The Story of Art-House Film ‘The Canyons’ and How It Generated More Controversy Than Cash
The Canyons, an erotic thriller released in 2013, was panned by critics and flopped at the box office, but the film still managed to garner an astonishing amount of publicity, largely due to leading lady Lindsay Lohan.
Written by American Psycho’s author Bret Easton Ellis and directed by Paul Schrader — who helmed the classic 1980s crime drama American Gigolo — The Canyons tells the story of Christian, a young, rich, emotionally unavailable LA scion (played by porn star James Deen), who attempts to stave off his boredom by engaging in a variety of sexual activities. His girlfriend Tara (played by Lohan) — a model/actress with no real career to speak of — has a hard time dealing with Christian’s psychotic behavior and jealousy, but she is stuck in the relationship due to reliance on her partner’s money.
The Film’s Production Is More Intriguing Than the Movie Itself
Before The Canyons was known as Lindsay Lohan’s vehicle, it became one of the first films to be financed on funds raised via Kickstarter — a pretty common technique nowadays.
The project amassed nearly $160,000 on the crowdfunding platform, and an additional $100,000 in investment helped production to commence. At first, the producers pitched roles to a number of high-profile actors including Jason Sudeikis and Jeremy Renner, but they declined.
But when Lindsay Lohan came on board, with her reputation of being difficult to work with, that’s when Hollywood and the tabloids began to take notice.
Perhaps in a bid to drum up positive marketing, a correspondent from The New York Times was invited on set to document the production, but this decision ultimately backfired.
In the article, the reporter detailed several on-set brawls and shouting matches, and that Lohan, for her part, was repeatedly late and unprofessional:
By midweek, Schrader and Lohan were locked in battle. One afternoon, he shot some of the lead-up to the movie’s pivotal sex scene, and Lohan wasn’t happy.
“I hope you got my triple chin on that one,” Lohan said to no one directly. “That shot was hideous.”
That’s when things started to get really weird. Lady Gaga was now staying at the Chateau Marmont [an iconic hotel in Los Angeles, where Lohan used to live for months — author’s note], and that wasn’t great news for “The Canyons.” Lohan missed her morning call, and then she left the shoot for lunch with friends, running up a $600 tab on sushi, sake and vodka.
The NY Times piece was not the only negative press that the film’s production crew received, and even though Lohan behaved unprofessionally on set, she was not the only one. Schrader and Ellis were also said to have acted like divas, potentially explaining why they both have had issues in securing high-profile gigs ever since.
In fact, according to The New York Times, Schrader even declined an offer by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh to make a final edit of the movie:
“You know what Soderbergh would do if another director offered to cut his film?” [Schrader asked the NYT reporter — author’s note].
I said I didn’t [the NYT reporter replied — author’s note]. Schrader leaned back in his chair and gave me two middle fingers.
“That’s what Soderbergh would do.”
From the Valley to Hollywood
It is worth mentioning that the casting of James Deen somewhat came out of left field. According to the producers of The Canyons, the decision to pick Deen, who was famous for starring in an entirely different cinematic genre, was based on their idea to cast someone edgy and unexpected. Maybe under different circumstances, the choice to cast a porn star in the lead role would have made for a compelling film, but on account of Lohan’s notorious reputation as well as Ellis and Schrader’s affection for sleazy material, all these elements together brought the film to a very thin edge between an erotic thriller and an actual erotic film with the elements of a thriller.
Even though some critics and viewers commended Deen’s performance, his inclusion in the cast overshadowed the film. As documented in an audio recording that was leaked to TMZ, Lohan seemed to resent Deen, criticizing his acting during rehearsals:
“Let’s actually do the scene — you’re like this, yeah? But you’re holding me, no? OK, let’s act. I know it’s for fun for you, but let’s do it … No, but can you do — please James, say your lines as you’re walking over, because we are doing rehearsal with the lines, are we not? Do your fucking job!”
Seeing as their characters have a strained relationship in the movie, the real-life tension between Deen and Lohan should have benefited their acting. Instead, the bickering resulted in a lack of chemistry between the two.
Humiliating Rejections
After the production wrapped, the movie faced a slew of embarrassing rejections and was denied screenings by the indie film festivals Sundance and SXSW.
The Canyons did, however, premiere in the out-of-competition section at the 70th Venice International Film Festival. Lohan failed to promote the film at the Lido, fearing it would have compromised her sobriety following her sixth stint in rehab. Lindsay’s absence was heavily criticized by Schrader.
Surprisingly, the film did turn out to be profitable — at least, for the producers. Made on a $250,000 micro-budget, according to Yahoo! Movies, The Canyons was later sold to IFC Films for a reported $1 million, with Lohan receiving a share of the profits under her contract.
The Canyons was slammed by critics and failed at the box office. It received an audience score of just 15 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and yet many stated that Lohan’s performance was the only reason to watch the film. Moreover, in some countries, the movie was warmly received by critics, including in Australia, where it picked up several awards at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival.
Some people even predicted that The Canyons would eventually gain a cult following. As of 2021, the public perception of the movie has not particularly changed, although there is no set timeframe dictating when a film attains cult status.
