Reuben, Reuben (1983)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Robert Ellis Miller

Writers:

Peter De Vries (novel)
Julius J. Epstein (writer)

Release Date:

21 June 1984 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Meet Gowan McGland, poet. He drinks and lies. Sleeps with other men's wives. He hasn't written a word in years...but every woman he meets falls in love with him.

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel | Independent Film | Based On Play

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Tom Conti	...	Gowan McGland
Kelly McGillis	...	Geneva Spofford
Roberts Blossom	...	Frank Spofford
Cynthia Harris	...	Bobby Springer
E. Katherine Kerr	...	Lucille Haxby
Joel Fabiani	...	Doctor Haxby
Kara Wilson	...	Edith McGland
Lois Smith	...	Mare Spofford
Ed Grady	...	Dr. Ormsby
Damon Douglas	...	Tad Springer
Rex Robbins	...	C. B. Springer
Jack Davidson	...	George Spofford
Angus MacLachlan	...	Waiter (with chicken)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Austin	...	New York Bartender
Barry Bell	...	Bar Thug
Roger Black	...	Bartender
Rene Copeland	...	Girl at Bar
Dan Doby	...	Alvin
Claudia Geraghty	...	Club Woman
Gladys Lavitan	...	Woman at Party
Mary Fran Lyman	...	Club Woman
Tom McGowan	...	T.V. Interviewer
Mac McGuire	...	Conductor
Jayne Morgan	...	Country Club Woman
Joanne Morgan	...	Club Woman
Robert Nichols	...	Harry Pycraft
Holland Taylor

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:14 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Shelby, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Saltair Productions

Trivia:

Kelly McGillis' movie debut.

Quotes:

Gowan McGland: Deprived of their support, her breasts dropped like hanged men.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Between Two Worlds: The Making of 'Witness' (2005) (V)

A genuinely funny and moving comic tragedy

On paper, a comic fable about a randy, drunken, fading poet sounds like a recipe for disaster, but to the enormous credit of all involved, this film works very well indeed. Obviously a strong central performance is essential in films like this, and Tom Conti provides just that as the bedraggled Scottish writer charming his way into the beds of frustrated New England wives. Although the screenplay is consistently witty from start to finish, it is mainly in the second half of the film that it is also extremely moving. The romance between Conti and Kelly McGillis's young student is as obviously doomed as that of Romeo and Juliet, but just as heartbreaking too. The denouement is as sad and shocking as any in cinematic history, yet this film with its warmth and beauty and insight will surely light a fire in even the coldest of hearts.