in trouble. “She is a wonder,” hails Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine. “She doesn’t go over the top and never to under and she puts on a New York accent that sounds neither forced or unreal.” Although Lohan is loved, the critics cheered for Julianne Moore’s amazing performance as the transvestite Stevie. Roger Ebert hails it as “Moore’s performance in this and Charlize Theron’s performance in Monster are surely the two major performance of the decade and are both, in my opinion, two of the greatest performances in cinematic history!” Peter Travers adds on, “Felicity Huffman in Transamerica stunned? This is a marvel! Moore is fantastic sporting a great deeper voice and accent, cutting her hair to a flat top, taping down her breasts, looking like a man … and I regret saying she is beautiful because she has morphed into a guy!” The film has one of the most moving endings in movie history as characters Tesla and Stevie face the dirty truth when one of Stevie’s johns murders her after finding out her true sex. “Powerful filmmaking, shockingly nuanced performances, and a deliciously original script, Polished Alliance is one of the ten best films of the year!” – Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper.

For Your Consideration:
Picture
Director – Hanson
Original Screenplay
Actress – Lohan
Actress – Moore