The Hotel New Hampshire (1984)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Tony Richardson

Writers:

John Irving (novel)
Tony Richardson (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 March 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

If you experienced "The World According To Garp" and found it witty, delightful and totally unpredictable, then be happily surprised all over again when you join the fun and games that go on at the...Hotel New Hampshire

Plot:

The film talks about a family that weathers all sorts of disasters and keeps going in spite of it all...

Plot Keywords:

Literature | Bomb | First Sexual Experience | Bear Costume | Satire

Cast

Rob Lowe	...	John Berry
Jodie Foster	...	Frannie Berry
Paul McCrane	...	Frank
Beau Bridges	...	Mr. Win Berry
Lisa Banes	...	Mother
Jennifer Dundas	...	Lilly (as Jennie Dundas)
Seth Green	...	'Egg' Berry
Wally Aspell	...	Hotel Manager
Nastassja Kinski	...	Susie the Bear
Joely Richardson	...	Waitress
Wallace Shawn	...	Freud
Jobst Oriwol	...	German Man (as Jobst Oriwal)
Linda Clark	...	German Woman
Nicholas Podbrey	...	Boy with Rifle
Norris Domingue	...	High School Band Conductor

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

UK | Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:R (Canadian Home Video rating) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | USA:R (Approved No. 27215) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Hudson, Québec, Canada

Company:

Woodfall Film Productions

Trivia:

Early in preproduction, the rock band Queen was asked to record some songs for the movie. They completed at least one song for the soundtrack, "Keep Passing The Open Windows", but the collaboration fell through. The finished film saw no Queen contribution, but that same year their album "The Works" (1984) did feature this song.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the award ceremony scene, numerous Austrian flags are show, but all are the civil/merchant version. As an official government function, the flags would have been the state flag (the government flag.) Unlike the United States, Austria and many other nations have multiple national flags for different purposes (government, civilian/merchant, military, on shore versus afloat, etc.) Austria's state flag bears the national coat of arms in the centre, overlapping into both of the red bars. The vertical version of the state flag has the coat of arms turned 90 degrees and placed within a shield. None of the flags in the scene bore the coat of arms.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Lilly: Life's a fairy tale.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dawson's Creek: Hotel New Hampshire (#5.8)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Tears On My Pillow

Worth a look

Some people might find this a bizarre film but, like the book on which it was based, the "bizarreness" has a point (all families seem somewhat bizarre to those outside the family, though they appear perfectly normal to those within).

The acting is generally good. The story is generally good - the book on which it is based is one of my favourites and is recommended. There are moments of comedy and tragedy, with some difficult subject matter dealt with adeptly by Tony Richardson.

Worth a look.