The main title credits to “Top Gun: Maverick” are both surprising and confusing: “Music by Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer. Score produced by Lorne Balfe.”
That may sound like a musical mess, but aside from Gaga, all the players have connections to the original “Top Gun” or each other through previous collaborations. Berlin-based Faltermeyer scored the original 1986 “Top Gun,” winning a Grammy for the instrumental “Top Gun Anthem,” while Zimmer scored four earlier Tom Cruise films including “Rain Man,” “Days of Thunder” and “Mission: Impossible II.”
The London-based Balfe has frequently collaborated with Zimmer on various scores (from “The Dark Knight” to “Dunkirk”), scored “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” for Cruise, and and is currently working with Cruise on “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning.” The Oscar- and multiple Grammy-winning Gaga penned the new movie’s “Hold My Hand,” already touted as an original song front-runner.
So how did their musical duties...
That may sound like a musical mess, but aside from Gaga, all the players have connections to the original “Top Gun” or each other through previous collaborations. Berlin-based Faltermeyer scored the original 1986 “Top Gun,” winning a Grammy for the instrumental “Top Gun Anthem,” while Zimmer scored four earlier Tom Cruise films including “Rain Man,” “Days of Thunder” and “Mission: Impossible II.”
The London-based Balfe has frequently collaborated with Zimmer on various scores (from “The Dark Knight” to “Dunkirk”), scored “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” for Cruise, and and is currently working with Cruise on “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning.” The Oscar- and multiple Grammy-winning Gaga penned the new movie’s “Hold My Hand,” already touted as an original song front-runner.
So how did their musical duties...
- 5/26/2022
- by Jon Burlingame and Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
This story about Diane Warren first appeared in the Down to the Wire issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
When she landed a nomination this year for writing the song “Io sì (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead,” Diane Warren extended her own record for Oscar success: She’s now been nominated for songwriting 12 times over five different decades, from 1987 to 2021, albeit without ever winning.
“How cool is it that the greatest composers and songwriters on the planet choose my songs to be in the top five, you know?” she said. “It’s a big deal, and I don’t take it for granted for a second.”
A pause. “Would I like to win? Yeah, that would be really nice.”
Warren gave TheWrap a guided tour to all 12 of her Oscar nominations.
“Mannequin” / 20th Century Fox
1987: “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from “Mannequin”
Written with: Albert Hammond
Performed by:...
When she landed a nomination this year for writing the song “Io sì (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead,” Diane Warren extended her own record for Oscar success: She’s now been nominated for songwriting 12 times over five different decades, from 1987 to 2021, albeit without ever winning.
“How cool is it that the greatest composers and songwriters on the planet choose my songs to be in the top five, you know?” she said. “It’s a big deal, and I don’t take it for granted for a second.”
A pause. “Would I like to win? Yeah, that would be really nice.”
Warren gave TheWrap a guided tour to all 12 of her Oscar nominations.
“Mannequin” / 20th Century Fox
1987: “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from “Mannequin”
Written with: Albert Hammond
Performed by:...
- 4/14/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Music manager Daniel Field and Kathy Nelson, former head of filmed music at Universal, have signed on to produce Franc. Reyes’ feature A Boy and the Mirror Ball, which is based on his own novel. It’s a coming-of-age film that follows Robbie, a teenager in 1970s New York who finds himself in the whirlwind glitter train that ultimately became known as "disco.” Robbie and disco find their place in the world during the decade, but both lose their innocence by the time it…...
- 6/19/2017
- Deadline
Diane Warren has an unmatched reputation for composing ear worms for movies. With "Grateful" from "Beyond the Lights," she has returned to the Oscar race with her seventh nomination after a 13-year absence. HitFix recently spoke to her about work on that film, her previous nominated songs and her return to the race. HitFix: What’s it like to be back in the Oscar race? Diane Warren: It’s awesome. I love it. There have been songs I’ve done since [my last nomination] – I wrote a song for Cher, "You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me," that won the Golden Globe. It didn’t get nominated [for the Oscar] and I thought it would. This year, the night before the nominations, I thought, "There’s no chance. Look at the list of superstars." No one really saw this movie, as amazing as it is, but I kind of pushed on my own because...
