Alias Betty (Betty Fisher and Other Stories)(Betty Fisher et autres histoires) (2002)
79%RT Audience Score: 63%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 3 nominations
Betty Fisher and Other Stories is a film that delicately balances the themes of motherhood, obsession, and trauma with the intensity of an urban thriller. The film’s structure is akin to a collage, with intersecting stories that come together in a satisfying and thought-provoking way. The tension is expertly crafted, with director Claude Miller opting for a quiet and understated approach that only adds to the film’s power. It’s a captivating story that explores the darker aspects of human nature, and does so with heart and intelligence. Like a fine wine, Betty Fisher and Other Stories is a film that only gets better with age.
Betty Fisher and Other Stories is a movie that explores the complex relationships between mothers and their children, but with a twist of child abuse and sexual obsession. Despite the heavy themes, the movie manages to be a captivating story that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. The style and cast are expertly chosen, and the tension is plucked from quiet moments. It’s like a Tarantino movie with heart, and it’s definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, The Steve Tisch Company, Wendy Finerman Productions,
Distributor
Wellspring Cinema
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Quebec, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2002
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 42m
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Language(s):French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 13, 2002 Original
Genre(s)
Comedy/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Sandrine Kiberlain, Nicole Garcia, Mathilde Seigner, Luck Mervil, Édouard Baer, Stéphane Freiss, directed by Claude Miller, written by Claude Miller, Ruth Rendell, Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, $206.4K box office, Wellspring Cinema distributor, Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, DTS, Dolby SR sound mix, Flat (1.85:1) aspect ratio, Yves Marmion, Annie Miller producers, MPAA rating, reviewed by Ed Siegel, Marjorie Baumgarten, Matt Weitz, Michael Wilmington, Moira MacDonald, Jonathan Curiel, Emanuel Levy, Greg Muskewitz, Enrique Buchichio, Dennis Schwartz, Christopher Null, Sean P Means, Betty Fisher and Other Stories, grieving, depression, child kidnapping, motherhood, loss, anger, greed, jealousy, sickness, love
Worldwide gross: $676,239
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,121,585
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,576
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 122,310
US/Canada gross: $208,400
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $345,644
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,424
US/Canada opening weekend: $23,929
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $39,688
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,274
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): FRF 50,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Nicole Garcia – Margot Fisher
Mathilde Seigner – Carole
Luck Mervil – François Diembele
Édouard Baer – Alex Basato
Stéphane Freiss – Edouard
Director(s)
Claude Miller
Writer(s)
Claude Miller, Ruth Rendell
Producer(s)
Yves Marmion, Annie Miller
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 3 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (4)
A pleasant enough valentine to Rendell’s The Tree of Hands, if a story that deals with child abuse and sexual obsession could be described in those terms.
March 14, 2003 | Rating: 2.5/4
Ed Siegel
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Either a fascinating study of the relationship between mothers and their children or a disturbing story about sociopaths and their marks.
December 29, 2002 | Rating: 3/5
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Understated, elegant meditation on motherhood, obligation and coincidence, all wrapped up in the form of an urban thriller.
December 13, 2002 | Rating: B
Matt Weitz
Dallas Morning News
TOP CRITIC
The story pulls us in almost immediately — and the style and cast keep us hooked.
December 13, 2002 | Rating: 3.5/4
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Miller tells this very compelling tale with little fuss or noise, expertly plucking tension from quiet.
November 29, 2002 | Rating: 3.5/4
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
A provocative movie about loss, anger, greed, jealousy, sickness and love.
November 8, 2002 | Rating: 3/4
Jonathan Curiel
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
July 4, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
April 12, 2004 | Rating: 4/5
Greg Muskewitz
eFilmCritic.com
Mezcla de serie negra “a la francesa” con estudio srdido sobre la maternidad, Betty Fisher posee la estructura cinematogrfica que debe tener una pelcula que entrecruza historias como si fueran piezas de un collage que, al final, se juntan.
September 13, 2003
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total
A captivating story.
April 4, 2003 | Rating: B-
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
March 25, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
Like a Tarantino movie with heart, Alias Betty is richly detailed, deftly executed and utterly absorbing.
February 14, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/4
Sean P. Means
Salt Lake Tribune…
Plot
Novelist Betty Fisher enters a dark depression after her young son Joseph dies. Hoping to bring her out of it, her mother Margot arranges to kidnap a boy named Jose to replace the son Betty lost. Although she knows that it’s wrong, Betty accepts Jose as her new son. Meanwhile, Jose’s mother Carole is searching for her son with help from her boyfriend Francois
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast includes Sandrine Kiberlain, Nicole Garcia, Mathilde Seigner, Luck Mervil, Édouard Baer, and Stéphane Freiss.
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