Hounddog (R, 2008)

In the Deep South in 1959, 12-year-old Lewellen (Dakota Fanning) loves Elvis so much that she can't stop singing -- or dancing -- like him. When she and her best friend, Buddy (Cody Hanford), discover that the King is going to give a concert in town, she's desperate for a ticket. Unable to score money from her mean father (David Morse) or rock 'n' roll-hating grandmother (Piper Laurie), Lewellen reluctantly agrees to do her "Hounddog" act for a teenage boy who promises tickets but has evil intentions. After she's brutalized, Lewellen loses her will to sing or live.

Director Deborah Kampmeier has reportedly drastically altered the second half of HOUNDDOG since she submitted a rough cut that garnered mediocre reviews and general outrage at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Without having seen the earlier cut, it's impossible to tell whether the changes have made the film better, but one thing is clear -- the infamous rape scene is neither explicit nor exploitative. The scene, in which viewers hear more than they see, is a story development used to show how a pre-pubescent Lewellen is figuratively and literally silenced -- until a sage African-American caretaker (Afemo Omilami) helps her discover her "true voice" via the blues.

Unfortunately, the movie's metaphorical message lacks the intended emotional punch because it's so overpowered by banal Southern stereotypes (hissing snakes, a Bible-thumping grandmother, an emotionally abusive father, to name a few). Fanning is clearly talented beyond her years, but this unremarkable coming-of-age story isn't the best showcase for her acting gifts.

Studio: Deerjen Films
Director: Deborah Kampmeier
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Robin Wright Penn, Ryan Pelton
Genre: Drama
Run time: 102 minutes
Theatrical release: September 17, 2008
DVD release: February 3, 2009
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: a disturbing sexual assault of a young girl, and brief sexuality