Plot
The everyday lives of a number of suburban Los Angeles residents are the subject of this loosely-knitted collection of short stories.
Release Year: 1993
Rating: 7.7/10 (22,252 voted)
Critic's Score: 79/100
Director:
Robert Altman
Stars: Andie MacDowell, Julianne Moore, Tim Robbins
Storyline While helicopters overhead spray against a Medfly infestation a group of Los Angeles lives intersect, some casually, some to more lasting effect. Whilst they go out to concerts and jazz clubs and even have their pools cleaned, they also lie, drink, and cheat. Death itself seems never to be far away, even on a fishing trip.
Writers: Raymond Carver, Robert Altman
Cast: Andie MacDowell
-
Ann Finnigan
Bruce Davison
-
Howard Finnigan
Jack Lemmon
-
Paul Finnigan
Zane Cassidy
-
Casey Finnigan
Julianne Moore
-
Marian Wyman
Matthew Modine
-
Dr. Ralph Wyman
Anne Archer
-
Claire Kane
Fred Ward
-
Stuart Kane
Jennifer Jason Leigh
-
Lois Kaiser
Chris Penn
-
Jerry Kaiser
Joseph C. Hopkins
-
Joe Kaiser
Josette Maccario
-
Josette Kaiser
Lili Taylor
-
Honey Bush
Robert Downey Jr.
-
Bill Bush
Madeleine Stowe
-
Sherri Shepard
Taglines:
From two American masters comes a movie like no other
Release Date: 1 October 1993
Filming Locations: Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA
Opening Weekend: $106,553
(USA)
(3 October 1993)
(5 Screens)
Gross: $6,110,979
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
Argentina:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
All Jennifer Jason Leigh's phone-sex conversations are verbatim of the calls she heard when she was researching for the part.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Paul and Howard are sitting in the hospital cafeteria, the food items on the table keep changing between shots.
Quotes: Lois Kaiser:
[talking through sex hotline]
Oh! I can feel your balls up against my ass!
User Review
A different kind of L.A. Story
Rating: 8/10
Robert Altman has never shied away from casting every actor known to
mankind in his films, and this is certainly true with his 1993 film
"Short Cuts", a film set in Los Angeles over the course of a couple of
days. In terms of primary actors, ones that had a substantial enough
part to merit a supporting tag, I count at least 22; but more
impressive than the sheer number of the cast is the fact that the film
does not suffer from character overload, nor do their intertwining
stories (and they are all separated by no more than one or two
degrees).
I started this review by going through each character and the story
each brings to the table, but after about three paragraphs worth of
explanation, it is clear that it is not only a bad idea, but probably
counterproductive to the review itself. "Short Cuts" is simply about
human relationships, all of which seem to be completely unhealthy. The
beauty of Altman's script and direction is that this isn't imminently
apparent in all cases. Something as subtle as a sigh and a minor roll
of the eyes speaks volumes in a film this well done. The acting in the
film is, to be expected, great in most cases. Andie MacDowell, though
not quite as insipid as usual, is still pretty bad, but gems like Lyle
Lovett, Peter Gallagher, Tom Waits (who I am really biased toward) and
a fairly fresh and new Julianne Moore more than make up for any minor
acting mishaps.
There are not many films that are so involved that I simply throw up my
hands at the prospect of doing my standard summary review for them, but
"Short Cuts" is one of them. The script is compelling enough to easily
sit through all 187 minutes of the film, the ending doesn't disappoint,
and the film contains a cool jazz score. If you're a fan of ensemble
films, this should be on your list. If you're an Altman fan, this
should be on your short list because I consider it to be one of his
best. 8/10 --Shelly
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