The Gig (1985)

Director:

Frank D. Gilroy

Writer:

Frank D. Gilroy

Stars:

Wayne Rogers, Cleavon Little, Andrew Duncan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wayne Rogers	...	Marty Flynn
Cleavon Little	...	Marshall Wilson
Andrew Duncan	...	Jack Larmon
Jerry Matz	...	Aaron Wohl
Daniel Nalbach	...	Arthur Winslow
Warren Vaché	...	Gil Macrae
Joe Silver	...	Abe Mitgang
Jay Thomas	...	Rick Valentine
Stan Lachow	...	George Pappas
Celia Bressack	...	Lucy
Georgia Harrell	...	The blonde
Michael Fischetti	...	Vincent Amatri
Susan Egbert	...	Laura Macrae
Karen Ashley	...	Janet Larmon
Virginia Downing	...	Mrs. Winslow

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

independent film

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Banda do Paraíso

Filming Locations:

Kingston, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Gig Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Wilson: It's not religion -- devotion isn't enough.

User Reviews

Pretty exceptional little movie on a jazz theme, sort of.

So, a group of middle-age guys who play jazz for a hobby get to live out their dream of playing a professional gig (at a resort hotel), and the dream doesn't turn out like they thought it would.

Doesn't sound like much, but "The Gig" is a movie that sticks with you, because of its understated exploration of the stakes involved in just living a life - failure, hopes, small comforts, friendship, disappointments. The jazz group is the nominal theme, but the film is a character study. Not an academic one - it has the guts (and script) to bleed a little for the characters, and is unconventional in its avoidance of easy tie-ups and crowd-pleasing pay-offs.

An extremely satisfying, heartfelt, well-crafted picture, with performances from Wayne Rogers (TV MASHs 'Trapper John') and Cleavon Little (best known probably as the sheriff in "Blazing Saddles", though he also played a comedy TV doctor in "Temperatures Rising") which suggest they generally didn't get the roles they deserved and were capable of.