''Ruby in Paradise'' is a 1993 film written and directed by
Victor Nunez, starring
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...
,
Todd Field
William Todd Field (born February 24, 1964) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for directing three feature films: ''In the Bedroom'' (2001), '' Little Children'' (2006), and ''Tár'' (2022). He has received three Academy Award nomi ...
,
Bentley Mitchum
Bentley Mitchum (born February 22, 1967) is an American actor who has appeared in about 40 films and TV series, including Sundance grand jury prize winner ''Ruby in Paradise'', ''The Man in the Moon'', ''The Wonder Years'', ''Conviction'', '' Su ...
, Allison Dean, and
Dorothy Lyman
Dorothy Lyman is an American television actress, director and producer. She is most known for her work as Gwen Frame on '' Another World'' and on ''All My Children'' as Opal Sue Gardner, as Rebecca Whitmore on '' Generations'', and on the sitcom ...
. An homage to ''
Northanger Abbey'' by
Jane Austen, the film is a character study about a young woman who escapes her small town in Tennessee for a new life in coastal Florida. The film marks Judd’s first starring role.
The film won the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Feature at the
1993 Sundance Film Festival. It was also nominated for six
Independent Spirit Awards, with Judd winning for Best Female Lead.
Plot
Ruby is a young woman in her early 20s and the narrator of the film. She leaves her small town in
Tennessee after her mother dies, ultimately landing in
Panama City, Florida, a summer resort town she visited as a child. She arrives in Panama City (nicknamed "Redneck Riviera") in the fall, the beginning of the off-season when
tourism is slow. Despite this, Ruby manages to get a job at Chambers Beach Emporium, a souvenir store run by Mildred Chambers. Mildred rejects Ruby’s application initially, but Ruby wins her over by telling her, "I've done retail before, and I work real cheap."
Over the course of a year Ruby keeps a journal where she contemplates her career ups and downs, her love life, her past, and her future. Ruby's introspective narration is interspersed with routine scenes at the souvenir store, and conversations with her friend Rochelle or the men she dates, Ricky and Mike.
Cast
*
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...
as Ruby Lee Gissing
*
Todd Field
William Todd Field (born February 24, 1964) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for directing three feature films: ''In the Bedroom'' (2001), '' Little Children'' (2006), and ''Tár'' (2022). He has received three Academy Award nomi ...
as Mike McCaslin
*
Bentley Mitchum
Bentley Mitchum (born February 22, 1967) is an American actor who has appeared in about 40 films and TV series, including Sundance grand jury prize winner ''Ruby in Paradise'', ''The Man in the Moon'', ''The Wonder Years'', ''Conviction'', '' Su ...
as Ricky Chambers
* Allison Dean as Rochelle Bridges
*
Dorothy Lyman
Dorothy Lyman is an American television actress, director and producer. She is most known for her work as Gwen Frame on '' Another World'' and on ''All My Children'' as Opal Sue Gardner, as Rebecca Whitmore on '' Generations'', and on the sitcom ...
as Mildred Chambers
* Betsy Douds as Debrah Ann
* Felicia Hernández as Persefina
Production
When Victor Nuñez originally pitched the film to distributors, he was met with disinterest. "I was told flat outright -- and these were very reputable distributors of independent films -- 'no one is interested in a film about a female shop clerk in Panama City.' Now, you can say what they really were saying was 'shop clerk Panama City,' but the message was a woman, you know, as in the lead role," Nuñez said.
He considered changing the gender of the lead to a man, but didn’t find the story sufficiently interesting to him, reasoning "For one thing and I think it's changing to some degree, American men, by and large, don't allow as many vulnerabilities to be acknowledged and to be explored."
''Ruby in Paradise'' was filmed on
Super 16 on location in
Panama City, Florida at locations including Show N Tail gentleman's club and White Western Cabin.
Release
The film premiered in January 1993 at the Sundance Film Festival, where
October Films acquired North American distribution rights.
It was also shown at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
, the
New York Film Festival, and the
Boston Film Festival
Boston Film Festival (BFF) is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September.
The Boston Film Festival premiered such notable films as '' The Last Kiss' ...
.
The film was given a limited release in North American theaters on October 8, 1993.
Home media
After the movie's theatrical run, the film was released on videocassette and
LaserDisc
The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
in 1994 by
Republic Pictures. It was released on video in Canada that same year by
Cineplex Odeon
Cineplex Inc. (formerly Cineplex Galaxy) is a Canadian movie theatre and family entertainment centre chain headquartered in Toronto.
The company was formed in 2003 via the acquisition of Loews Cineplex's Canadian operations (which included ...
. In 2008,
Alliance Films
Alliance Films (formerly Alliance Entertainment, Alliance Communications, Alliance Atlantis Releasing Ltd, Motion Picture Distribution LP and also known as Alliance Vivafilm in Quebec and also known simply as Alliance) was a Canadian motion pictur ...
released the movie on DVD in Canada.
On February 16, 2021, ''Ruby in Paradise'' received a digital restoration in
HD from
Quiver Distribution
Quiver Distribution is an American-Canadian film production and film distribution
Film distribution (also known as Film exhibition or Film distribution and exhibition) is the process of making a movie available for viewing by an audience. This is ...
and was made available on digital platforms.
Critical reception
On
Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 86% from 28 reviews with the consensus: "Led by a magnetic performance from Ashley Judd, the gently subdued ''Ruby in Paradise'' perceptively captures one woman's journey of self-discovery." On
Metacritic it has a score of 77% based on reviews from 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicag ...
'' gave it 4 stars out of 4, and wrote: "''Ruby in Paradise'' is a wonderful, life-affirming movie about a young woman who has that kind of luck. It's a celebration of heart, courage and persistence." Ebert also picked it as one of his Top Ten Films of 1993.
''
Variety'' wrote: "Victor Nunez has returned with a film of gentle, intelligent qualities, vividly portraying a young woman's inner life."
Steve Persall of the ''
Tampa Bay Times'' said, "You can tell
uñezloves his home state, not from any postcard vistas—there are none in ''Ruby in Paradise''—but from tell-tale glances at how Floridians relate to newcomers, tourists and an evolving class structure. Nunez knows there are plenty of Rubys crossing the state line every year and most won't discover a pot of gold at the end of the turnpike. His honesty is eye-opening, even to a longtime resident."
Awards and nominations
The film won the 1993 Grand Jury Prize for Drama at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
(together with ''
Public Access''). Judd's performance earned her the
Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead[ as well as the Emerging Actress Award from the ]Chicago Film Critics Association
The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) is an association of professional film critics, who work in print, broadcast and online media, based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The organization was founded in 1990 by film critics Sharon LeM ...
. The film received Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, Best Cinematography for Alex Vlacos, Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BAF ...
and Best Screenplay for Victor Nuñez, and Best Supporting Actor for Todd Field. The film was also nominated for the Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
of the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics
The Belgian Film Critics Association (french: Union de la critique de cinéma, UCC) is an organization of film critics from publications based in Brussels, Belgium.
History
The Belgian Film Critics Association was founded in the early 1950s in B ...
.
References
External links
*
*
Ruby in Paradise
' at AllMovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...
*
{{Victor Nuñez
1993 films
1993 drama films
American drama films
1990s English-language films
1990s feminist films
Films set in Florida
Films shot in Florida
American independent films
Sundance Film Festival award winners
Republic Pictures films
Films directed by Victor Nuñez
1993 independent films
Northanger Abbey
1990s American films
1990s coming-of-age drama films
Films shot in 16 mm film