- 2/3/2015
- by Gerard Kennedy
- Hitfix
Part of a series that takes an analytical look at the current broadcast pilot season and some of its trends and heroes. It has been a big year for non-writing producers this pilot season, the biggest since the so-called "invasion of the pod people" in 2003 when the broadcast pilot season and May series pickups for the first time were dominated by shows developed via pods, i.e. companies run by non-writing producers based at major studios. There are a lot of familiar faces -- some of the overachievers of the 2003 season are back in full force: Eric and Kim Tannenbaum, Brillstein Entertainment and Reveille as well as Imagine TV and Marty Adelstein. But Bruckheimer TV, a pilot season staple for the past decade and a top performer in 2003 with 3 pilots, all picked up to series, is without a pilot for the first time in years. (However, the company's Fox project,...
- 2/22/2011
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Exclusive: Fox has nabbed a drama project from writer Jeffrey Lieber and Jerry Bruckheimer Television. The project, tentatively titled Full Nelson, is set in the music industry in the 1980s and follows a woman as she rises in the business. Serving as a producer on the project is Kathy Nelson, former president of film music for Universal and Disney, who was a music executive at McA Records in the 1980s and early 1990s, rising through the ranks to Svp and general manager, where she was responsible for building the label's soundtrack division. At McA and Disney, Nelson worked on the music for a number of Bruckheimer movies, including Coyote Ugly, Gone in 60 Seconds, Remember the Titans, Armageddon, Con Air, The Rock, Dangerous Minds and Beverly Hills Cop 1&2. Lieber, repped by CAA and Madhouse, will write Full Nelson, which has received a script commitment plus penalty. He will executive produce with Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman,...
- 11/9/2010
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
I thought you Danny Elfman/Tim Burton fans might like this. For $500 you can pre-order a limited edition collector's set of all 13 scores that Elfman compased for Burton's movies. But this is a pretty kick ass package that you're getting for $500.It's a 16 cd set packaged with artwork by Tim Burton, with over 19 hours of music, which include 7 hours of previously un-released masters, demos, work tapes and rarities.It comes with a ton of stuff, so I'll list it here for you from the official site.A Collectible Zoetrope Box A collection of music as unique as Danny Elfman’s for the film of Tim Burton needed to be housed in something equally special, wondrous, and whimsical. Designed to evoke a treasure chest found in a mysterious attic, The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box is a work of art in itself. Grammy-winning designer Matt Taylor has transformed...
- 10/26/2010
- LRMonline.com
By Wrap Staff
Universal Pictures has tapped film music veteran Mike Knobloch to oversee the studio's film music department. Donna Langley, Universal Pictures co-chair, and Rick Finkelstein, vice chairman and chief operating officer, announced the hire Wednesday.
Effective March 1, Knobloch, who is executive VP of film music at Fox Music/20th Century Fox, will become president of film music and publishing for Universal Pictures.He replaces Kathy Nelson, who left Universal in January.
In his new role, Knobloch will be responsible for all creative and production aspects of Universal films&rsqu...
Universal Pictures has tapped film music veteran Mike Knobloch to oversee the studio's film music department. Donna Langley, Universal Pictures co-chair, and Rick Finkelstein, vice chairman and chief operating officer, announced the hire Wednesday.
Effective March 1, Knobloch, who is executive VP of film music at Fox Music/20th Century Fox, will become president of film music and publishing for Universal Pictures.He replaces Kathy Nelson, who left Universal in January.
In his new role, Knobloch will be responsible for all creative and production aspects of Universal films&rsqu...
- 2/18/2010
- by Lisa Horowitz
- The Wrap
Brazilian-born composer Marcelo Zarvos slowly but surely makes his steps in the world of film music by gathering better and bigger credits. Having parallele careers in jazz and film music, Zarvos' first commercially released score was written for the Kim Basinger / Jeff Bridges drama The Door in the Floor. Since then, he worked on the nostalgic Hollywoodland and started collaborating with Robert De Niro on The Good Shepherd and the satiric What Just Happened. Zarvos He recently completed Taking Chance (released by Varese Sarabande) and by the time you read this, Lakeshore Records has already released his score to Sin Nombre.
