Miller's Girl

{{Infobox film

| image = Millers_girl_poster.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Jade Halley Bartlett

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Seth Rogen
Evan Goldberg
James Weaver
Josh Fagen
Mary-Margaret Kunze

}}

| writer = Jade Halley Bartlett

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Elyssa Samsel

| cinematography = Daniel Brothers

| editing = Vanara Taing

| production_companies = {{Plainlist|

}}

| distributor = Lionsgate

| released = {{Film date|2024|1|11|PSIFF|2024|1|26|United States}}

| runtime = 93 minutes{{Cite web|date=January 8, 2024|title=Miller's Girl (15)|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/millers-girl-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde4nte2|access-date=January 9, 2024|website=BBFC|archive-date=January 9, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109204359/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/millers-girl-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde4nte2|url-status=live}}

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $4 million{{Cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/georgia-entertainment-scene/jenna-ortega-falls-for-a-teacher-in-millers-girl/UAJXGBOIIFBGXN5WJDSNPTPYQI/|title=Jenna Ortega falls for a teacher in 'Miller's Girl'|first=Rodney|last=Ho|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=January 29, 2024|access-date=January 29, 2024|archive-date=January 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129231057/https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/georgia-entertainment-scene/jenna-ortega-falls-for-a-teacher-in-millers-girl/UAJXGBOIIFBGXN5WJDSNPTPYQI/|url-status=live}}

| gross = $1.167 million{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Millers-Girl-(2024)|title=Miller's Girl (2024) - Financial Information|website=The Numbers|access-date=February 21, 2024|archive-date=February 21, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221140533/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Millers-Girl-(2024)#tab=summary|url-status=live}}

}}

Miller's Girl is a 2024 American erotic thriller{{Cite web|date=January 26, 2024|author-link=Richard Roeper|last=Roeper|first=Richard|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2024/1/25/24049822/millers-girl-review-jenna-ortega-movie-martin-freeman|title=Miller's Girl the tedious tale of an ineffectual teacher and his infatuated student|website=Chicago Sun-Times|accessdate=February 18, 2024|archive-date=February 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217030033/https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2024/1/25/24049822/millers-girl-review-jenna-ortega-movie-martin-freeman|url-status=live}} film written and directed by Jade Halley Bartlett. The film stars Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman as a student and teacher who enter into a complicated relationship after a creative writing assignment.

Miller's Girl was theatrically released in the United States by Lionsgate on January 26, 2024. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

Cairo Sweet, an 18-year-old girl, lives alone in her wealthy family's mansion in Tennessee. Her attorney parents are away on a business trip while she completes her senior year in high school. Cairo takes the creative writing class of teacher Jonathan Miller, and impresses him with her wide knowledge in literature and her familiarity with Miller's own book, Apostrophes and Ampersands. Miller has not written since he got married and started teaching. His emotionally unavailable wife, Beatrice, is a more successful author who disdains her husband's lack of ambition and failure to write new material.

Cairo has to write a college admission essay for Yale University, with the subject being her "greatest achievement to date", but she cannot find anything worthy to write about. Winnie, Cairo's best friend, tells her to experience the excitement of a teacher-student affair such as she intends to do with the school's baseball coach and physics teacher, Boris Fillmore, who is Miller's best friend. Winnie suggests that Cairo seduce Miller after noticing their intellectual connection and Miller's obvious attraction to her.

Cairo and Miller begin to spend more time together outside class, sharing common interests in novels, poems and Tennessean culture. Miller assigns Cairo to write a short story in the style of her favorite author, and she chooses Henry Miller; despite being reluctant due to the author's provocative style, Miller approves. When he accidentally takes Cairo's cell phone, she asks him to return it personally. When Miller arrives at her parents' mansion, Cairo welcomes him in a sexy dress, and they kiss in the rain. Inspired, she writes an erotic short story about a sexual relationship between a teacher and his student. While Miller reads it alone, he gets extremely aroused and masturbates to it.

