Irreconcilable Differences (1984)

Director:

Charles Shyer

Writers:

Nancy Meyers (written by)
Charles Shyer (written by)

Release Date:

28 September 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

They've Got Everything... including a 10 year old daughter who's suing them for divorce.

Plot:

Alternating between the past and the present, a precocious little girl sues her selfish, career-driven parents for emancipation, surprising them both.

Plot Keywords:

Parent | Divorce | Maid | Love | Husband Wife Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Ryan O'Neal	...	Albert Brodsky
Shelley Long	...	Lucy Van Patten Brodsky
Drew Barrymore	...	Casey Brodsky
Sam Wanamaker	...	David Kessler
Allen Garfield	...	Phil Hanner
Sharon Stone	...	Blake Chandler (aka Amanda)
Kim Marriner	...	Reporter
Wendy Gordon	...	Reporter
Ken Gale	...	Reporter
Deborah Cody	...	Reporter
Steven K. Miller	...	Reporter
Annie Meyers-Shyer	...	Little Girl in Crowd
Lauren Hartman	...	Woman on the Street
David Paymer	...	Alan Sluiser
Larry Marko	...	Court Clerk
Lorinne Vozoff	...	Judge Shalack
David Graf	...	Bink
Ida Random	...	Woman at Party
Steffen Zacharias	...	Man at Party
Laura Campbell	...	Uptight Woman
Jenny Gago	...	Tracy
Verna Cornelius	...	Englishwoman at Party
Johna Stewart-Bowden	...	Little Casey
David D'Arnal	...	Waiter
Don Benjamin	...	Whispering Man
Jaid Barrymore	...	Whispering Woman
Kelly Lange	...	Anchorwoman
Rex Reed	...	Entertainment Editor
Irving Meyers	...	Man in Bar
William A. Fraker	...	Gabrielle Cinematographer
Eloise Hardt	...	Elaine Kessler
Art Bradley	...	Handsome Party Guest
Stuart Pankin	...	Ronnie
Laura Coker	...	Amy (as Laura Winitsky)
Gregory Hodal	...	Atlanta Preacher
Carl Byrd	...	Atlanta Sound Man
Luana Anders	...	Atlanta Widow
Richard Minchenberg	...	Howard Kay
Charlotte Stewart	...	Sally
Dana Kaminski	...	Woman in Dress Shop
Arlin Miller	...	Radio Newscaster (voice)
Ken Lerner	...	Doctor
Minnie Summers Lindsey	...	Inez (as Minnie Lindsay)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hortensia Colorado	...	Maria Hernandez
Marc May	...	Reporter
Beverly Reed	...	Dotty Chandler
Douglas DuVal	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
Ellen Geer	...	(uncredited)
Helen Mallory	...	Woman in Green (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Shyer

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nancy Meyers		written by
Charles Shyer		written by

Produced by
Richard Hashimoto	....	associate producer
Nancy Meyers	....	executive producer
Arlene Sellers	....	producer
Alex Winitsky	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul De Senneville		(as Paul de Senneville)

Cinematography by
William A. Fraker		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John F. Burnett

Production Design by
Ida Random

Set Decoration by
Jane Bogart

Costume Design by
Joe I. Tompkins

Makeup Department
Ken Chase	....	makeup artist
Susan Germaine	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Richard Hashimoto	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
K.C. Colwell	....	second assistant director
Debra DuVal	....	dgc trainee
Michael Grillo	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Michael Helmy	....	set designer
William Maldonado	....	construction coordinator
Paul Rylander	....	assistant property master
Steven Westlund	....	property master

Sound Department
David R. Elliott	....	sound editor (as David Elliott)
Walter A. Gest	....	sound re-recordist
Michael Hilkene	....	sound editor
Fred Judkins	....	sound editor
William B. Kaplan	....	sound mixer
John Kline	....	sound editor
Rick Kline	....	sound re-recording mixer
Val Kuklowsky	....	sound editor
Robert J. Litt	....	sound re-recording mixer
Joseph A. Mayer	....	sound editor (as Joe Mayer)
Earl Sampson	....	boom operator
Russ Tinsley	....	supervising sound editor
Elliot Tyson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christopher T. Welch	....	supervising sound editor
Alyson Dee Moore	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Matt Sweeney	....	special effects supervisor

