Husbands and Wives
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2010) |
| Husbands and Wives | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Woody Allen |
| Produced by | Robert Greenhut |
| Written by | Woody Allen |
| Starring | Woody Allen Blythe Danner Judy Davis Mia Farrow Juliette Lewis Liam Neeson Sydney Pollack |
| Cinematography | Carlo Di Palma |
| Editing by | Susan E. Morse |
| Studio | TriStar Pictures |
| Distributed by | TriStar Pictures |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million (estimate) |
| Box office | $10,555,619 (domestic)[1] |
Husbands and Wives is a 1992 American drama film directed and written by Woody Allen. The films stars Allen, Mia Farrow, Sydney Pollack, Judy Davis, Juliette Lewis, Liam Neeson and Blythe Danner. It was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Judy Davis) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Woody Allen). The movie debuted around the same time as Allen and Farrow's relationship ended because of his relationship with Soon Yi Previn.
Husbands and Wives was Allen's first film as sole director for a studio other than United Artists or Orion Pictures (both now part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) since Take the Money and Run, namely TriStar Pictures (though he has acted in films that were released by other studios but were not directed by him).
Plot
The film is about two couples: Jack (Pollack) and Sally (Davis), and Gabe (Allen) and Judy (Farrow). The film starts when Jack and Sally arrive at Gabe and Judy's apartment and announce their separation. Gabe is shocked, but Judy takes the news personally and is very hurt. Still confused, they go out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant.
A few weeks later Sally goes to the apartment of a colleague. They plan to go out together to the opera and then to dinner. Sally asks if she can use his phone, and calls Jack. Learning from him that he has met someone, she accuses him of having had an affair during their marriage.
Judy and Gabe are introduced to Jack's new girlfriend, Sam, an aerobics trainer. While Judy and Sam shop, Gabe calls Jack's new girlfriend a "cocktail waitress" and tells him that he is crazy for leaving Sally for her. About a week later, Judy introduces Sally to Michael (Neeson), Judy's magazine colleague. Michael asks Sally out.
Meanwhile, Gabe has developed a friendship with a student of his, Rain, and has her read the manuscript for his working novel. She comments on its brilliance, though has several criticisms, to which Gabe reacts defensively due to its autobiographical nature.
Less than two weeks later, Jack and Sally are back together and the couple meet Judy and Gabe for dinner like old times. After dinner, Judy and Gabe get into an argument about her not sharing her poetry with him, then argue about many things. After Gabe makes a failed pass at her, Judy tells him that she thinks the relationship was over; a week later Gabe moves out. Judy begins seeing Michael.
Michael tells Judy he needs time alone, then says he can't help still having feelings for Sally. Judy becomes frustrated with Michael and walks out into the rain. Highlighting her "passive aggressiveness," Michael follows and begs her to stay with him. A year and a half later they marry.
At the end, the audience sees a pensive Jack and Sally back together. Jack and Sally admit their marital problems still exist (her frigidity is not solved), but they find they accept their problems as simply the price they have to pay to remain together.
Gabe is living alone because he says he's out of the race and doesn't want to hurt anyone. He said that he realized how much how he messed up with his relationship with Judy. The film ends with an immediate cut to black after Gabe pleads with the unseen documentary crew, "Can I go? Is this over?"
Cast
The cast includes (in credits order):
- Woody Allen as Gabe Roth
- Mia Farrow as Judy Roth
- Judy Davis as Sally
- Sydney Pollack as Jack
- Juliette Lewis as Rain
- Liam Neeson as Michael Gates
- Lysette Anthony as Sam
- Cristi Conaway as Shawn Grainger, call girl
- Timothy Jerome as Paul, Sally's date
- Ron Rifkin as Richard, Rain's analyst
- Bruce Jay Friedman as Peter Styles
- Jeffrey Kurland as interviewer-narrator (voice)
- Benno Schmidt as Judy's ex-husband
- Nick Metropolis as TV scientist
- Rebecca Glenn as Gail
- Galaxy Craze as Harriet
- John Doumanian as Hamptons' party guest
- Gordon Rigsby as Hamptons' party guest
- Ilene Blackman as Receptionist
- Blythe Danner as Rain's mother
- Brian McConnachie as Rain's father
- Ron August as Rain's ex lover
- John Bucher as Rain's ex lover
- Matthew Flint as Carl, Rain's Boyfriend
Release
Box office
Husbands and Wives opened on September 18, 1992 in 865 theatres, where it gained $3,520,550 ($4,070 per screen) in its opening weekend. It went on to gross $10.5 million in North America during its two-week theatrical run.[1] The film was also screened at the 1992 Toronto Film Festival.
Critical reception
Husbands and Wives opened to universal acclaim from film critics; Rotten Tomatoes reports that 100% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 36 reviews, with an average score of 8.3/10. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave it a full four-star review and referred to it as "a defining film for these emotionally embattled times; it's classic Woody Allen." Todd McCarthy of Variety called it "a full meal, as it deals with the things of life with intelligence, truthful drama and rueful humor."[2]
Accolades
References
- ^ a b "Husbands and Wives (1992)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1040798-husbands_and_wives/reviews/?type=top_critics
External links
- Husbands and Wives at the Internet Movie Database
- Husbands and Wives at AllRovi
- Husbands and Wives at Box Office Mojo
- Husbands and Wives at Rotten Tomatoes
- "Love and Fog", a 1992 Entertainment Weekly article on the making of Husbands and Wives.
- "Scenes from Woody's Marriage", a 1992 EW article detailing the release of Husbands and Wives soon after Allen and Farrow split up.
