Whorehouse Warehouse

Author(s): Jamie Madden
Location: Melbourne, Australia

“Whorehouse Warehouse"

Written and Directed by Tim Burton
Produced by Gus Van Sant
Original Score by Danny Elfman

Principal Cast:

Holly Hunter as Sarah Bossman, the protagonist whose extreme fears of death result in ultimate tragedy, but surprise success with opening a brothel.
Maggie Gyllenhaal as The Freak – a former German militant extremist who advocates the importance of abortion, same sex-marriages, and democracy.
Laura Dern as Sister Mary Magdalene, a promiscuous nun, who escaped from the perils of a very strict convent in Sweden.
Helena Bonham Carter as Nana Nipples, a post-op transsexual whose wise wisdom, witty banter and heroism through aids changes the moral fiber of each whore.
Johnny Depp as Michael Bossman, the killed husband of Sarah.

Tagline: “Whore’s for sale! Open all night long!"

Synopsis: Sarah Bossman sees death everywhere around her in her affluent middle class suburban life. In the smiles of the old, in the laughter of children, in the hope and despair of the poor, and in the turbulence of the turning of a door handle. Her obsessive compulsion turns into a reality when her timid and softly spoken husband kills himself. Through her depressive state and newfound widow-ism, Sarah stumbles upon a midnight screening of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and envisions a crazy idea for handling her grief, as well as making a quick buck.

With some help from her crack whore neighbors, Sarah opens a brothel in her home. Whilst many angry republican wives in the street object to the opening, operation and blatant advertising on the front lawn (“Whore’s for sale! Open all night long!”) of the brothel, “The Whorehouse Warehouse” manages to attract unprecedented business, success and happiness for Sarah, and her employees The Freak, Sister Mary Magdalene and Nana Nipples, who manage to achieve their dreams through tragedy, exploitation and turmoil.

What the press would say:

An unlikely subject matter proves to be a willing formula for Tim Burton, and “Whorehouse Warehouse” is no exception. The audacious, bold, and innovative script and direction provided by Tim Burton shows a previously unseen simplicity and subtly of this many faceted director. Holly Hunter makes a triumphant return, and delivers her greatest comedic performance since “Raising Arizona”, but this time as a severely fearful, frightened and obsessive woman. Her delivery compliments greatly with her on screen husband Johnny Depp, whose small, shy performance is thoroughly enjoyable. The three “whores” are played by with gusto by the rising Oscar contender Maggie Gyllenhaal – as a very verbal extremist, consistently talented Laura Dern – whose promiscuity is balanced well with a shy, secretive nature, along with a uncanny Swedish accent that is in no way a cliché, and the incredible Helena Bonham Carter – whose role as a post-op transsexual “Nana Nipples” transcends all expectations, and confirms her status as one of the best actors of her time. “Whorehouse Warehouse” is a captivating, scintillating, and surprisingly endearing comedy with a heart of gold.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Golden Globes: M/C categories
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay
Best Actress (Holly Hunter)
Best Supporting Actor (Johnny Depp)
Best Supporting Actress (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Laura Dern and Helena Bonham Carter)
Best Original Score