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LOL (2012 film)

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LOL
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLisa Azuelos
Screenplay by
  • Lisa Azuelos
  • Kamir Aïnouz
Based on
LOL (Laughing Out Loud)
by
  • Lisa Azuelos
  • Nans Delgado
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyKieran McGuigan
Edited byMyron Kerstein
Music byRob Simonsen
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Release dates
  • February 10, 2012 (2012-02-10) (India)
  • May 4, 2012 (2012-05-04) (United States)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11 million[1]
Box office$10.5 million[2]

LOL is a 2012 American teen romantic comedy-drama[3] film written and directed by Lisa Azuelos. A remake of the 2008 French film LOL (Laughing Out Loud) (also directed by Azuelos), the film stars Miley Cyrus, Demi Moore, Ashley Greene, and Adam Sevani. It received a limited release in the United States on May 4, 2012, by Lionsgate, which handicapped it after being reeled back from a broader release, and had an overall negative critical reception. Thus, the film missed its budget by box office gross by only $500,000.

Plot

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Lola "Lol" Williams leads an ordinary life in Chicago, with her boyfriend Chad and best friends Emily, Janice, and Kyle. When they return to school, after the summer, Lol discovers that Chad has cheated on her, so they break up.

Lol and Kyle realize they have feelings for each other and pursue a relationship. This is difficult as Chad is his best friend, and Lol's nemesis, Ashley, is a flirt, especially with Kyle. His and Chad's band, No Shampoo, wants to compete in the battle of the bands, but Kyle's father does not support his passion for music and feels that it interferes with his schoolwork. Chad's jealousy towards Lol and Kyle's new relationship further complicates things.

Lol's mother, Anne, is a divorcée who frequently has sex with her ex-husband, Allen, until she discovers he has also been sleeping with another woman. She also begins to feel she and Lol are growing further apart. Lol throws a party and is caught by Anne who threatens to not allow her to go on her class trip to Paris. She is already grounded for the party.

Things finally start to change when Anne meets police officer James and they begin to date. He offers her advice on how to reconnect with Lol, which she takes up. After a presentation at school, Lol looks for Kyle in the bathroom and overhears two people having sex in the stall. She assumes it is Kyle and Ashley after seeing a purse similar to Ashley's peeking out from under the stall. It was actually Emily and Wen hooking up, but Emily does not tell Lol because she is embarrassed about being with him. Afterwards, Lol confronts Ashley, who does not deny it because she likes Kyle and wants to create a rift in Lol and Kyle's relationship.

A huge argument ensues between Kyle and Lol, where she accuses him of cheating, and they break up. When Kyle's father discovers he has lied about his grades and smoked pot, he grounds him and destroys his guitar. After the breakup, Lol is determined to make Kyle jealous, and tries to do so by making out with her childhood friend Jeremy. Meanwhile, she and her mother reconnect, and Anne allows her to go on the class trip to Paris.

While on the trip, Emily finally admits to Lol it was actually her and Wen in the bathroom, not Ashley and Kyle. After this realization, Lol and Kyle reconcile and spend the night together, having sex for the first time.

When they all return home, Chad and Kyle rekindle their friendship and he gives his blessing to Kyle and Lol. She sticks up for Ashley when Chad insults her, resulting in them becoming friends. Meanwhile, Anne finds Lol's diary, discovering that she has slept with Kyle and smoked pot. Confronting her, they have a huge falling-out, and Lol moves in with her father.

Eventually, Lol and Anne reconcile and she moves back in with her mother. Kyle's band wins the battle of the bands and his father finally begins to support his musical aspirations. Kyle and Lol stay together. Ashley and Chad begin to date and Emily and Wen are together as she is no longer embarrassed to be with him. The film ends with Anne and Lol laughing out loud while cuddling.

Cast

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Production

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Principal photography began on July 16, 2010, in Dearborn, Michigan.[4] LOL was primarily filmed at Grosse Pointe South High School in the city of Grosse Pointe, a suburb northeast of Detroit, Michigan.[5] It was also shot in Chicago, Illinois.[6] In September 2010, production moved to Paris.[7] Post-production began on September 14, 2010, and required a year and two weeks before it was completed on November 1, 2011. The film was set to be released in 2011 but it was pushed to 2012. The film was initially supposed to be a television drama, but such plans were changed when the series ran into legal issues connected to the French film of the same name.

Soundtrack

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  1. "Everybody" – Ingrid Michaelson
  2. "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" – Jean-Phillipe Verdin
  3. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" – The Rolling Stones
  4. "Somewhere Only We Know" – Keane
  5. "Houdini" – Foster the People
  6. "The Big Bang" – Rock Mafia
  7. "Microphone" – Coconut Records
  8. "Location" – Freelance Whales
  9. "Cul et chemize" – BB Brunes
  10. "Birds" – The Submarines
  11. "Heart on Fire" – Jonathan Clay
  12. "Little Sister" – Jonathan Clay and Becky Henkel
  13. "Dreamers" – Jonathan Clay
  14. "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" – the LOL School Girls

Release

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LOL was originally set to have a wide domestic release, but instead, it was rushed into a limited release with no significant marketing from the theatrical team. The film was released solely because of a technicality in the contract, which contributed to its underperformance at the box office.[1]

On February 10, 2012, LOL was released for the first time in India, and on March 1, 2012, in Singapore. It later received a limited release in the United States on May 4, 2012, by Lionsgate.[1][3] In its opening weekend in the US, the film grossed $46,500 from 105 theaters, with an average of $440 per theater.[8]

Critical response

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LOL was not received well by critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 14% with an average score of 3.7/10, based on seven reviews.[9] Film critic Joe Leydon in Variety called it a "shapeless and charmless teen-skewing trifle stocked with trendy slanguage and social-network gimcracks that make it seem like something four years past its expiration date."[10]

Awards and nominations

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Award Category Recipient Result
2012 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress: Romance Miley Cyrus Nominated[11]
2012 Do Something Awards Movie Star: Female Nominated[12]

Home media

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The film was made available on DVD, Blu-ray, digital download, and on-demand on July 31, 2012, in the United States from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Fritz, Ben; Kaufman, Amy (April 18, 2012). "OMG! Miley Cyrus' 'LOL' gets no love from Lionsgate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "LOL (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Daley, April (April 11, 2012). "LOL Trailer – New Miley Cyrus & Demi Moore Video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  4. ^ Christine (July 16, 2010). "LOL filming in Dearborn, MI today". On Location Vacations. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  5. ^ Monaghan, John (August 12, 2010). "OMG! Miley Cyrus wows fans in Grosse Pointe". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  6. ^ Gomez, Luis (April 11, 2012). "Trailer for Chicago-based 'LOL' features Miley Cyrus, Edwardo's Pizza sign". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  7. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (September 7, 2010). "Miley Cyrus And Ashley Greene Shoot 'LOL' In Paris". MTV. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  8. ^ Doty, Meriah (May 7, 2012). "Miley Cyrus' 'LOL' bombs at the box office". Yahoo!. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  9. ^ "LOL (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  10. ^ Leydon, Joe (May 6, 2012). "LOL". Variety. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  11. ^ "New 2012 Teen Choice Awards Nominations Led By Breaking Dawn & Snow White". GossipCop.com. June 14, 2012. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  12. ^ "Vote". VH1 News. June 14, 2012. Archived from the original on June 13, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  13. ^ "July 2012 – New Releases". LionsGatePublicity.com. Lions Gate Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
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