What was the situation of film and film music in Brazil when you grew up?
Brazil's film industry has had many ups and downs and when I was growing up there wasn't much going on. The renaissance of Brazilian film really only happened in the 1990's when I...
What was the situation of film and film music in Brazil when you grew up?
Brazil's film industry has had many ups and downs and when I was growing up there wasn't much going on. The renaissance of Brazilian film really only happened in the 1990's when I...
- 5/6/2009
- Daily Film Music Blog
Opens
Friday, Aug. 1
Having already twice proved that it's possible to make a top-grossing, gross-out picture that even chicks can dig, most of the original "American Pie" gang has returned for a third helping with the tellingly titled "American Wedding".
But while the threatened final installment, or rather "the thrilling climax," of the "Pie" saga serves up the same mix of shock comedy and lovable characters, the familiar formula feels significantly watered-down the third time around.
Too often, screenwriter Adam Herz's plotting seems to exist solely to set up one of those custom naughty sight gags rather than to advance any semblance of story.
Of course, that probably won't bother audiences, who'll still likely feel like they got what they came for, but even with the word "Wedding" ensuring a substantial female turnout, the total take might not reach the pie-in-the-sky heights of the two predecessors.
It seems like it was just yesterday when Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs) was getting acquainted with hot baked goods, but band camp feels like a distant memory for Jim and his flute-playing fiancee Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan) as they make plans for their upcoming nuptials.
As if they don't have enough on their plate, despite getting assistance from Jim's unflappable dad (Eugene Levy) and mom (Molly Cheek) and Michelle's folks (Fred Willard and Deborah Rush), the arrival of Michelle's gorgeous sister, Cadence (January Jones) has been duly noticed by Jim's cerebral buddy Finch Eddie Kaye Thomas) and the indefatigable Stifler (Seann William Scott).
Determined to pull out all stops necessary to put the make on the maid of honor, Stifler manages to charm his way into the wedding party, much to the horror of Jim and Michelle, who have a right to be concerned.
While "American Wedding" might once again be focusing on the trials and humiliations of Biggs' nice guy Jim, this is Scott's movie all the way. Whether he's tearing up the dance floor in a gay bar on '80s Night, getting freaky with Jim's grandma or trying to coax a dog to part with an accidentally consumed wedding ring (better not to ask), the gonzo Stifler, with his John Belushi bursts of energy and his trouble-making Jack Nicholson grin, is up to any challenge that comes his way.
But even his contribution, as well as those of Christopher Guest regulars Levy, Willard and Jennifer Coolidge -- who makes a final, all-too-brief appearance as Stifler's mom -- only go so far in adding a little zip to the bland proceedings.
With original directors Paul and Chris Weitz having successfully moved on to more mature fare like "About a Boy", the reins have been passed from "American Pie 2" helmer James B. Rogers to Jesse Dylan, who proved he knew his way around a visual gag with his first feature, "How High".
Dylan can push through an effective gross-out scene with the best of them, but when it comes to pulling off that patented "American Pie" blend of the raucous and the sweetly innocuous, he lacks the Weitz brothers' seamlessly shifting light touch.
As is fitting for the genre, production values are bright and zippy, while executive music producer Kathy Nelson has assembled several albums' worth of ideally attuned tunes ranging from newer stuff by the All-American Rejects ("Swing Swing") and Joseph Arthur (the plaintive "Honey and the Moon") and older stuff, including a cover of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic", performed by Jesse's brother Jakob's band, the Wallflowers.
