What would you do if someone you loved sat down with you one night and calmly told you that they were going to end their life before morning? This is Thelma Cates' dilemma. Her daughter, ...
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Title: 'night, Mother (1986)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Sissy Spacek | ... |
Jessie Cates
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| Anne Bancroft | ... |
Thelma Cates
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 |
Ed Berke | ... |
Dawson Cates
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|
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Carol Robbins | ... |
Loretta Cates
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|
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Jennifer Roosendahl | ... |
Melodie Cates
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|
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Michael Kenworthy | ... |
Kenny Cates
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Sari Walker | ... |
Agnes Fletcher
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|
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Claire Malis | ... |
Operator
(voice)
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (7) »
Storyline
What would you do if someone you loved sat down with you one night and calmly told you that they were going to end their life before morning? This is Thelma Cates' dilemma. Her daughter, Jessie, has had it. A middle-aged epileptic unable to hold a job or drive with a failed marriage and a drug-addicted runaway son on the wrong side of the law, Jessie can find no reason to go on living. Adapted from the play by Marsha Norman, "'night, Mother" is the story of a parent's worst nightmare. How can Thelma convince her daughter that life is worth living if she can't feel her pain? How can she end her daughter's embrace of death before morning? Written by Mark Fleetwood <mfleetwo@mail.coin.missouri.edu>/Reid Taylor
Plot Keywords:
punctuation in title | dialogue driven | suicide | mother daughter relationship | pulitzer prize source |Taglines:
It happened in 1983. It was a rare and remarkable theatrical experience. Controversial. Provocative. And shocking. Now, two Academy Award-winning actresses make the Pulitzer Prize-winning play the motion picture event of the year.Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
29 January 1987 (Australia) See more »Also Known As:
Goodnight Mother See more »Box Office
Gross:
$442,000 (USA)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Jessie: I think I can kill myself, Mama.
Thelma: It's a sin! You'll go to Hell!
Jessie: Jesus was a suicide if you ask me.
Thelma: You'll go to Hell just for saying that, Jessie!
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Was originally a Broadway play, written by Marsha Norman and directed by Tom Moore, both of whom returned for the movie adaptation. The production opened at the John Golden Theater on March 31, 1983, ran for 380 performances, and was nominated for four Tony Awards: Best Play, Best Actress in a Play (both Kathy Bates and Anne Pitoniak), and Best Director. Despite losing at the Tony's, the play won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was revived on Broadway in 2004. See more »Quotes
Thelma: We're just gonna sit around like every other night in the world, and then you're gonna kill yourself? You'll miss! You'll wind up a vegetable! How'd you like that? You know what the doctor said about getting excited. You'll cock the pistol and have a fit!Jessie: I think I can kill myself, Mama.
Thelma: It's a sin! You'll go to Hell!
Jessie: Jesus was a suicide if you ask me.
Thelma: You'll go to Hell just for saying that, Jessie!
See more »
"'Night Mother" is a film for those who appreciate a good, thought provoking drama. Anne Bancroft, the Italian/American actress from NYC plays a Southern woman with gusto. Sissy Spacek as her daughter is excellent as a woman who has had enough of life & has decided to end hers. It's hard to decide who you feel more sorry for. My heart tends to go out more to the Bancroft character because Spacek's character has finally found some peace with her decision to end her life. This movie is very intense & the music on the soundtrack is beautiful & adds to it's emotional impact.