Murphy's Romance (1985)

Emma is a divorced woman with a teen aged boy who moves into a small town and tries to make a go of a horse ranch. Murphy is the town druggist who steers business her way. Things are going ... See full summary »

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

Max Schott (story), Harriet Frank Jr.,

Stars:

Sally Field, James Garner, Brian Kerwin

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sally Field	...	Emma Moriarty
James Garner	...	Murphy Jones
Brian Kerwin	...	Bobby Jack Moriarty
Corey Haim	...	Jake Moriarty
Dennis Burkley	...	Freeman Coverly
Georgann Johnson	...	Margaret
Dortha Duckworth	...	Bessie
Michael Prokopuk	...	Albert
Billy Ray Sharkey	...	Larry Le Beau
Michael Crabtree	...	Jim Forrest
Anna Levine	...	Wanda
Charles Lane	...	Amos Abbott
Bruce French	...	Rex Boyd
John C. Becher	...	Jesse Parker
Henry Slate	...	Fred Hite

Storyline

Emma is a divorced woman with a teen aged boy who moves into a small town and tries to make a go of a horse ranch. Murphy is the town druggist who steers business her way. Things are going along predictably until her ex husband shows up, needing a place to stay. The three of them form an intricate circle, Emma's son liking Murphy, but desperately wanting his father back.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | horse ranch | small town | widower | single parent | 

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Taglines:

Just when you think you've found the right guy, someone even worse comes along.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 January 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

El romance de Murphy

Filming Locations:

Florence, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$30,762,621 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Delphi IV Productions, Fogwood Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Columbia Pictures really wanted Marlon Brando for his "box office allure", despite the fact he hadn't been in a successful film since Apocalypse Now, while Garner more recently played the lead in Victor/Victoria. Director Martin Ritt and Sally Field insisted on Garner. (Well, she was going to be the one getting kissed.)

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Goofs

Murphy uses the same fountain dispenser for Coke (when Emma wanted a lemon coke), water (when Emma wanted Excedrin and water) and club soda (when Emma wanted a chocolate soda) and always pulls the handle toward himself.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Murphy: [to Emma, who's about to put a flyer on his windshield] Lady, you're covering up my causes.

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Connections

Features Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

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Soundtracks

"LOVE FOR THE LAST TIME (THEME FROM MURPHY'S ROMANCE)"
Music and Lyrics by Carole King
Performed by Carole King with David Sanborn
Produced by Lou Adler

User Reviews

"How Do You Like Your Eggs?"

Murphy's Romance is a pleasant easy to take movie about a May - October romance between widower James Garner and younger divorcée Sally Field. It's set in modern day Texas and it moves with grace of a gazelle and the speed of a Galapagos tortoise. And that's not meant in a negative way.

Sally Field with the ink barely dry on her divorce from Brian Kerwin has moved to a small Texas town where she's now acquired a ranch which could use a lot of improvement. She's got her son Corey Haim in tow and they aim to start anew.

The first and best friend they make in town is 60 year old James Garner, the local druggist. He's part of a disappearing breed in that he owns his own pharmacy. Given the way things are 23 years after Murphy's Romance, Garner's store if it still is operating is probably part of chain now, even in small town America.

A steady reliable guy like Garner is all any girl could wish for, but ambling back into the picture is Kerwin who swears on a stack of Bibles he's a changed man. Why he's even a born again Christian.

The man knows how to ring her bell, but that's about all he's good for. In fact he furnishes his own proof before the film ends.

James Garner got his only Oscar nomination and I remember how much I wanted him to win that night watching the Oscars. It would have been great, but William Hurt won for Kiss of the Spider Woman. Murphy's Romance got one other nomination for cinematography, but it lost to the year's Best Picture, Out of Africa.

Murphy's Romance is a tender and touching story about a couple of mature people, one a bit more mature than the other finding true love. As Garner says this is his last love and Field responds this is her first. It's a film for romantics of any age.