American Wedding
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures presents
A Zide/Perry-LivePlanet production
Credits:
Director: Jesse Dylan
Screenwriter: Adam Herz
Producers: Warren Zide, Craig Perry, Chris Moore, Adam Herz, Chris Bender
Executive producers: Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz, Louis G. Friedman
Director of photography: Lloyd Ahern
Production designer: Clayton Hartley
Editor: Stuart Pappe
Costume designer: Pamela Withers Chilton
Music: Christophe Beck;
CQ Executive music producer: Kathy Nelson
Casting: Lisa Beach, Sarah Katzman
Cast:
Jim: Jason Biggs
Michelle: Alyson Hannigan
Cadence: January Jones
Kevin: Thomas Ian Nicholas
Steve Stifler: Seann William Scott
Finch: Eddie Kaye Thomas
Harold: Fred Willard
Jim's Dad: Eugene Levy
Jim's Mom
Molly Cheek
Mary: Deborah Rush
Running time -- 95 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Friday, Aug. 1
Having already twice proved that it's possible to make a top-grossing, gross-out picture that even chicks can dig, most of the original "American Pie" gang has returned for a third helping with the tellingly titled "American Wedding".
But while the threatened final installment, or rather "the thrilling climax," of the "Pie" saga serves up the same mix of shock comedy and lovable characters, the familiar formula feels significantly watered-down the third time around.
Too often, screenwriter Adam Herz's plotting seems to exist solely to set up one of those custom naughty sight gags rather than to advance any semblance of story.
Of course, that probably won't bother audiences, who'll still likely feel like they got what they came for, but even with the word "Wedding" ensuring a substantial female turnout, the total take might not reach the pie-in-the-sky heights of the two predecessors.
It seems like it was just yesterday when Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs) was getting acquainted with hot baked goods, but band camp feels like a distant memory for Jim and his flute-playing fiancee Michelle Flaherty (Alyson Hannigan) as they make plans for their upcoming nuptials.
As if they don't have enough on their plate, despite getting assistance from Jim's unflappable dad (Eugene Levy) and mom (Molly Cheek) and Michelle's folks (Fred Willard and Deborah Rush), the arrival of Michelle's gorgeous sister, Cadence (January Jones) has been duly noticed by Jim's cerebral buddy Finch Eddie Kaye Thomas) and the indefatigable Stifler (Seann William Scott).
Determined to pull out all stops necessary to put the make on the maid of honor, Stifler manages to charm his way into the wedding party, much to the horror of Jim and Michelle, who have a right to be concerned.
While "American Wedding" might once again be focusing on the trials and humiliations of Biggs' nice guy Jim, this is Scott's movie all the way. Whether he's tearing up the dance floor in a gay bar on '80s Night, getting freaky with Jim's grandma or trying to coax a dog to part with an accidentally consumed wedding ring (better not to ask), the gonzo Stifler, with his John Belushi bursts of energy and his trouble-making Jack Nicholson grin, is up to any challenge that comes his way.
But even his contribution, as well as those of Christopher Guest regulars Levy, Willard and Jennifer Coolidge -- who makes a final, all-too-brief appearance as Stifler's mom -- only go so far in adding a little zip to the bland proceedings.
With original directors Paul and Chris Weitz having successfully moved on to more mature fare like "About a Boy", the reins have been passed from "American Pie 2" helmer James B. Rogers to Jesse Dylan, who proved he knew his way around a visual gag with his first feature, "How High".
Dylan can push through an effective gross-out scene with the best of them, but when it comes to pulling off that patented "American Pie" blend of the raucous and the sweetly innocuous, he lacks the Weitz brothers' seamlessly shifting light touch.
As is fitting for the genre, production values are bright and zippy, while executive music producer Kathy Nelson has assembled several albums' worth of ideally attuned tunes ranging from newer stuff by the All-American Rejects ("Swing Swing") and Joseph Arthur (the plaintive "Honey and the Moon") and older stuff, including a cover of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic", performed by Jesse's brother Jakob's band, the Wallflowers.
