eShop USA > DVD > SherryBaby
SherryBaby
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Format: NTSC
Label: IFC Films
Manufacturer: IFC Films
Publisher: IFC Films
Studio: IFC Films
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
A disturbing film about a recovering drug addict trying to regain control of her life, Sherrybaby succinctly depicts what can happen when want and desire aren't offset by control. In this bleak indie film, Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stranger Than Fiction, Secretary) has just been released from a three-year stint in prison. Dressed in her inappropriate uniform of a halter top and oh-so-high platform heels, she goes to brother's house to see her 5-year-old daughter, Lexie (Ryan Simpkins). Sherry is determined to be a mother to her child, but without a home, job, or any other form of stability, she grows frustrated and jealous of her brother and sister-in-law's roles in Lexie's life. Tall and willowy, Gyllenhaal brings a sad desperation and simmering sexuality to the role. Sherry's middle-class childhood was a blur of sex and drugs, and she seems incapable of breaking out of that destructive trap. While the script by first-time feature film director Laurie Collyer isn't wholly original, the picture moves at a good pace, giving insight as to why Sherry's resigned to using sex to get what she wants. While the family secret doesn't come as a complete surprise, it is somewhat perplexing that no one addresses it. Ultimately, it's Gyllenhaal who makes you care about a character that most people would've given up on. --Jae-Ha Kim
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Excellent and understated movie with a powerful message
This was a fascinating movie, with a first-rate performance by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal as an ex-con on parole, a woman trying to pick up the pieces of her life, including a daughter who has been raised in her absence by her brother and sister-in-law.
Sherry returns to the free world after spending years in prison, and she acts as if she's only been gone for a week. The core of the movie centers on her troubled relationship with her five-year-old daughter. I think there are ... Read More
Rating: - "Tell me you love me..."
Sherrybaby starring the extraordinary Maggie Gyllenhaal is difficult to watch but it made a lasting impression on me. Gyllenhaal's fearless and childlike performance is what makes this film worth seeing, she plays Sherry who has been released from prison and is trying to rebuild her relationship with her young daughter. Her daughter is living with her brother Bobby and his wife and Sherry wants to do right for her daughter but obstacles and old habits creep back up again. This film isn't perfect and ... Read More
Rating: - Gyllenhaal is astounding
Sherrybaby, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, is a good film, but prepare to be rather depressed for a bit after seeing it. When we first meet Sherry Swanson (Gyllenhaal), she has recently been released from jail, where she served time for a drug-related robbery. Once she's released, she contacts her brother, Bobby, who has been keeping her child (Alexis) for her while she's been in the clink. The movie then follows Sherry as she tries to stay clean and put her life back together post-prison.
Gyllenhaal ... Read More
Rating:  - Maggie Gyllenhaal's acting is a gem, the film is not...
After seeing this movie uncut on cable, while I am a big fan of Maggie, and while her performance is second to none, overall, this is one of her films I'd rather not see a second time, so I couldn't honestly advise anyone to buy this DVD without checking it out first. It's a film I'm glad I saw at least once since I am a Maggie fan, but it is really a totally depressing experience on a number of levels throughout, the script needed major rewrites, especially as to believability issues, the ending is all wrong and ... Read More
Rating: - Gyllenhaal, Trejo and the rest drive this raw story
A stellar performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal and a pretty great one from Danny Trejo, with a rawness that affects the struggles of a young junkie-ex-con-mother attempting to make something good of her life.
Without going into details SherryBaby worked for me because I found myself viscerally reacting to each character and debating and discussing with my girlfriend the implications of the character's behaviors. That stands as a mark of an affecting and effective story.
A remarkable performance from Gyllenhaal, ... Read More
Related Categories:
| |
 |
