The Bracelet of Bordeaux

Plot

Helen Hixon is a girl who just moved into a new town with her parents, Honey and Lubbock. When Helen first comes to her new house, she finds a girl tied up in her foyer. The girl introduced herself as Marie Meir, and then told the Hixons that her dog had been stolen by a bully named Dirk. After stealing her dog, Marie had confronted Dirk, and he tied her up in the house. Helen and Marie take a liking for each other and become friends. They decide to go after Dirk to rescue Marie's poodle. They find out that Marie's dog is not the only one missing, and pretty soon, Helen's dog Rufus gets stolen by Dirk too. Seeking help from Marie's grandmother, the girls unwittingly come into possession of The Bracelet of Bordeaux, a magical relic once used to fight the Nazis. Donning the bracelet, Helen receives super powers, but must learn to use them wisely and to follow the right cause.

Production

The film was shot entirely on location in The Woodlands, Texas, a suburb of Houston, as part of a project by producer Frank Eakin to generate interest in using Houston as a filming location for major motion pictures. In order to build interest in the film, it was promoted as being produced using "The Community Model of Film Making." Under this business model, parents paid a fee averaging $250 for their children to appear in the film, with the money going towards the production budget. While several children earned speaking roles, most ended up as extras in the park montage or among the crowd at the bus station; sixty-seven girls are credited as Sprouts (the film's analogue to Brownies), most of whom only ever speak in unison.

In addition to individuals who paid to appear in the film, Ally Claire Carson, who plays the role of Helen, is Eakin's daughter. Several other crew members and their families also have small parts or appear as extras, including Eakin himself as an airline passenger and producer Lorie Kapila and her family as the unnamed Muslim family in Chem City.

Following the film's production, it was advertised largely through local businesses, especially Cinemark theaters in The Woodlands and Spring, Texas, who hung posters for the film months in advance of its premiere. In the weeks leading to the film's premier, cast and crew appeared on KTWL BOB-FM, a radio station programmed towards The Woodlands and surrounding communities. The film had its world premier at The Woodlands High School in the Spring of 2008, with the crew of BOB-FM's morning show hosting a remote broadcast.

Reception

The film currently holds a 14% audience approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Prior to the film's release, it earned a "Family Approved" sticker from The Dove Foundation.