American Wedding
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures presents
A Zide/Perry-LivePlanet production
Credits:
Director: Jesse Dylan
Screenwriter: Adam Herz
Producers: Warren Zide, Craig Perry, Chris Moore, Adam Herz, Chris Bender
Executive producers: Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz, Louis G. Friedman
Director of photography: Lloyd Ahern
Production designer: Clayton Hartley
Editor: Stuart Pappe
Costume designer: Pamela Withers Chilton
Music: Christophe Beck;
CQ Executive music producer: Kathy Nelson
Casting: Lisa Beach, Sarah Katzman
Cast:
Jim: Jason Biggs
Michelle: Alyson Hannigan
Cadence: January Jones
Kevin: Thomas Ian Nicholas
Steve Stifler: Seann William Scott
Finch: Eddie Kaye Thomas
Harold: Fred Willard
Jim's Dad: Eugene Levy
Jim's Mom
Molly Cheek
Mary: Deborah Rush
Running time -- 95 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
A smart, funny and youth-savvy relationship film, Stephen Frears' "High Fidelity" should score well with post-college-age viewers, who will identify with the film's commitment-phobic take on issues of love and work and its passionate belief in the centrality of music in forming self-definition. This relatively faithful adaptation of Nick Hornby's beloved music-culture novel played to wildly enthusiastic acclaim at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
The film's Chicago locale is its primary deviation from the book, where the story took place in London. Otherwise, lines of dialogue and the story's interior monologues are transferred from the novel with most of their acerbic wit and music-drenched knowledge intact.
John Cusack, who co-produced and co-wrote with his "Grosse Pointe Blank" partners D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink, stars as Rob Gordon, the owner of a none-too-successful record store. Celebration Vinyl is a temple of popular music knowledge and free-ranging tastes, presided over by Rob and his two employees, Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black). The triumvirate rules its tiny domain with the fervor of unrecognized music czars, subjecting customers to the self-anointed infallibility of their own musical tastes.
These three underappreciated music connoisseurs are also inveterate list makers, constantly tossing off hilarious topics for new top 5 lists. In addition to providing a source for much of the movie's humor, these lists provide the underpinning of the movie's structure as well.
Beginning as Rob's live-in girlfriend (Iben Hjejle) walks out on him, "High Fidelity" traces the course of his top five relationships with women, as Rob believes that he will discover the source of all his problems if he figures out why each of these relationships went sour.
His search through his past takes the form of a male confessional. He addresses the audience directly in a running commentary on his life and actions, a technique that mimics the novel's first-person narrative structure. While Cusack is engaging and believable as the story's self-absorbed narrator, the tactic still leaves the film itching for a stronger sense of plot direction.
Rob's observations are insightful and funny, picayune and revealing. Yet there is a certain narrative slackness that comes with realizing the only organizing principle here is Rob's revisitation of old relationships.
Still, there is something comforting about Cusack's turn as Rob; he seems as if he is playing a continuation of "Say Anything"'s Lloyd Dobler --only a few years older and a tiny bit wiser. Any possible aversion to the movie's "guy" spirit is precluded by Cusack's engaging appeal to both men and women.
A strong cast of supporting players enlivens the story. Girlfriends run the physical and dispositional gamut from Lili Taylor to Catherine Zeta-Jones. Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack are also on hand for particularly distinctive comic turns.
As Rob's employees, Louiso and Black contribute to the film's authenticity, playing their roles as encyclopedic music geeks and feisty best friends with telling verve and body language. Black, in particular, delivers a full-throttle comic performance that should bring him to the attention of casting directors who have heretofore relegated him mostly to bland background roles. Bruce Springsteen also appears in a surprise cameo.
Technical credits are excellent. Chicago is used as an authentic backdrop, and the production design of the record store and surrounding music scene is rich is realistic detail, as are the costuming and soundtrack by music supervisor Kathy Nelson. The direction by Stephen Frears is solid though unshowy, allowing the focus of the movie to reside in its wonderful characters and atmosphere.