Stunts
Wendy Davies	....	stunt double
Jim Stephan	....	stunts
Jim Stephen	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerald H. Boatright	....	gaffer
David E. Diano	....	assistant camera (as David Diano)
Gary R. Dodd	....	key grip (as Gary Dodd)
Jan Koshay	....	dolly grip
Carol McCullough	....	still photographer
Richard Turner	....	second assistant camera
Steve Yaconelli	....	camera operator (as Stephen Yaconelli)
Don Yamasaki	....	best boy (as Donald Yamasaki)

Casting Department
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Deborah Lucchesi	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
April Ferry	....	costume supervisor
Mort Schwartz	....	costumer: men
Anne Marie Thomas Casados	....	costumer: women (as Anne Marie Thomas)

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Mark Winitsky	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Milton Lustig	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Chuck Hanson	....	transportation coordinator
Ron Hardman	....	transportation captain (as Ronald Hardman)
Thomas M. Krigbaum	....	transportation captain (as Tom Krigbaum)

Other crew
Joy Anzarouth	....	production coordinator
Fredrick Baron	....	location manager
Bruce A. Block	....	filmic consultant
Karin Howard	....	assistant: Ms. Meyers
Elayne D. Lieberman	....	assistant to producer (as Elayne Lieberman)
Don Miller	....	production accountant
Betsy Norton	....	script supervisor
Judith Rheiner	....	unit publicist
Lucia Schultz	....	assistant: Ms. Meyers
Allen J. Schwalb	....	financier
Tad Tadlock	....	choreographer
David C. Thomas	....	location manager
Elizabeth Yanoska	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Hemdale Film
• Lantana (as Lantana Films)
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1987) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Olive Films (2012) (Canada) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Olive Films (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Vestron Video (1985) (USA) (video)
• Ízaro Films (1984) (Spain) (all media)

Other Companies

• Echo Film Services  sound editing
• Goldwyn Sound Facility  sound re-recorded at
• Modern Film Effects  titles and opticals
• Wallis Nicita Associates  casting (as Wally Nicita Associates)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-8 | UK:15 | Australia:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | USA:PG

Company:

Hemdale Film

Trivia:

Loosely based on the marriage and divorce of director Peter Bogdanovich and his ex-wife Polly Platt.

Quotes:

Blake Chandler:[singing] This Civil War ain't gonna get me down. I'm taking my act to a brand new town. This belle rings in old Atlanta. I'm gonna find myself a brand new Santa!

Movie Connections:

References At Long Last Love (1975)

Soundtrack:

This Belle

Good comedy/melodrama with a unique twist; the self-parody of the movie industry is often ingenious.

Drew pretty much steals the show as the deadpan "reasoner"

character: a child coping in the midst of two selfish,

immature adults. I'd compare her to Tatum O'Neal in Paper

Moon or Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird for the way

she anchors the audience's perspective as the madness (competently related here by Ryan and Shelley) spins around her.

The real comedy lies in the "screwball" plot twist to which the film's title refers (we learn, early in the plot, that it is little Drew's character, not the parents, who is suing for divorce), and especially the story's underlying satire of the entertainment industry. Highlights include how Albert/Ryan's plummeting career as a director parodies those of Cimino (dust, smoke and flies a la Heaven's Gate) and Bogdanovich (starring untalented girlfriend in multi-million-dollar flops). An Andy Warhol style painting of Shelly Long as Marilyn in the background of one scene is just too funny, an example of how understated the true humor can be in this otherwise broadly-played farce.

Some points are disturbing, though: it's made a joke that Ryan is having an anxiety attack instead of a heart attack (try having one), or that his visitation rights are threatened if he doesn't make child support payments (an interesting social comment). Considering the real-life ups and downs of Ryan O'Neal's and Shelly Long's careers, however, I'd say the film's a roaring success.