The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
2005 · 99 min · Director: Jane Anderson
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Kelly and Evelyn Ryan live in Defiance, Ohio with their 10 children. At first glance their life seems idyllic; they call each other "Mother" and "Father" and seem to dote on the kids. But Kelly was a garage-band crooner whose voice was ruined in an auto accident. He's resigned to a dead-end factory job that barely pays the bills, and is given to fits of alcohol-induced rage. Evelyn, a stay-at-home wife and mother, deals with this abuse by appealing to her priest, who is no help at all. She deals with their poverty by entering the jingle contests that were the rage in the 50's and early 60's, even sending in multiple entries in the names of the children. She is very clever at it, winning more than her share of prizes, but her successes aren't enough to keep the wolf from the door. Further, they trigger Kelly's insecurities and he retreats deeper into the bottle, using food and mortgage money to support the habit. Can the loving, optimistic Evelyn hold the family together? Is she justified in placing her faith in the deeply-flawed Kelly? How will the children turn out? This underrated film provides an inspirational answer to these questions.
Emotional fingerprint
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Empathy 30%, Sadness 25%, Hope 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Empathy30%
- Sadness25%
- Hope20%
- Anxiety15%
- Inspiration10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Empathy, Sadness, Hope. Genres: Drama, Biography. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Empathy, Sadness and Hope. Its IMDb rating of 7.2/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 71/100.
How did it make you feel?
Votes are saved to the fingerprint once you’re signed in.
Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Joy
- Relief
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Joy
Dominant emotion: Relief
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Joy | Relief |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Joy | 48 % | 28 % | 38 % | 23 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Relief | 61 % | 35 % | 43 % | 35 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 12′ | Tension | 65 % | 48 % | 27 % | 18 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 17′ | Empathy | 61 % | 57 % | 16 % | 1 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 22′ | Empathy | 63 % | 51 % | 31 % | 15 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 27′ | Joy | 66 % | 35 % | 55 % | 34 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 32′ | Joy | 61 % | 30 % | 57 % | 30 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 37′ | Joy | 57 % | 43 % | 38 % | 19 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 42′ | Empathy | 61 % | 54 % | 28 % | 23 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 47′ | Joy | 59 % | 49 % | 40 % | 25 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 52′ | Joy | 54 % | 43 % | 46 % | 24 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 57′ | Relief | 57 % | 51 % | 41 % | 31 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 62′ | Empathy | 71 % | 66 % | 44 % | 30 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 67′ | Tension | 83 % | 74 % | 40 % | 15 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 72′ | Sadness | 84 % | 76 % | 23 % | 8 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 77′ | Empathy | 83 % | 77 % | 10 % | 5 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 82′ | Empathy | 86 % | 74 % | 26 % | 24 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 87′ | Relief | 89 % | 66 % | 60 % | 64 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 92′ | Relief | 85 % | 63 % | 72 % | 80 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 97′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Cinderella
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Tuff Ryan
Dick Ryan
Bub Ryan at 15 yrs
Tuff Ryan at 9 yrs
Rog Ryan at 17 yrs
Details
- Directed by
- Jane Anderson
- Written by
- Jane Anderson, Terry Ryan
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2005
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Country
- United States, Canada
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Empathy
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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