It is certainly possible to make a transgressive movie about children in sexual jeopardy, and to do so in ways that realistically and intelligently depict the abuse while not revelling in it.
Comment
10/24/08
Towelhead (2008)
47
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:109
Fresh:51
Rotten:58
Average Rating:5.3/10
Consensus: This story of politics, race and, sexual awakening has moments that pack a punch, but overall, Towelhead never quite achieves the nuance of helmer Alan Ball's television work.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Oct 9, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $277,354
Synopsis: Alan Ball, who won an Oscar for his AMERICAN BEAUTY screenplay and an Emmy for the hit cable series SIX FEET UNDER, which he created, makes his feature-film directorial debut with the controversial... [More]
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette, Maria Bello, Peter Macdissi
Director: Alan Ball
Reviews for Towelhead
Ball knows how to fit his themes in seamlessly, weaving a charming, dark, funny, thoroughly entertaining parody of Americana.
10/18/08
Click to read the article
10/18/08
It’s impossible to look away.
10/18/08
Give Bishil props for a truly brave performance. Eckhart and Macdissi do what they can, as does Toni Collette as a concerned neighbor who tries to save Jasira from Eckhart. But the script isn't up to the actors.
10/18/08
Summer Bishil turns in a gutsy, quietly riveting performance as Jasira.
10/18/08
Top CriticBrings up some interesting points, but it's also too eager to shock and too eager to condemn.
10/12/08
A gutsy, sometimes tragic, sometimes comic film about racist and sexist attitudes in middle America which have to be negotiated by a young teenage girl.
10/10/08
Top CriticIf you love brave films that aren't afraid to step over the line, you might appreciate this.
10/06/08
Ball falls prey to his own inadequacies and makes a movie audiences are going to feel awfully uncomfortable watching.
10/01/08
...this loathsome movie sullies actors and audience alike...
09/29/08
While it’s onscreen, the film moves, incites, and jabs, all while reminding us how difficult it is to grow up female and sane in this world.
09/26/08
It's Ball's complex and frank approach to subject matter normally depicted in black-and-white terms that distinguishes Towelhead from so many coming-of-age dramas before it.
09/26/08
The coming-of-age molestation drama Towelhead is beautifully acted and accomplishes exactly what writer/director Alan Ball set out to accomplish.
09/26/08
The performances make the material more human and accessible, mainly from the film's brave young star, Summer Bishil.
09/26/08
Alan Ball's flair for ironic drama is not the answer for Towelhead.
09/26/08
It turns out that 'Towelhead' is not a slur, it's a directive. Putting towels over our heads, large enough to cover our faces, may be the preferred mode in which to view this film.
09/26/08
The movie takes as its subject grown-ups' incomprehension of adolescent sexuality, but tells us nothing really new about it %u2014 the picture seems rather uncomprehending itself.
09/26/08
The film is pretty unfocused and rambling. Some good performances can't overcome those flaws or the film's sudden, jarring changes in the tone.
09/25/08
While such a delicate theme can be made artistically defensible, it demands to be swaddled in subtlety and sensitivity.
09/25/08
Latest News for Towelhead
January 03, 2009:
In a movie that was once more aptly titled, Nothing Is Private, Towelhead kicks open the suburban bedroom door and exposes often silent personal terrors that are both rudely shocking and uncomfortably familiar. 
More...
December 29, 2008:
RT on DVD: A Matthew McConaughey Stinker or Event Horizon on Blu-ray?
It's officially the last DVD release week of the year, although much like the box office, most big-ticket new releases debuted last week in time for Christmas. Nevertheless,... More...
December 28, 2008:
In a movie that was once more aptly titled, Nothing Is Private, Towelhead kicks open the suburban bedroom door and exposes often silent personal terrors that are both rudely shocking and uncomfortably familiar.
More...
September 12, 2008:
Aaron Eckhart Talks Towelhead, Life After TDK
He's been around for awhile, but he's never starred in something as huge as "The Dark Knight" -- so what's it like being Aaron Eckhart right now? The Deadbolt's Jordan Riefe... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
40 Best Films of the 2000s
Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!
Worst Hollywood Remakes of the Decade
Movieline gets bravely swept away with the recycled refuse of the 2000s.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
Win Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 prize packs
We're giving away a bunch of stuff from the upcoming Squeakquel.
IGN RSS Feeds