Synopsis

In 1965, Alabama housewife Lucille Vinson kills her abusive husband and heads west with his severed head, determined to become a television star. Meanwhile, her young nephew Peejoe witnesses a racist sheriff murder a Black man and becomes caught up in the civil rights struggle. As Lucille's road-trip fantasies collide with the violence back home, both stories move toward public exposure and justice.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film adapts Mark Childress' 1993 novel of the same name. Childress also wrote the screenplay.

• Production took place primarily in Louisiana, with filming in Houma, Thibodaux, Laurel Valley and New Orleans. Additional locations included Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

• Filming ran from April 22 through June 27, 1998.

• Dakota Johnson made her film debut in the movie. She appears alongside her mother, Melanie Griffith.

• Stella Banderas also made her film debut here. She is the daughter of Griffith and Antonio Banderas.

• The film's reference to Lucille seeking Alfred Hitchcock's agents has an extra personal connection: Griffith's mother, Tippi Hedren, became widely known for starring in Hitchcock's The Birds and Marnie.

• Released in the United States on October 22, 1999, the film was made on an estimated $15 million budget but earned approximately $2 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters.

• The movie premiered during the 1999 Venice Film Festival and marked Antonio Banderas' first feature as a director.