HIGH FIDELITY
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Working Title Films
in association with Dogstar Films/New Crime Productions
Producers:Tim Bevan, Rudd Simmons
Director:Stephen Frears
Screenwriters:D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, Scott Rosenberg
Based on the book by:Nick Hornby
Executive producers:Mike Newell, Alan Greenspan, Liza Chasin
Co-producers:John Cusack, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink
Director of photography:Seamus McGarvey
Production designer:David Chapman, Therese DePrez
Music:Howard Shore
Costume designer:Laura Cunningham Bauer
Editor:Mick Audsley
Color/stereo
Cast:
Rob Gordon:John Cusack
Laura:Iben Hjejle
Dick:Todd Louiso
Barry:Jack Black
Marie De Salle:Lisa Bonet
Charlie:Catherine Zeta-Jones
Liz:Joan Cusack
Ian:Tim Robbins
Sarah:Lili Taylor
Penny:Joelle Carter
Caroline:Natasha Gregson Wagner
Anaugh:Sara Gilbert
Running time -- 114 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
The film's Chicago locale is its primary deviation from the book, where the story took place in London. Otherwise, lines of dialogue and the story's interior monologues are transferred from the novel with most of their acerbic wit and music-drenched knowledge intact.
John Cusack, who co-produced and co-wrote with his "Grosse Pointe Blank" partners D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink, stars as Rob Gordon, the owner of a none-too-successful record store. Celebration Vinyl is a temple of popular music knowledge and free-ranging tastes, presided over by Rob and his two employees, Dick (Todd Louiso) and Barry (Jack Black). The triumvirate rules its tiny domain with the fervor of unrecognized music czars, subjecting customers to the self-anointed infallibility of their own musical tastes.
These three underappreciated music connoisseurs are also inveterate list makers, constantly tossing off hilarious topics for new top 5 lists. In addition to providing a source for much of the movie's humor, these lists provide the underpinning of the movie's structure as well.
Beginning as Rob's live-in girlfriend (Iben Hjejle) walks out on him, "High Fidelity" traces the course of his top five relationships with women, as Rob believes that he will discover the source of all his problems if he figures out why each of these relationships went sour.
His search through his past takes the form of a male confessional. He addresses the audience directly in a running commentary on his life and actions, a technique that mimics the novel's first-person narrative structure. While Cusack is engaging and believable as the story's self-absorbed narrator, the tactic still leaves the film itching for a stronger sense of plot direction.
Rob's observations are insightful and funny, picayune and revealing. Yet there is a certain narrative slackness that comes with realizing the only organizing principle here is Rob's revisitation of old relationships.
Still, there is something comforting about Cusack's turn as Rob; he seems as if he is playing a continuation of "Say Anything"'s Lloyd Dobler --only a few years older and a tiny bit wiser. Any possible aversion to the movie's "guy" spirit is precluded by Cusack's engaging appeal to both men and women.
A strong cast of supporting players enlivens the story. Girlfriends run the physical and dispositional gamut from Lili Taylor to Catherine Zeta-Jones. Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack are also on hand for particularly distinctive comic turns.
As Rob's employees, Louiso and Black contribute to the film's authenticity, playing their roles as encyclopedic music geeks and feisty best friends with telling verve and body language. Black, in particular, delivers a full-throttle comic performance that should bring him to the attention of casting directors who have heretofore relegated him mostly to bland background roles. Bruce Springsteen also appears in a surprise cameo.
Technical credits are excellent. Chicago is used as an authentic backdrop, and the production design of the record store and surrounding music scene is rich is realistic detail, as are the costuming and soundtrack by music supervisor Kathy Nelson. The direction by Stephen Frears is solid though unshowy, allowing the focus of the movie to reside in its wonderful characters and atmosphere.
HIGH FIDELITY
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Working Title Films
in association with Dogstar Films/New Crime Productions
Producers:Tim Bevan, Rudd Simmons
Director:Stephen Frears
Screenwriters:D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, Scott Rosenberg
Based on the book by:Nick Hornby
Executive producers:Mike Newell, Alan Greenspan, Liza Chasin
Co-producers:John Cusack, D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink
Director of photography:Seamus McGarvey
Production designer:David Chapman, Therese DePrez
Music:Howard Shore
Costume designer:Laura Cunningham Bauer
Editor:Mick Audsley
Color/stereo
Cast:
Rob Gordon:John Cusack
Laura:Iben Hjejle
Dick:Todd Louiso
Barry:Jack Black
Marie De Salle:Lisa Bonet
Charlie:Catherine Zeta-Jones
Liz:Joan Cusack
Ian:Tim Robbins
Sarah:Lili Taylor
Penny:Joelle Carter
Caroline:Natasha Gregson Wagner
Anaugh:Sara Gilbert
Running time -- 114 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 3/20/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
At first glance, "The Other Sister" would appear to be a TV movie with loftier ambitions.
