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Kalifornia

  • 1993
  • R
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
61K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,884
160
Brad Pitt, David Duchovny, Michelle Forbes, and Juliette Lewis in Kalifornia (1993)
Trailer 1
Play trailer2:32
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Dark ComedyPsychological ThrillerRoad TripSerial KillerCrimeDramaThriller

A journalist duo goes on a tour of serial-killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.A journalist duo goes on a tour of serial-killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.A journalist duo goes on a tour of serial-killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself.

  • Director
    • Dominic Sena
  • Writers
    • Stephen Levy
    • Tim Metcalfe
  • Stars
    • Brad Pitt
    • Juliette Lewis
    • Kathy Larson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    61K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,884
    160
    • Director
      • Dominic Sena
    • Writers
      • Stephen Levy
      • Tim Metcalfe
    • Stars
      • Brad Pitt
      • Juliette Lewis
      • Kathy Larson
    • 223User reviews
    • 49Critic reviews
    • 49Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos3

    Kalifornia
    Trailer 2:32
    Kalifornia
    Kalifornia
    Trailer 2:32
    Kalifornia
    Kalifornia
    Trailer 2:32
    Kalifornia
    Kalifornia
    Trailer 0:31
    Kalifornia

    Photos102

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    + 96
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    Top cast29

    Edit
    Brad Pitt
    Brad Pitt
    • Early Grayce
    Juliette Lewis
    Juliette Lewis
    • Adele Corners
    Kathy Larson
    • Teenage Girl
    • (as Catherine Larson)
    David Milford
    • Driver
    David Duchovny
    David Duchovny
    • Brian Kessler
    John Zarchen
    John Zarchen
    • Peter
    David Rose
    • Eric
    Michelle Forbes
    Michelle Forbes
    • Carrie Laughlin
    Tommy Chappelle
    • Old Man
    Judson Vaughn
    Judson Vaughn
    • Parole Officer
    James Michael McDougal
    • John Diebold
    • (as J. Michael McDougal)
    Patricia Sill
    • Carol
    Brett Rice
    Brett Rice
    • Police Officer
    Marisa Raper
    • Little Girl
    Bill Crabb
    • Middle-Aged Farmer
    • (as Bill Crabbe)
    Mary Ann Hagan
    Mary Ann Hagan
    • Waitress
    Jerry G. White
    • Gas Station Attendant
    Sarah Sullivan
    • Bar Waitress
    • Director
      • Dominic Sena
    • Writers
      • Stephen Levy
      • Tim Metcalfe
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews223

    6.760.6K
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    Featured reviews

    Twins65

    To the actors of Kal-ee-for-nee-a, I say...

    Nicely done! (pardon my Arnold Schwarzenegger)...

    This movie was completely ignored when released back in '93, and that's a shame. It's a great, suspenseful two hour road-trip that certainly opened my eyes to see that Brad Pitt was indeed an actor. He looks like he took took the 'method-acting' thing seriously, as with his appearance in TRUE ROMANCE, I doubt he took even one shower in 1992.

    Duchovny & Forbes were also fine as the normal half of this "ride share from hell", but I'm guessing Juliette Lewis' naive "jailbait" turned off a few people (see NBK or CAPE FEAR for further proof). Just ignore her grating & whiny delivery, and go along for the wild ride all the way to KALIFORNIA.
    9MerovingianGoddess

    Kalifornia - Dark diamonds in the rough

    Kalifornia came out in 1993, just as 3 of the 4 lead characters were up and coming to the levels of fame they now possess in 2006. This is a nice psycho-thriller that should appeal to all David Duchovny fans because of his dry and intelligent narratives that find their ways into his work, like with most of his episodes of the X-Files, Playing God, and Red Shoe Diaries.

    People who were put off by the heavy southern accent from Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis' characters obviously have never spent much time in the south. For every "Brian and Carrie" in the south, there is an "Adele and Early" and in 2006, that's the real horror of this flick.

    Aside from that, I think the film was written with a cult film intention - like with Carrie's photography, it's not suitable for mass consumption. But if you have a copy of this in your personal library, I think it says something positive about your tastes for freaky movies.
    7bkoganbing

    Fascinated With Amorality

    In 1990 Brad Pitt and Juiliette Lewis did a TV Too Young To Die where both played the almost the same kind of parts that they do in Kalifornia. I have no doubt that is what led to their casting in this big screen film.

    Kalifornia finds aspiring writer David Duchovny and his girl friend, art photographer Michelle Forbes on a rocky relationship of sorts due to Duchovny's obsession with writing a book and getting in the minds and souls of serial killers. In fact he's got a most unusual odyssey planned, he wants to go cross country and visit the sites of several famous serial killers. But he and Forbes are flat broke.

    Fate intervenes in more ways than financial with the arrival of Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis a pair of strange southern types who agree to split the cost of gas on this cross country trip. It turns out Pitt is a serial killer himself and he decides to do a little research on his own, delving into the mind of someone who is fascinated with amorality.

    Kalifornia is not the type of film I usually go for, but in fact the acting ability and charisma of Brad Pitt make it work to a large degree. Pitt is the walking definition of an inbred Gothic refugee from Deliverance. But better than he is is Juliette Lewis who once again is playing these low self esteem types which she seems to do well. Watch her scene with Forbes as she does her hair and Lewis describes her sad and pathetic life. Lewis's dialog and Forbes's reactions ought to be shown in acting classes around the country.

    For those who like their slasher flicks, they don't come better than Kalifornia.
    8philip_vanderveken

    This is a very impressive psychological thriller

    I had seen 'Kalifornia' before (must be about 10 years ago) and I still remember to be very impressed by it. That's why I wanted to see it again and all I can say is that it still hasn't lost its power, even though I'm used to a lot more when it comes to movies than that I was ten years ago.

