Little Pink House


Little Pink House is a 2017 American-Canadian biographical drama film written and directed by Courtney Moorehead Balaker and starring Catherine Keener as Susette Kelo. It is based on the book "Little Pink House" by Jeff Benedict, which chronicles events related to Kelo v. City of New London, a U.S. Supreme Court case in which Kelo unsuccessfully sued the city of New London, Connecticut, for its controversial use of eminent domain.

Plot

A small-town paramedic named Susette Kelo emerges as the reluctant leader of her working-class neighbors in their struggle to save their homes from political and corporate interests bent on seizing the land and handing it over to Pfizer Corporation. Ambitious academic Dr. Charlotte Wells, president of the fictional "Walthrop College" persuades the current governor that this could help his public image by increasing tax revenue for the poor. Susette's battle goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and the controversial 5–4 decision in Kelo vs. City of New London gave government officials the power to bulldoze a neighborhood for the benefit of a multibillion-dollar corporation. The decision outraged Americans across the political spectrum, and that passion fueled reforms that helped curb eminent domain abuse.

Cast

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76%, based on 29 reviews, and an average rating of 6.19/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Little Pink House rises up on the foundation of Catherine Keener's strong central performance..." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
A bipartisan congressional screening of the film was held at the U.S. Capitol.

Accolades