Foxfire (1996 film) 1

Foxfire (1996 film)

FoxfirePromotional film poster

Directed by Annette Haywood-Carter

Produced by Jeffrey LurieJohn Bard ManulisJohn P. Marsh

Written by Joyce Carol OatesElizabeth White

Starring Hedy BurressAngelina JolieJenny LewisJenny ShimizuSarah RosenbergMichelle Brookhurst

Music by Michel Colombier

Cinematography Newton Thomas Sigel

Edited by Louise Innes

Productioncompany

Rysher Entertainment

Distributed by The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Release dates •• August 23, 1996

Running time 102 minutes

Country United States

Language English

Foxfire is a 1996 film based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang. It examines thecoming of age of four high school girls who meet up with a mysterious and beautiful drifter.

SynopsisFoxfire is narrated by Maddie Wirtz, a high school senior living a rather normal life in the suburbs of Portland,Oregon. Maddie is in control of her life, with a boyfriend, as well as plans to go to art school. One day in scienceclass, the students are watching the teacher Mr. Buttinger try to make Rita Faldes dissect a frog. A mysterious andbeautiful leather jacket-clad "new student" stands up to Mr. Buttinger and releases Rita's frog. When Mr. Buttingersentences them both to detention, the drifter reveals that she's not a new student after all and escapes through thesame window as the frog.Later, in the girls' restroom, the drifter and some other girls are listening to Rita describe Mr. Buttinger's untowardadvances. When the drifter says the only way to stop the teacher is to stick together, the only girls to stay are Rita,Violet and Maddie. When detention time comes, Mr. Buttinger indeed begins his advances toward Rita, but isstartled by Violet's entry. When Maddie and the drifter come in soon after, he realizes the situation is becomingserious. The girls confront the teacher about his abuse and they become involved in a physical altercation, whichends when the ordinarily shy Rita slams his face against a lab bench and tells him "if you ever put your hands on meagain, I'm gonna snip your little nuts off with my toenail clippers." At this point Goldie Goldberg walks in, and joinsthe assault by declaring "this is great; Buttinger is such a fuck." The girls run from the school and then decide to go

