Bonneville Production Highlights
Jessica Lange, Joan Allen, and Kathy Bates Hit the Road in New Film
Three friends come of age for a second time in this road trip from Idaho to California in a '66 Bonneville convertible.
In Bonneville, Jessica Lange, Joan Allen, and Kathy Bates go on the adventure of a lifetime when they travel out West to deliver the ashes of Arvilla Holden’s dead husband. Pressured and threatened by her stepdaughter (Christine Baranski) to bury him next to his former wife, Arvilla (Lange) brings her two best friends along for an exciting trip past stunning landscapes and chance encounters, including a friendly truck driver (Tom Skerritt).
About the Production
- Based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, production took place over six weeks during fall 2005. The movie also shot in Bryce Canyon, Las Vegas, and California. Locations included the desert, salt flats, and on Lake Powell.
- The story begins in Pacatello, Idaho, the town where the film’s screenwriter, Daniel D. Davis, grew up before moving to California to pursue a screenwriting career. The story is based on real people in his life – his grandmother, his aunt, and a family friend.
- A graduate of USC’s School of Cinema-Television, director Christopher Rowley makes his feature film debut with Bonneville. Previously, he had directed an industrial film on the history of his family’s business. He spent six months in advance studying the characters in the film and preparing for his work on Bonneville.
- Producer Robert May worked on the award-winning feature-length documentaries The War Tapes and The Fog of War. He also produced the narrative feature film The Station Agent with director Tom McCarthy, for which they won numerous awards.
About the Actors
- The first actress to sign up for the project was Lange, who took on the central character who loses the love of the life and undergoes a journey of self-discovery. The movie begins with her loss and uses the road trip as a metaphor for her grieving process.
- When Bates was first approached about her role, she loved the script, but thought that her character of Margene wasn’t developed enough. She wrote notes suggesting ways in which the character could be broadened and deepened. These notes helped the filmmakers in revamping her character. “It was important to me that Margene be a whole person, not just somebody who’s given one-liners all the time,” Bate says.
- To prepare for her role as Carol, Allen spent a week with Mormons, studying the people, the culture, and the church in order to add authenticity to her portrayal of a devout Mormon woman who finds herself in unusual circumstances as she supports her good friend.
- Bonneville
- Director: Christopher N Rowley
- Run Time: 104 minutes
- Rating: PG
To learn more about dramatic films, read reviews of Married LIfe, Waitress, and Things We Lost in the Fire.
The copyright of the article Bonneville Production Highlights in Film Dramas is owned by Leslie Halpern. Permission to republish Bonneville Production Highlights must be granted by the author in writing.