Miller declares the story unacceptable and demands that Cairo rewrite it, citing she was meant to match Henry Miller's writing style, not subject matter. Cairo calls out his cowardice and hypocrisy. Offended by Miller's rejection, Cairo sends the story to the school's vice principal, Joyce Manor, as revenge to expose a possible affair between them. She also takes advantage of Winnie's attraction to her by convincing her to send sexual photos of themselves to Fillmore, leading them to undress and kiss passionately.

Manor questions Cairo and Miller separately about their relationship. Despite claiming that nothing inappropriate has happened between them, Miller has to take full responsibility as the adult in the situation, resulting in his suspension. This causes a rift in his friendship with Fillmore, who blames him for not knowing his limits as a teacher. An argument with Beatrice about what happened also prompts Miller to vent his repressed anger at his wife and point out the toxic nature of their marriage.

Realizing what Cairo's actions have done to Miller, Winnie asks her to withdraw the charges against him, but Cairo refuses, calling Miller's downfall her "greatest achievement to date." Winnie threatens to testify against Cairo, but Cairo blackmails her with the photos they made, which would cause Fillmore's suspension as well.

She writes her experiences into her admission essay in the same style Miller used in his book. Miller and Cairo see each other outside before the hearing. She stares at him with an unreadable, teary eyed expression, before letting out a small smile.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Martin Freeman as Jonathan Albert Miller
Jenna Ortega as Cairo Sweet
Bashir Salahuddin as Boris Fillmore
Gideon Adlon as Winnie Black
Dagmara Domińczyk as Beatrice June Harker
Christine Adams as Joyce Manor

}}

Production

In December 2016, Jade Halley Bartlett's spec script for Miller's Girl was acquired by Seth Rogen's company Point Grey Pictures and listed in the Hollywood Black List of unproduced screenplays.{{cite web|first=Patrick|last=Hipes|title=The Black List 2016 Scripts: Madonna Biopic 'Blond Ambition' Leads Rankings|url=https://deadline.com/2016/12/2016-black-list-2016-scripts-rankings-list-1201868979/|date=December 12, 2016|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=January 24, 2023|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124194148/https://deadline.com/2016/12/2016-black-list-2016-scripts-rankings-list-1201868979/|url-status=live}}

In September 2022, it was reported that Lionsgate Films had picked up distribution rights for the film, that Bartlett would direct, and that Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega would star.{{cite web|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|title=Jenna Ortega Joins Martin Freeman In Lionsgate & Point Grey's 'Miller's Girl'|url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/jenna-ortega-millers-girl-martin-freeman-1235122345/|date=September 19, 2022|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=January 24, 2023|archive-date=September 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919200916/https://deadline.com/2022/09/jenna-ortega-millers-girl-martin-freeman-1235122345/|url-status=live}} A week later, it was announced that Gideon Adlon, Bashir Salahuddin, Dagmara Domińczyk, and Christine Adams had joined the cast.{{cite web|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|title=Gideon Adlon, Bashir Salahuddin, Dagmara Domińczyk & Christine Adams Board 'Miller's Girl'|url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/lionsgate-millers-girl-gideon-adlon-bashir-salahuddin-dagmara-dominczyk-christine-adams-1235132433/|date=September 30, 2022|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=January 24, 2023|archive-date=January 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124194236/https://deadline.com/2022/09/lionsgate-millers-girl-gideon-adlon-bashir-salahuddin-dagmara-dominczyk-christine-adams-1235132433/|url-status=live}} That same month principal photography took place in Cartersville, Georgia.{{Cite web |title=Briefly: Cartersville's Dellinger Park closing for movie Miller's Girl production. |url=https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/hometown_headlines/bartow/briefly-cartersvilles-dellinger-park-closing-for-movie-millers-girl-production/article_6d31d2ea-3061-11ed-a8a4-a3273bc97279.html |access-date=2023-03-04 |website=Rome News-Tribune |date=September 10, 2022 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304011744/https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/hometown_headlines/bartow/briefly-cartersvilles-dellinger-park-closing-for-movie-millers-girl-production/article_6d31d2ea-3061-11ed-a8a4-a3273bc97279.html |url-status=live }}