Fortunately, looks can occasionally be deceiving. A romantic comedy about love among the intellectually challenged, this potential crowd-pleaser earns its big-screen stripes thanks to its energetic, highly capable cast and some zesty direction by Garry Marshall that undercuts the soapier aspects with liberal jabs of unexpected humor.
Speaking of challenged, Touchstone's marketing staff certainly has their work cut out for themselves given the picture's tricky subject matter. But if they succeed in getting initial audiences through the door, enthusiastic word-of-mouth could translate into some respectable returns.
In a comeback of sorts, Juliette Lewis gives one of the most grounded, accomplished performances of her young career as the spirited Carla Tate, a somewhat mentally challenged 24-year-old determined to emerge from under the overprotective wing of her controlling mother, Elizabeth (Diane Keaton).
Having overcome many of her previous problems during her years away at a Special Ed boarding school, Carla returns home to her family a capable young woman despite a pronounced speech impediment and the occasional emotional outburst.
Eager to assert her newfound confidence, Carla enrolls herself in a regular tech college much to the protests of Elizabeth, who doesn't want to see her get hurt. There, Carla meets Danny (Giovanni Ribisi), a similarly challenged young man.
Living in his own apartment but under the supportive, watchful eye of neighbor Ernie (Hector Elizondo), Danny falls in love with Carla, and her resulting feeling of unconditional acceptance goes even further to fan the flames in a battle of wills between herself and her mother.
Lewis is wonderful in the role, breathing life into a character who is alternately compassionate and humorously endearing. Her quest for and ultimate achievement of her independence is registered in a series of personal awakenings that are reflected across her face like warm rays of sunshine.
Ribisi, recently seen in "Saving Private Ryan" and coming up as a member of the big-screen "Mod Squad", is equally adept at never pandering to what could have been a cloying character. Keaton, meanwhile, does a finely balanced job in portraying a person whose stubborn hardness is betrayed by her own admitted insecurities about her perception as an effective mother.
Also good are Tom Skerritt as Lewis' understanding, former alcoholic father and Poppy Montgomery and Sarah Paulson as her supportive sisters. And Juliet Mills, in a nod toward her "Nanny and the Professor" days, puts in a welcome appearance as the equally sympathetic Winnie, the family nanny.
Marshall, who also co-wrote the script with longtime collaborator Bob Brunner, accomplishes the not-so-easy feat of averting much of the potential pathos by mixing some well-paced comedy into all the confrontation. Occasionally, some of the material's more virtuously squishy aspects poke through, but for the most part, things are disarmingly upbeat.
Among the technical attributes, cinematographer Dante Spinotti, who received an Oscar nomination for his work on "L.A. Confidential", keeps it fairly bright and simple here, as does Stephen J. Lineweaver's production design and Rachel Portman's syrup-lite score.
On the tunes' end, the Pretenders' performance of the Diane Warren-penned "Loving You Is All I Know" sounds like a winner.
THE OTHER SISTER
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Touchstone Pictures
Director: Garry Marshall
Screenwriters: Garry Marshall & Bob Brunner
Story: Alexandra Rose & Blair Richwood and Garry Marshall & Bob Brunner
Producers: Mario Iscovich, Alexandra Rose
Executive producer: David Hoberman
Director of photography: Dante Spinotti
Production designer: Stephen J. Lineweaver
Editor: Bruce Green
Costume designer: Gary Jones
Music supervisor: Kathy Nelson
Music: Rachel Portman
Casting: Gretchen Rennell Court
Color/stereo
Cast:
Carla Tate: Juliette Lewis
Elizabeth Tate: Diane Keaton
Radley Tate: Tom Skerritt
Danny McMahon: Giovanni Ribisi
Caroline Tate: Poppy Montgomery
Heather Tate: Sarah Paulson
Drew: Linda Thorson
Jeff: Joe Flanigan
Winnie: Juliet Mills
Ernie: Hector Elizondo
Running time -- 124 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Fortunately, looks can occasionally be deceiving. A romantic comedy about love among the intellectually challenged, this potential crowd-pleaser earns its big-screen stripes thanks to its energetic, highly capable cast and some zesty direction by Garry Marshall that undercuts the soapier aspects with liberal jabs of unexpected humor.