Foxfire (1996 film) 2

home.At Maddie's house, Maddie is surprised by a knock at the window, which turns out to be the stranger from the earlierassault, there to return Maddie's dropped address book. The girl tells Maddie she's a drifter who got kicked out ofschool "for thinking for herself." Maddie agrees to let her sleep on the floor. The next morning, Maddie catches upwith the girl on a bridge. The girl tells Maddie her name is "Legs" and brings Maddie's art supplies up onto thebridge. Maddie, who is afraid of heights, can't join her. A truck startles Legs, who drops the art portfolio over theedge of the bridge. Legs climbs over the edge of the bridge to retrieve the bag, which deeply impresses Maddie. Asthey part, Maddie tells Legs of an abandoned house up the river where Legs could stay.At school, the girls are called in to the principal's office, where their claims of sexual harassment fall on deaf earsand they are suspended for three weeks. The girls are escorted off campus and Maddie is not allowed to retrieve herart school portfolio. Instead of going home with the news of their suspension, they all decide to go to the abandonedhouse up the river. There they meet Legs, who suggests they break into the school to get Maddie's portfolio.The girls sneak into the high school through a vent and go into the art room. While the other girls are busy collectingMaddie's work, Goldie is put off by an unflattering Polaroid and moves into a side room to smoke a joint. She throwsher match into a pile of oily rags, starting a fire and setting off the sprinklers. The girls have to escape the police whocome to investigate and eventually reconvene at the house.Back at the house, Legs decides to commemorate the night by giving herself a tattoo of a flame on her breast. One byone, the other girls ask Legs to give them the same tattoo.This act dictates the final bond that tie the girls together. However, things start to go terribly wrong. First, Maddie isthreatened by a group of jocks who dislike the idea of the girls reporting their abusive teacher, since he is also thecoach of their football team.During an attempt to "teach her" a lesson, she is rescued by the rest of the group and they steal Dana's (the mainbully) car, with Legs driving. Eventually, after running into some cops on patrol, they continue their run after Legsrefuses to stop, leading to an accident which in turn leads to Legs being put in a correctional facility. The girlscontinue on, but aren't as close-knit anymore.Goldie gives in to the pressure and runs away from home. Maddie somehow finds her and brings her back to theabandoned house. After Legs gets out, she returns to the "hang out" and is shocked to see Goldie's state. She,together with Maddie, go to Goldie's (adoptive) parents home, demanding 10 grand for rehabilitation purposes forGoldie. When her father refuses, Legs threatens him with his own gun and takes him hostage to the house, wherethey tie him to a chair and pressure him for the money.Goldie, oblivious to this, is startled to see her dad and calls out to him in surprise. This however, surprises Rita, whoaccidentally shoots Goldie's father in the chest. Chaos ensues, but the girls keep calm and decide to take him to thehospital. Rita drives the others while Maddie and Legs stay back.The scene towards the end of the film centers around Legs and her relationship with Maddie. Legs is done with hercurrent circumstances and surroundings and is shown walking the highway again, looking for a ride. It is this samehighway upon where Maddie almost lost her art portfolio. Maddie finds Legs and calls out to her in an attempt tomake her stay. Legs is hesitant, but holds to her decision to leave. Upon Maddie's disappointment, Legs asks her tocome along. After thinking for a while about her future, Maddie decides to stay but assures Legs that she will neverforget her. Legs, hopeful that Maddie will choose to come along, is slightly overwhelmed, but understands andreciprocates, by telling Maddie she will always be in her heart.As Legs boards a truck that stopped, Maddie watches it disappear down the road and walks over to climb the bridge(in the same way that Legs did, thus conquering her fear of heights. In a voice-over, we hear that Maddie hasgraduated high school, gotten accepted into art school, and traveled half way around the world, stopping at airportsand bus stops along the way. She has not seen Legs again, but she meets the others once in a while and they gettogether to reminisce about the past.

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Cast

Actor Role

Hedy Burress Madeline "Maddie" Wirtz

Angelina Jolie Margaret "Legs" Sadovsky

Jenny Lewis Rita Faldes

Jenny Shimizu "Goldie" Goldberg

Sarah Rosenberg Violet Kahn

Michelle Brookhurst Cindy

External links• Foxfire [1] at the Internet Movie Database• Foxfire [2] at AllMovie• Foxfire [3] at Rotten Tomatoes

References[1] http:/ / www. imdb. com/ title/ tt0116353/[2] http:/ / www. allmovie. com/ movie/ v136503[3] http:/ / www. rottentomatoes. com/ m/ 1073285-foxfire/

Article Sources and Contributors 4

Article Sources and ContributorsFoxfire (1996 film)  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=608155207  Contributors: AN(Ger), Absinthemyth, Ajshm, Alansohn, Aspects, Badagnani, CKarnstein, Chubdub,Clt1985, Coder Dan, Cybercobra, Dairhead, Dannown, David Gerard, Dismas, Ed Poor, EncMstr, Floaterfluss, Funguy06, Grandpafootsoldier, Hexslinger, Hipocrite, Jdogno5, KarmicQueen666,Kbrec314, Libro0, Lightdarkness, Mankash, Meganomaly, Omicronpersei8, Perdita, Pit-yacker, Polisher of Cobwebs, Quale, R'n'B, Rror, Sfbenton, Shakesomeaction, Share Bear, Sky Captain,Sortior, Spazure, TMC1982, Tarsie, Tassedethe, Tony Sidaway, Tormentress, Trevj, Treybien, WOSlinker, Whomp, Wikitanvir, Woohookitty, Xeno, Yamla, 53 anonymous edits

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