IMDb > Cellular (2004)
Cellular
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Cellular (2004) -- Theatrical Preview
Cellular (2004) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   29,970 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 136% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Larry Cohen (story)
Chris Morgan (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Cellular on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 September 2004 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
If the signal dies so does she.
Plot:
A young man receives an emergency phone call on his cell phone from an older woman. The catch? The woman claims to have been kidnapped; and the kidnappers have targeted her husband and child next. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
2 nominations more
User Reviews:
All lines are busy... more (326 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Caroline Aaron ... Marilyn Mooney
Brenda Ballard ... Irate Customer #1

Kim Basinger ... Jessica Martin

Will Beinbrink ... Young Security Guard

Jessica Biel ... Chloe
Chase Bloch ... Timid Boy
Chelsea Bloch ... Surf Girl's Friend

Chantille Boudousque ... Chloe's Chilly Friend
Robin Brenner ... Excitable Customer
Richard Burgi ... Craig Martin
Paige Cannon ... Girl at Concert
Nikki Christian ... Porsche Girl

John Churchill ... Young Guard

Greg Collins ... Aging Security Guard

Valerie Cruz ... Dana Bayback
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Final Call - Wenn er auflegt, muss sie sterben (Germany) (DVD title)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for violence, terror situations, language and some sexual references.
Runtime:
94 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber did uncredited rewrites of the script. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): At LAX airport, when Ryan steals someone's boarding pass, the security only checks his boarding pass and does not ask for any ID like they would at the real LAX. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Ricky Martin: Mom, will you still be a science teacher when I get into high school?
Jessica Martin: Hmm... You never know. Why?
Ricky Martin: 'Cause I think it'd be kind of weird to have your mom as a teacher.
more
Movie Connections:
References Final Destination (2000) more
Soundtrack:
Them Jeans more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
9 out of 13 people found the following review useful.
All lines are busy..., 24 September 2004
8/10
Author: Merwyn Grote (majikstl@aol.com) from St. Louis, Missouri

I like a movie that takes an idea or a theme or just an amusing gimmick and then runs with it. There is something exhilarating about being able to exhaust the possibilities of an idea without beating the whole thing to death. A great example is GROUNDHOG DAY; just when you think the filmmakers have milked the idea for all it's worth, they take off on a totally new tangent and the film ends up getting better and better. It is a sign that the writer and/or the director are thrilled with the sheer joy of creative exploration. They aren't just playing by the numbers, but are eager to go beyond expectations. This is film-making as a challenging game.

CELLULAR, while not in the same league as GROUNDHOG DAY, is nonetheless a good example of this type of storytelling. This time the linchpin of the story is the cell phone. The filmmakers seem to have made a list of everything that makes cell phones great (emergency use, portability, digital photography, etc.) as well as what makes them a nuisance (ringing at inappropriate times, crossed connections, lost signals, dying batteries, etc.) and incorporated both lists into a story. The trick isn't just to gerryrig the list into a story, but to do so in a coherent and plausible fashion. CELLULAR is a crackerjack piece of storytelling. The storyline is unlikely, but not impossible and it all unfolds at a steady clip that makes any loophole or implausibility fly by so fast that the viewer has little time to raise a question.

Beyond the gimmickry of the storytelling, the film also benefits from being a solid, efficient, no-nonsense piece of film-making. Directed by actor-turned-stuntman-turned-director David R. Ellis, this is an action-packed thriller that knows the value of blending action with humor and character. Without loosing its manic pace, the film nevertheless takes time for puckish humor and character development. As the damsel in distress, the Hitchcockian innocent man sucked into a web of intrigue and the retiring cop facing his one last case, the actors could have been saddled with one-note, cliché characters. But Kim Basinger, Chris Evans and William H. Macy are given ample room to not only act, but to create characters who are, more importantly, smart. They aren't at the mercy of the complicated plot, they are what moves it along.

My one genuine reservation with CELLULAR is that it is destined to become dated so very fast. Technology, the film's driving force, will quickly be its undoing. It brings to mind old episodes of the "Columbo" TV series, where Peter Falk's Lt. Columbo is seen to be in awe of computers and answering machines and video cameras and VCRs, and he has to go into great detail explaining how such gadgets and gizmos work and how they can be used as part of a murder plot. The cutting edge technology of the time now seems so elementary that Columbo's naivete seems rather silly. Yet, the Columbo stories still hold up thanks to clever storytelling and strong characters played by good actors. And from that perspective, CELLULAR just might hold up to be a minor classic, albeit as a period piece.

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Did the Asian guy remind anyone of Luffy from one piece? armanhaikia
'London' movie + why not just trace the #?? AlxSTI-1
Basinger i,i,i,i,is a,a,awful in this... LastGunslinger05
Camera to cellphone? Bill1936
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FYE: Hong Kong Remake of 'Cellular' truongt
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