Love. Latex. Larceny.

Genre: Crime, Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Director: Robert Cuffley
Role: Celene
Cast: Leelee Sobieski, Lothaire Bluteau, Michael Eklund, Jacob Tierney, Michael Adamthwaite
Release Date: Canada, December 7 2007 (theatrical; limited)
MPAA Motion Picture Rating: R

• Overview
• Memorable Celene Quotations
• Said of Walk All Over Me
• Walk All Over Me Movie Trivia
• Critical Reception
• Walk All Over Me Online

More Walk All Over Me images of Tricia in our Walk All Over Me Photo Gallery

Alberta (Sobieski) has fled her small-town existence and is travelling to the big city. She looks up the only person she knows, Celene, her former babysitter, who now, as it turns out, makes her living as a full-time dominatrix. Strapped for cash, Alberta naively decides to borrow Celene’s identity to rake in on the three-hundred dollar an hour pay day.

Her first client, Paul (Tierney) isn’t anything like she expected. He’s normal. So normal that Alberta agrees to move from their food court rendezvous back to his home, in order to continue their sexually-charged role-play.

Their soiree is interrupted by a trio of criminals, who believe that Paul has a great deal of their money. When Paul refuses to confess, the men beat him savagely. Alberta flees during the mellay, but Rene (Bluteau), firmly convinced that Alberta knows the whereabouts of the remaining money, tracks her to Celene’s house. Life suddenly spins out of control as Alberta struggles to step back over the line she’s crossed.

* * * *

Tricia Helfer portrays the Celene, Alberta’s independent and ambitious former babysitter, who surprises Alberta by earning her living as a dominatrix. For years, Celene has worked the business to save up enough money to get out of town and try out as an actress, when Alberta suddenly pops back up in her life and rewrites her plans altogether.

“Yes, and I like it exactly the way it is, so… take a mental picture.”

“So, what’s your first move, then? What’s your life plan?… You don’t have one.”

“That’s Spencer. He likes to be my slave on Fridays.”

“Don’t give them a choice. Believe in something strongly enough, even if it’s total bullshit, so will everyone around you.”

“It’s like being an actor. You have to convince the audience or client that you’re in charge. You got that?”

“I am doing what I’ve always wanted. I’m in control of my life. It pays well if you’re good, and I am. $300 an hour. 18 more months, take my savings, go South. Acting classes, get an agent, execute the life plan.”

“You’ve been making an effort. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“What did you just call me? I’m doing what I want, and you have the nerve to call… You WRECK MY SHIT and then label me… You’ve really changed, Alberta. Not at all the fuck-up I remember.”

“Another outfit of mine you’ve ruined.”

“Top shelf in the spare-room closet. Ankle cuffs, can you get them, please? Need a roll of tape, too! Any color’s fine.”

“So, Alberta. Last night, when you told me about the guys beating on your friend and you running away? You, um, you forgot to mention the part where you stole 20 grand from them. And that you stashed it in my home. Black, thank you. And that they had a way of finding you, and busting — [turns to bound Rene] You’re paying for that vase, ass-fuck! [turns to Alberta] What I’m saying here is that you didn’t exactly tell me everything. You may find it nitpicky, but to me, having prior knowledge of these things would fall under the category of ‘good to know.’”

“Your boy toys know where we are?”

[on the phone] “I don’t care. Listen to me. I need your home. Indefinitely. I’m leaving now. Well, you better make other arrangements because I’m coming now and I’m not happy!”

“You took his money and his car? [laughs to Rene] I’m really starting to enjoy her.”

“Stop talking now!”

“I need to know who I’m dealing with. I need this little inconvenience that you brought to my doorstep to be worth my while.”

“What in Sam fucking Hill is going on here?”

“I don’t know what kind of shit he’s pulling, but God, stop being so naive!”

“He’s alive, still in the house playing possum.”

“No, you listen, those two guys are freaking nutbars. They’re insane times 20.”

Select quotations regarding the film from Tricia Helfer and her co-workers:

Describing the film:
“But [S&M is] really not what the movie is about. That’s a subplot and a side story to enhance the film, and some of the funny elements, but that’s really what grabs people’s attention, and I think we certainly want women out there to know that it really is a relationship film between these two women — two strong female characters. Me being a woman, I don’t want women to be dissuaded going to the film thinking it’s all about S&M — women that aren’t into S&M — and that it’s a guys film. It’s a film that both women and men can enjoy, and it’s really a women’s empowerment film in a way. I certainly want to get that across to women that they should go see it as well.”
- ShowBizMonkeys.com interview, December 11 2007

On what attracted her to the film:
“Initially it was the script. My agent in Vancouver passed the script along and said it was a Canadian project, the director is actually a part of our agency, (and) I think it would be a really fun role for you. So I read the script, and Robert flew out from Calgary to Vancouver, so we met and I instantly liked his take on what he wanted from the film and the tone he wanted. Then it was Christmas and things dissipate and I was back in L.A., and then not too long after the New Year, I got the offer for the film. I knew that Leelee [Sobieski] was interested in it, which was another thing for me to really want to do the project because I wanted to work with her — she’s an acclaimed actress and most of my stuff has been the wife or the girlfriend or the seductress. I really liked that this was two strong female characters opposite each other, and me being in the older mentor role which was something I hadn’t done.”
- ShowBizMonkeys.com interview, December 11 2007

