The Lovely Bones is a 2009 drama film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a film adaptation of the award-winning and best-selling 2002 novel of the same name by Alice Sebold.

The film stars Saoirse Ronan in the lead role as protagonist Susie Salmon, along with Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, as her parents Jack and Abigail Salmon respectively, in supporting roles.

Jackson and his producer partners acquired the rights independently and developed a script on their own, later selling it to DreamWorks. Principal photography for the film began in October 2007 in New Zealand and Pennsylvania, United States. After DreamWorks left the film, Paramount became the film’s sole distributor.

The film’s trailer was released on August 4, 2009, and clips from the movie were shown in July 2009.

The film’s North American release date has changed multiple times. Paramount gave the film a limited release on December 11, 2009, and is set to having a wider release on January 15, 2010.

The film was released to mainly mixed reviews from critics; the story and its message were generally criticized, with praise mainly aimed at the acting, particularly of Ronan and Stanley Tucci.

In the film’s opening weekend, in limited release, it grossed $116,616 despite only having been screened in three theaters, placing it at 30th place on the box office chart.

The film, as of December 26, 2009, has made over $226,000 in North America. The film, mainly its cast – particularly Tucci, has received various awards and nominations, notably including one Golden Globe and Screen Actor Guild nominations.

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Plot
Further information: Plot of the novel
On December 6, 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is raped and murdered by a neighbor, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci), a serial killer of young girls.

Susie finds herself in ‘the in-between’ – a Heaven-like place, observing her family as they grieve for her. She also watches her killer who, having covered his tracks successfully, is preparing to murder again.

Her father Jack (Mark Wahlberg) becomes obsessed with his daughter’s murder, while her mother Abigail (Rachel Weisz) moves away to numb the pain. Susie struggles to balance her desire for vengeance on Harvey and her desire to have her family recover from their loss.

Directed by Peter Jackson

Produced by
Peter Jackson
Fran Walsh
Carolynne Cunningham
Aimée Peyronnet
Steven Spielberg (Executive)

Written by
Peter Jackson
Fran Walsh
Philippa Boyens
Alice Sebold (Novel)

Cast
* Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon
* Mark Wahlberg as Jack Salmon
* Rachel Weisz as Abigail Salmon
* Amanda Michalka as Clarissa
* Stanley Tucci as George Harvey
* Susan Sarandon as Lynn
* Michael Imperioli as Len Fenerman
* Rose McIver as Lindsey Salmon
* Christian Thomas Ashdale as Buckley Salmon
* Reece Ritchie as Ray Singh
* Charlie Saxton as Ronald Drake
* Carolyn Dando as Ruth Conners
* Nikki SooHoo as Holly
* Annabel Grealish as Lola

Music by Brian Eno
Cinematography Andrew Lesnie
Editing by Jabez Olssen

Studio
Film4 Productions
WingNut Films

Distributed by
Paramount Pictures
DreamWorks

Release date(s)
November 24, 2009 (2009-11-24) (Royal premiere)
December 26, 2009 (2009-12-26) (New Zealand)
January 1, 2010 (2010-01-01) (Australia)
January 15, 2010 (2010-01-15) (United States)
January 29, 2010 (2010-01-29) (United Kingdom)

Running time 135 minutes

Country
New Zealand
United States
United Kingdom

Language English
Budget $100 million
Gross revenue $5,867,028

Official website: www.lovelybones.com