The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

2005 · 99 min · EN · 6.6 (91 votes)

Dir. Jane Anderson · Starring Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern, Trevor Morgan, Ellary Porterfield, Simon Reynolds · Music John Frizzell

“She raised ten kids on twenty five words or less.”

Drama

A Midwestern housewife supports her large family by entering contests for ad slogans sponsored by consumer product companies, while dealing with abuse from her alcoholic husband. Based on a true story.

VIBE

A poignant look at a 1950s housewife's quiet strength. It feels like a bittersweet, hopeful journey through domestic challenges, capturing the era's subtle struggles and a woman's fight for her family's well-being.

heartbreakingupliftingnostalgicresilientsteadyperiod dramakitchen sink realismcharacter-drivenresiliencefamilydomestic strugglehope

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commercialhousewifebased on true storymiddle classohiodysfunctional marriagebreaking the fourth wallbased on memoir or autobiographyprize moneywoman directormortgagecontests and competitions1950s1960slarge familytv contestprizeseconomic struggle