On her character Celene:
“No, because Celene’s character used to babysit Alberta, so it’s not like she was an old friend. She didn’t want to make the break because she had sent the postcard to Alberta, but she just didn’t expect she’d just show up on her doorstep. I saw Celene as someone who’s very focused, very driven, very ambitious, and not ashamed of what she’s doing in her life; but also wanting to keep pushing herself and do the acting she always wanted to do. So I see her world as being very small. I don’t think she’d have many friends, (is) a bit obsessive compulsive, and likes things the way she likes things, and she welcomes Alberta into her home but with trepidation, as Alberta’s sort of the type of person that things go wrong for. I want the audience to see that she’s not just some cold-hearted bitch, but she wants Alberta to learn from experience knowing that from babysitting her, Alberta is the sort of person who maybe doesn’t think things through. So Celene is trying to teach her in a way. I think that there’s a journey through the movie where Alberta learns to take a bit more control and be more confident, and Celene learns to loosen a little bit and take things a little more day to day. What I really like about the film is there isn’t a huge transformation, and then Alberta’s perfect and Celene’s perfect at the end. They aren’t, they are still who they are, but there’s been growth there.”
- ShowBizMonkeys.com interview, December 11 2007

• Although set in Vancouver, Walk All Over Me was actually shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. According to director Robert Cuffley, the decision to not film in Vancouver was chiefly financial.

Walk All Over Me received only a limited Canadian theatrical release in December 2007, and went straight to DVD in the United States in May 2008, and thus reviews on the film are nearly none to be had. Due to the scarcity of available reviews and limited distribution, the film does not have a rating at review collection site Rotten Tomatoes, and only commands a 5.8/10 user rating at the Internet Movie Database. Despite the measly IMDb rating, however, it is worth noting that both Walk All Over Me and Tricia Helfer’s performance have received much critical acclaim from the Canadian press and film festival critics, so the low online ratings may not be representative of the true quality of the film.

• Rating > Internet Movie Database: 5.8/10 (1,300 user votes counted)
• Rating > MetaCritic: No rating (professional)
• Rating > Rotten Tomatoes: No rating (professional)

Extracts from professional reviews:

“As a thriller, the film has a simple but strong storyline: bad guys want their money. It has a couple of little twists, but basically it’s a platform for character-driven action with a comedic tone. Tricia Helfer is wonderfully stoic as the dominatrix – until Alberta stumbles into her life and brings chaos with her. Helfer’s statuesque looks add a sexy element and the exocitism of her work is an ever present undercurrent as men who wish to be dominated play a role in the chase. [...] A driving score and a variety of Vancouver locations add to the film’s sense of outrageous fun, while Robert Cuffley’s direction grounds the film well enough to involve and engage us.”
- Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile

“That said, Cuffley nonetheless proves adept at incorporating the bondage milieu into Alberta’s development as a character. In other words, the S&M theme exists as more than merely a way to squeeze its leggy leading ladies into leather and lace. In this task, he’s aided greatly by both actresses, who are grounded and convincing in roles that might have stumbled lesser performers. Geek-bait Helfer, best known as a Battlestar Galactica vixen, communicates tenderness and humour from behind a hardened, life-weary stare, while Sobieski, the former child star, wrings much comic mileage out of the jittery, inept Alberta’s predicament.”
- Kevin Williamson, Sun Media

“Again, to Cuffley’s credit, he creates characters who are inherently seductive. Both Alberta and Celene are fascinating studies of femininity and female stereotypes, and both Sobieski and Helfer bring incredible depth to the fore – but we never get enough moments between the two of them to suck on the marrow of the story. The story of Alberta and Celene is far more interesting than a bunch of gangsters and the blossoming romance between a heavy and a novice dominatrix. It feels as though Cuffley surrendered to genre convention and didn’t let the characters go on the adventure they were born to live. As a result, the movie feels underdeveloped in an emotional sense – which ultimately interferes with our engagement and investment in the story as a whole, making Walk All Over Me feel a little more like Nudge Me When You’re Done.”
- Katherine Monk, CanWest News Service

Awards & Nominations

Walk All Over Me has received a total of 2 awards and 2 award nominations.

Awards:
• AMPIA Award (2008) – Best Feature Film
• Leo Award (2008) – Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama (Michael Eklund)

Nominations:
• Leo Award (2008) – Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama (Tricia Helfer)
• Leo Award (2008) – Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama (Michael Adamthwaite)

Personal Thoughts

Sandra: Judging from the title, you’d think this was a movie about domination and S&M. Kinky stuff, women in rubber, that sort of thing. And yet no. Although it all certainly is a visible part of the film, Robert Cuffley’s Walk All Over Me is first and foremost a witty crime drama with fantastic acting performances. The dialogue is just side-splittingly funny and well written, as are the many tragicomical situations the helpless characters just keep ending up in. Believe me when I tell you I don’t say this very often, but don’t let the poor IMDb user rating fool you — Walk All Over Me is a must-see.

Celene, meanwhile, is absolutely one of my favorite of Tricia’s onscreen roles to date, both character- and performance-wise. Throughout the movie, Tricia appears very natural and comfortable as Celene, and you just know a performance is good when you forget it’s really just an actor playing a part. You’d think this would’ve been a role in which Tricia could’ve utilized a lot of what she’d learned so far playing the seductive Number Six on Battlestar Galactica, but although there certainly is a pinch of that in Celene as well, they really are actually quite different in a lot of ways, and anyone who actually paid attention to her performance just cannot dismiss it as “just another Six”. Riveting. Entertaining. Brilliant. Her best movie to date.

Below are some Walk All Over Me-related links that may be of interest to you.

• Walk All Over Me official site
• Walk All Over Me TFL-approved fanlisting
• Walk All Over Me TFL-approved Celene character fanlisting
• Walk All Over Me on IMDb.com
• Walk All Over Me on RottenTomatoes.com
• Walk All Over Me on Wikipedia.org

• Robert Cuffley on IMDb.com
• Robert Cuffley on Wikipedia.org

• Leelee Sobieski on Leelee Sobieski Fan