Marvin's Room (film)
| Marvin's Room | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jerry Zaks |
| Screenplay by | Scott McPherson |
| Based on | Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson |
| Produced by | Scott Rudin Jane Rosenthal Robert De Niro |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Piotr Sobociński |
| Edited by | Jim Clark |
| Music by | Rachel Portman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $23 million[1] |
| Box office | $30 million[2] |
Marvin's Room is a 1996 American drama film directed by Jerry Zaks. The script was written by John Guare and based on the play of the same name by Scott McPherson, who died in 1992. McPherson had completed a screenplay for a film version before he died; however, Guare was hired to update it when the film eventually started production years later.[3][4]
It stars Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro, Hume Cronyn, Gwen Verdon, Hal Scardino, and Dan Hedaya. Original music for the film was composed by Rachel Portman. Carly Simon wrote and performed the theme song "Two Little Sisters", with Meryl Streep adding background vocals.
For her performance, Keaton received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. Meanwhile, Streep was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
Plot
[edit]Marvin, a man who had a stroke 20 years ago, is left incapacitated and bedridden. He has been cared for by his daughter Bessie in their Florida home, and ignored by his other daughter, Lee, who moved to Ohio with her husband 20 years ago and has never contacted her family.
Now, however, Bessie's doctor has informed her that she has leukemia (the same disease her and Lee's mother died from in their youth) and needs a bone marrow transplant and she turns to her sister for help. Lee, in turn, turns to her 10-year-old son Charlie and 17-year-old son Hank, the latter of whom has been committed to a mental institution for setting fire to his mother's house. However, the rebellious Hank says he won't submit himself to be tested for a match.
Nevertheless, they all travel down to stay with Bessie. When Lee finds that she may have to take over her father's care, she at first begins shopping around for nursing homes, fearing that she'll have to uproot her life. Eventually, however, the estranged family grows close and Hank agrees to get tested.
As Bessie progressively seems to get worse, and testing shows the boys are not a match as bone marrow donors, Lee comes to terms that it is now her turn to take care of her family. The film closes with Lee familiarizing herself with her father's medication, as she walks into his room with his lunch, overlooking Bessie flashing sunlight off the mirror that makes Marvin smile.
Cast
[edit]- Meryl Streep as Lee, Hank and Charlie's mother
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Hank, Lee's 17-year-old son
- Diane Keaton as Bessie, Lee's sister
- Robert De Niro as Dr. Wally
- Hume Cronyn as Marvin, father of Lee and Bessie
- Gwen Verdon as Ruth, Marvin's sister
- Hal Scardino as Charlie, Lee's 10-year-old son
- Dan Hedaya as Bob, Wally's brother
- Cynthia Nixon as the Retirement Home Director
- Margo Martindale as Dr. Charlotte
- Joe Lisi as Bruno
Reception
[edit]The film holds an 84% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 50 reviews and an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Marvin's Room rises above the pack of dysfunctional family dramas thanks to an impeccable cast that includes Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Leonardo DiCaprio."[5] Metacritic gave the film a score of 68 out of 100 based on 20 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
The film grossed $12.8 million in the United States and Canada and $30 million worldwide.[1][2]
Accolades
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Marvin's Room Screen Adaptation: A Scriptwriting Handbook, by Kenneth Portnoy. Published by Focal Press, 1998. ISBN 0-240-80349-3.
- McPherson, Scott (1992). Marvin's Room (First ed.). New York: Plume drama. ISBN 0-452-26922-9.
- Grace in Suffering: Marvin's Room Praying the Movies: Daily Meditations from Classic Films, by Edward McNulty, McNulty. Geneva Press, 2001. ISBN 0-664-50155-9.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Marvin's Room (1996)". The Numbers. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ a b "International Star Chart". Screen International. 5 September 1997. p. 16.
- ^ Marks, Peter (December 8, 1996). "Two Wrenching Dramas Find Unexpected New Lives". The New York Times.
- ^ A Door Left Opened accessed 11/23/2016
- ^ "Marvin's Room (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Marvin's Room Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ "The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ "The BFCA Critics' Choice Awards :: 1996". Broadcast Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008.
- ^ "Marvin's Room – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "20th Moscow International Film Festival (1997)". MIFF. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-22.
- ^ "1996 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "The 3rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
External links
[edit]
- 1996 films
- 1996 drama films
- 1996 independent films
- American drama films
- American independent films
- Films about cancer in the United States
- Films about dysfunctional families
- Films about sisters
- American films based on plays
- Films shot in Florida
- Films shot in New Jersey
- Films shot in New York City
- Films produced by Scott Rudin
- Films scored by Rachel Portman
- Films about mother–son relationships
- Miramax films
- 1996 directorial debut films
- 1990s English-language films
- 1990s American films
- English-language drama films
- English-language independent films