Speaking of challenged, Touchstone's marketing staff certainly has their work cut out for themselves given the picture's tricky subject matter. But if they succeed in getting initial audiences through the door, enthusiastic word-of-mouth could translate into some respectable returns.
In a comeback of sorts, Juliette Lewis gives one of the most grounded, accomplished performances of her young career as the spirited Carla Tate, a somewhat mentally challenged 24-year-old determined to emerge from under the overprotective wing of her controlling mother, Elizabeth (Diane Keaton).
Having overcome many of her previous problems during her years away at a Special Ed boarding school, Carla returns home to her family a capable young woman despite a pronounced speech impediment and the occasional emotional outburst.
Eager to assert her newfound confidence, Carla enrolls herself in a regular tech college much to the protests of Elizabeth, who doesn't want to see her get hurt. There, Carla meets Danny (Giovanni Ribisi), a similarly challenged young man.
Living in his own apartment but under the supportive, watchful eye of neighbor Ernie (Hector Elizondo), Danny falls in love with Carla, and her resulting feeling of unconditional acceptance goes even further to fan the flames in a battle of wills between herself and her mother.
Lewis is wonderful in the role, breathing life into a character who is alternately compassionate and humorously endearing. Her quest for and ultimate achievement of her independence is registered in a series of personal awakenings that are reflected across her face like warm rays of sunshine.
Ribisi, recently seen in "Saving Private Ryan" and coming up as a member of the big-screen "Mod Squad", is equally adept at never pandering to what could have been a cloying character. Keaton, meanwhile, does a finely balanced job in portraying a person whose stubborn hardness is betrayed by her own admitted insecurities about her perception as an effective mother.
Also good are Tom Skerritt as Lewis' understanding, former alcoholic father and Poppy Montgomery and Sarah Paulson as her supportive sisters. And Juliet Mills, in a nod toward her "Nanny and the Professor" days, puts in a welcome appearance as the equally sympathetic Winnie, the family nanny.
Marshall, who also co-wrote the script with longtime collaborator Bob Brunner, accomplishes the not-so-easy feat of averting much of the potential pathos by mixing some well-paced comedy into all the confrontation. Occasionally, some of the material's more virtuously squishy aspects poke through, but for the most part, things are disarmingly upbeat.
Among the technical attributes, cinematographer Dante Spinotti, who received an Oscar nomination for his work on "L.A. Confidential", keeps it fairly bright and simple here, as does Stephen J. Lineweaver's production design and Rachel Portman's syrup-lite score.
On the tunes' end, the Pretenders' performance of the Diane Warren-penned "Loving You Is All I Know" sounds like a winner.
THE OTHER SISTER
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Touchstone Pictures
Director: Garry Marshall
Screenwriters: Garry Marshall & Bob Brunner
Story: Alexandra Rose & Blair Richwood and Garry Marshall & Bob Brunner
Producers: Mario Iscovich, Alexandra Rose
Executive producer: David Hoberman
Director of photography: Dante Spinotti
Production designer: Stephen J. Lineweaver
Editor: Bruce Green
Costume designer: Gary Jones
Music supervisor: Kathy Nelson
Music: Rachel Portman
Casting: Gretchen Rennell Court
Color/stereo
Cast:
Carla Tate: Juliette Lewis
Elizabeth Tate: Diane Keaton
Radley Tate: Tom Skerritt
Danny McMahon: Giovanni Ribisi
Caroline Tate: Poppy Montgomery
Heather Tate: Sarah Paulson
Drew: Linda Thorson
Jeff: Joe Flanigan
Winnie: Juliet Mills
Ernie: Hector Elizondo
Running time -- 124 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 2/22/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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