    'Kalifornia' tells the tale of the writer Brian Kessler and his girlfriend Carrie Laughlin, a photographer, who want to move to California. But instead of stepping on a plain and flying right to the state where they say it never rains, they choose to make a trip by car. He wants to write a book about America's most famous serial killers and she will make the matching pictures. But because their car uses an enormous amount of petrol, they decide to take another couple with them, so they can spread the costs of the trip. Only one couple has answered the add, so they will automatically be the lucky ones. But they haven't met each other yet and when seeing the other couple for the first time, when their trip has already started, Carrie is shocked. Without wanting to be prejudiced, she can only conclude that Early Grayce and Adele Corners are poor white trailer park trash. She definitely doesn't want them in her car, but Brian doesn't really mind to take them with them and decides to stop and pick them up anyway. At first the couple doesn't seem to be that bad after all, but gradually Early Grayce changes from a trashy hillbilly into a remorseless murderer...

    Not only is the story very impressive, so is the acting from our four leads. Brad Pitt is incredible as Early Grayce. His performance in this movie may well be his best ever. The same for Juliette Lewis. She plays the childish and naive girlfriend that doesn't want to hear a bad word about her Early and does that really very well. But David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes are a surprise as well. They both did a very good job and I really wonder why we never heard anything from Forbes again since this movie, because she really proves to have a lot of talent.

    Overall this is a very good and impressive psychological thriller with a very powerful story, but because of the graphic violence, I can imagine that it may not be to everybody's taste (although I don't really see another way how to portray a serial killer in a believable way). Personally I really liked this movie a lot and the violence never bothered me (it's a part of the story that's too important to be left out). I reward this movie with an 8/10.
    8Lechuguilla

    Killer On The Road

    It's a road movie, with a killer on-board. Brian Kessler (David Duchovny), a sophisticated, urbane writer, wants to conduct field research on American serial killers. But, neither he, nor his girlfriend, Carrie (Michelle Forbes), has the money for a cross-country tour of murder sites, so they advertise for someone to share travel expenses. Who they end up with is a young couple, Early Grayce (Brad Pitt) and his girlfriend, Adele (Juliette Lewis), two better examples of "poor white trash" you will never find in all of cinema.

    Indeed, Early and Adele are what make this film so entertaining, as they babble, cackle, confide, muse, speculate, drool, and otherwise behave in ways I haven't seen since reruns of "The Beverly Hillbillies". Early's idea of California: "People think faster out there, on account of all that warm weather; cold weather makes people stupid". That's enough to convince Adele: "I guess that explains why there are so many stupid people around here". To which Early responds proudly: "It sure does". Early continues to instruct Adele about California: "You never have to buy no fruit, on account it's all on the trees ... and they ain't got no speed limits, and I hear your first month's rent is free, state law".

    But poor Early has some, well, mental problems, which become ever more obvious to Brian and Carrie as the four travelers proceed west across the U.S. As they enter the desert Southwest, with its beautifully stark landscape, "Kalifornia" starts to look more and more like "The Hitcher" (1986), and Early starts to act more and more like John Ryder, everyone's maniacal hitchhiker, whose terror seemed so unstoppable.

    In "Kalifornia", the acting is uneven. Duchovny's performance is flat. Brad Pitt is surprisingly effective, despite his overacting at times. Michelle Forbes is great as the avant-garde, photographic artist. But my choice for best performance goes to Juliette Lewis. With her nasal voice and heavy-duty Southern accent, she is stunning, as the naive, highly animated, child-like Adele.

    Toward the end, the film takes on a Twilight Zone feel to it, as our travelers enter a Nevada nuclear test site with a dilapidated old house full of test mannequins. The plot dissolves rather messily into unnecessary and preposterous violence, an ending that was somewhat disappointing.

    Overall, however, "Kalifornia" is an entertaining film, thanks to a clever concept, great scenery, especially in the second half, good cinematography, great dialogue, and that wonderful performance by Juliette Lewis.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During the movie, Early Grayce sports a chipped tooth. Brad Pitt visited a dentist to have the tooth chipped for the role.
    • Goofs
      Towards the end of the movie, Early violently smacks his gun across Brian's temple, above his left eye. His temple is shown in a subsequent shot as very bloody, yet there is no visible injury (or bandage) in that spot a short time later as Brian is shown driving down the road chasing after Early & Carrie.
    • Quotes

      Brian Kessler: When you dream there are no rules. People can fly. Anything can happen. Sometimes there's a moment as you're waking and you become aware of the real world around you, but you are still dreaming. You may think you can fly but you better not try.

    • Alternate versions
      European release and US video/Laserdisc Unrated versions feature about one minute of additional violent footage not present in US theatrical R-rated version. Unrated version of sex scene between Brian and Carrie is slightly longer and more explicit than the R rated version.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: True Romance/The Ballad of Little Jo/Kalifornia/The Joy Luck Club/The Real McCoy (1993)
    • Soundtracks
      Look Up to the Sky
      Written by Angelique Bianca

      Performed by The Indians

      Courtesy of Polydor Records

      By Arrangement with PolyGram Special Markets

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    FAQ21

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 3, 1993 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sát Nhân ở Kalifornia
    • Filming locations
      • Covington, Georgia, USA(Motel exteriors)
    • Production companies
      • Polygram Filmed Entertainment
      • Viacom Productions
      • Propaganda Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $9,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,395,231
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,159,133
      • Sep 6, 1993
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,395,231
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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    Brad Pitt, David Duchovny, Michelle Forbes, and Juliette Lewis in Kalifornia (1993)
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