7.8/10
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Changeling (2008)

A grief-stricken mother takes on the LAPD to her own detriment when it tries to pass off an obvious impostor as her missing child.

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2,518 ( 114)
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 47 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Sandy
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Operator
Erica Grant ...
Operator
Antonia Bennett ...
Operator
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Operator
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Ben Harris
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Girl on Tricycle
Madison Hodges ...
Neighborhood Girl
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Devon Conti ...
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Man at Diner
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Storyline

Los Angeles, 1928. A single mother returns from work to find her nine-year-old son gone. She calls the LAPD to initiate a search. Five months later, a boy is found in Illinois who fits the description; he says he's her son. To fanfare and photos, the LAPD reunite mother and son, but she insists he's not her boy. The cops dismiss her as either a liar or hysterical. When she joins a minister in his public criticism of the police, they in turn use government power to silence and intimidate her. Meanwhile, a cop goes to a dilapidated ranch to find a Canadian lad who's without legal status; the youth tells a grisly tale. There's redress for murder; is there redress for abuse of power? Written by <[email protected]>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

To find her son, she did what no one else dared.


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violent and disturbing content, and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

4 December 2008 (Israel)  »

Also Known As:

Ha'hahlafa  »

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Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$489,015, 26 October 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$35,739,802

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$113,020,256
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

| (opening and end sequence)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a roadside café named "Bummy's" which appears early on. This is possibly in memory of Clint Eastwood's long time collaboration with Production Designer Henry Bumstead, who passed away in 2006. His nickname was "Bummy". See more »

Goofs

Christine mentions her husband ran away because he couldn't handle the responsibilities of being a father. In real life, he was serving a sentence for armed robbery. However, she may have told Walter this to protect him from the truth about his father. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Christine Collins: Walter, honey. Time to wake up.
Walter Collins: Just ten more minutes...
Christine Collins: Sorry, sport. You can sleep in tomorrow, that's what Saturdays are for.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The black-and-white Universal logo used in the 1940s opens the film. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Getaway: Greek Islands: Part 2 (2010) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
And the Oscar goes to...
16 January 2009 | by – See all my reviews

…Angelina Jolie, for outstanding performance in Changeling.

Wow, I think I need to calm down a bit. I was skeptic at first to see this movie but I don't regret spending 900 króna's (I'm from Iceland so that's very expensive) on a movie ticket to see the best movie I've seen in a long time. And I encourage everyone to do the same, go see Changeling.

This movie has everything; a terrific story based on true events, outstanding acting from everyone of the cast, excitement, tears, blood and it holds you tight until the end. And I won't forget the magic behind the camera provided by the genius Clint Eastwood.

Angelina's character is terrific and she fights, what seems to be at first a lost fight, for her son in a world controlled by men. You learn to hate some characters in the movie and love others. You learn to feel for Angelina's character and hope the movie ends well. Changeling will make you cry and when you walk out of the theater after this fantastic film you feel both good and satisfied.

Angelina was so good and convincing in this movie that I could not believe my own eyes and ears. And John Malkovich was very good too but Angelina is the rock of this movie. She carries it on her shoulders and Clint Eastwood directs her like...like...I don't know what to write anymore, I'm still calming down. I'm going to stop now and finish the review with these two sentences: If Angelina Jolie gets an Oscar nomination for her acting she deserves to win. Just go see Changeling and Angelina's acting will blow your mind.


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