Release

Miller's Girl premiered at Palm Springs Film Festival on January 11, 2024, followed by a release in theaters by Lionsgate on January 26, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Hipes |first=Patrick |date=2023-12-12 |title=Jenna Ortega-Martin Freeman Movie Miller's Girl To World Premiere At Palm Springs Film Festival Ahead Of January Release; See First-Look Photo |url=https://deadline.com/2023/12/jenna-ortega-millers-girl-movie-photo-first-look-release-date-1235659454/ |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=Deadline Hollywood |archive-date=December 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212211054/https://deadline.com/2023/12/jenna-ortega-millers-girl-movie-photo-first-look-release-date-1235659454/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Jenna Ortega to attend Palm Springs International Film Festival for 'Miller's Girl' premiere |url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/events/2023/12/12/la-quinta-natve-jenna-ortega-to-attend-palm-springs-film-festival-for-millers-girl-movie-premiere/71858094007/ |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=The Desert Sun |archive-date=December 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231222052744/https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/events/2023/12/12/la-quinta-natve-jenna-ortega-to-attend-palm-springs-film-festival-for-millers-girl-movie-premiere/71858094007/ |url-status=live }} It was released on digital formats in the United States on February 16, 2024, followed by a release in the United Kingdom on February 19.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-16 |title=Miller's Girl is now available to watch digitally in the US |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a46694022/watch-millers-girl-streaming/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=Digital Spy |archive-date=February 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216193635/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a46694022/watch-millers-girl-streaming/ |url-status=live }}

Reception

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|30|5.1|64|Despite a pair of talented stars and a central concept with a certain amount of real-world relevance, the narratively superficial Miller's Girl rings hollow.|ref=y|access-date=February 8, 2025}} {{Metacritic film prose|41|14|ref=yes|access-date=April 28, 2024}}

CNN's Brian Lowry called the film "a sort-of psychological, semi-erotic drama that, despite its literary pretensions, possesses roughly the intellectual heft of a perfume ad. Dated and creepy in all the wrong ways, it’s a movie that might have escaped derision in the 1980s but deserves to get slapped around today."{{Cite web |last=Lowry |first=Brian |date=2024-01-25 |title=Even Jenna Ortega can't save the icky '90s throwback 'Miller's Girl' |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/entertainment/jenna-ortega-millers-girl-review/index.html |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=February 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212094228/https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/entertainment/jenna-ortega-millers-girl-review/index.html |url-status=live }} Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "At times Miller's Girl has the feel of a stagey, self-consciously literary psychological drama; at others it seems like creepy noir about a femme fatale determined to ruin a randomly chosen man... Only a generous grader would award this script anything better than a D-plus."{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Kyle |title='Miller's Girl' Review: Jenna Ortega's Literary Crush |url=https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/millers-girl-review-jenna-ortega-martin-freeman-90086a75 |access-date=2024-02-10 |work=WSJ |language=en-US |archive-date=February 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209164116/https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/millers-girl-review-jenna-ortega-martin-freeman-90086a75 |url-status=live }}

The Messenger's Jordan Hoffman gave Miller's Girl a score of 6.5/10, calling it "a brooding, bookish and bursting-with-pheromones thriller" but adding, "after a splendid build-up, there is some serious lack of momentum that comes after the release of a narrative turn."{{Cite news |last=Hoffman |first=Jordan |date=January 24, 2024 |title='Miller's Girl' Review: Jenna Ortega Is an HR Nightmare in Saucy High School Drama |url=https://themessenger.com/entertainment/millers-girl-review-jenna-ortega-hr-nightmare-saucy-high-school-drama |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125121632/https://themessenger.com/entertainment/millers-girl-review-jenna-ortega-hr-nightmare-saucy-high-school-drama |archive-date=January 25, 2024 |access-date=February 10, 2024}}