The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

This review is for parents who monitor films for profanity and violence, as I did not find a review indicating these things before I purchased it. So, be warned, this movie has both... a lot of both. It reveals the behavior of an alcoholic, rage-throwing husband and the building frustration of a wife whose options were limited as to how to deal with his abusive fits. As a parent, grandparent, and school librarian, it is difficult to watch the scenes where the children are witnesses to their father's wrath. It is equally disturbing to realize that this film accurately reflects the day-to-day life of too many children. Be aware, the language is rough, and physically, there is destruction of property, and blood is spilled. HOWEVER, having said that, this film is beautiful, poignant, riveting, and worthy of viewing simply for the story it tells about resilience, hope, and parental sacrifice. It is also employs a clever presentation of history, especially through the use of 1940's-1950's advertising and the set design. For car buffs, it is great fun to watch the various cars used throughout the movie, and for Ohio/Indiana folks now living elsewhere, the film is as memorable as "Hoosiers" is to put you back into the lovely landscape of which this former Buckeye gets homesick to see. Despite the rough language and abusive scenes that made me cringe, I have to rate it five stars, for all of the reasons stated above and, especially for, the Oscar-worthy (but denied) performances by Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, and Laura Dern. Their portrayals rang true and clutched my thoughts for days following the end of the film. "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" was a very good memoir written by the "feisty" daughter, Terry "Tuff" Ryan, and I will be re-reading it very soon to put me back into the world that the movie portrayed so lovingly. As for the film itself, specifically for parents who screen films... Be warned. Be aware. Be changed.

Great movie and love that it’s a true story. It is a movie I will watch again.

This is very real serious story broken up with the natural comedies of life... and superb acting ensemble!

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio is based on the true story of housewife Evelyn Ryan, who helped support her husband and ten children by winning entries in jingle-writing contests. Evelyn's husband, Kelly, failed to support his family in part due to apparent alcoholism. He had dreamed of being a singer but lost his singing voice in a car accident, and was often cruel and abusive. In the movie, Evelyn wins a large freezer, ice buckets, a washing machine, a trip to New York, sleds, boots, a pony, a palm tree, a window, a sports car, a shopping spree in her local grocery store, ice crushers, a camera, dance shoes, a boat motor, pogo sticks, a case of dog food, and a lifetime supply of bird seed. Kelly, who feels like his role as provider for the family is being threatened, criticizes Evelyn and sometimes damages the prizes she wins. Their children side with her. At one point, Kelly gets angry at his wife and knocks her over while she is carrying 12 full glass bottles of milk, causing her to nearly sever a ligament. Evelyn is able to talk him down after each incident and, temporarily at least, he treats her better. Evelyn is largely isolated because of the hours she has to spend caring for the children and the lack of local intellectual equals. However, she is contacted by a group of other contest-entering mid-western housewives and befriends them. Ultimately, Evelyn discovers that Kelly had secretly taken out a second mortgage on their house and never made payments on it, leaving the family subject to an almost-certain foreclosure. The children pray for their mother's miraculous victory in a contest sponsored by Dr Pepper. She wins and pays the mortgage on the house. In the closing sequence, set years later, we learn that after Kelly died, Evelyn finds out that he has placed his pension checks in a bank account especially for her. The actual Ryan children are then shown as adults. -Borrowed from Wikipedia. This is an excellent movie and book.

loved the nostalgia and the main character's optimism

This movie is a clever little gem of a film! The acting is terrific (the child actors and actresses are exceptional), and the story, very good. In my opinion, this is a great film for tweens and teens to watch with their parents, and a great starting point for good conversations on everything from goals, careers, hard work, and college, to respecting others for their (perhaps seemingly small) contributions to life and family, to positive (and negative) attitudes (and the blessings of a cheerful nature), to some important bits of history. PLEASE BE AWARE that the father is an alcoholic and that there are scenes that may be disturbing for children and sensitive teens. (No sex, (there is one scene that I thought might get sexual, but didn't), and no real physical violence from the father toward the mother or children (though it looks like that might happen too, and there is one accident that ends in the mother being bloody on hands and legs.) The father does break things, smash things, and yell, and makes some terrible decisions (he mortgages the house without telling his wife, for selfish reasons). All this said, it was a movie I'd recommend in the right circumstances to a Christian family. The more I think about it, the more I wish I could have watched it with my teen before she left for college. Excellent fodder for good conversation. AND, importantly, it's enjoyable. I went back afterwards and re-watched parts of the film. The music is wonderful (would be a neat soundtrack!), and it's done well enough to really get you, emotionally. A nice movie for a hot summer night. =]

Great movie. Good character development and inspiring at times. Undeniable spirit and love of a wife for sure.

Good clean family movie,I recommend

LOVE this movie! Caught it on TV a few times over the past few years but have never been able to find it in a store. SO happy to have this in my DVD Library. Arrived in Excellent condition and quickly!

Great film, true story and at times can be hard to watch but the lightheaded tones at the rest of the film are really fun and was a great film to watch, pity it wasn't released commercially in the UK though - hopefully it will one day/ The book is the real deal if you want to read the memoirs first, by Terry Ryan - The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

arrived on time no problem..fun movie

I enjoyed it as it seemed to adequately depict the times & life as it was for many women of that era. Fortunately, I'm sure there were many women who didn't have to deal with such circumstances - I for one as well as any of my close friends. I can't imagine raising a family of that size, so I admired her ability to survive & do well for her children. I was impressed to learn that all the children prepared themselves well & grew to have responsible careers. No doubt she was their "role model".