Crimes of the Heart (1986)

Three sisters with quite different personalities and lives reunite when the youngest of them, Babe, has just shot her husband. The oldest sister, Lenny, takes care of their grandfather and ... See full summary »

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers:

Beth Henley (screenplay), Beth Henley (play)

Stars:

Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Diane Keaton	...	Lenny Magrath
Jessica Lange	...	Meg Magrath
Sissy Spacek	...	Babe Magrath
Sam Shepard	...	Doc Porter
Tess Harper	...	Chick Boyle
David Carpenter	...	Barnette Lloyd
Hurd Hatfield	...	Old Granddaddy
Beeson Carroll	...	Zackery Botrelle
Jean Willard	...	Lucille Botrelle
Tom Mason	...	Uncle Watson
Gregory Eugene Travis	...	Willie Jay (as Gregory Travis)
Annie McKnight	...	Annie May Jenkins
Eleanor Eagle	...	Little Lenny
Jessica Ezzell	...	Little Meg
Natalie Anderson	...	Little Babe

Storyline

Three sisters with quite different personalities and lives reunite when the youngest of them, Babe, has just shot her husband. The oldest sister, Lenny, takes care of their grandfather and is turning into an old maid, while Meg, who tries to make it in Hollywood as a singer/actress, has had a wild life filled with many men. Their reunion causes much joy, but also many tensions.

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Plot Keywords:

sister | reunion | grandfather | pulitzer prize source | dancing | 

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Taglines:

Meg just left one. Lenny never had one. Babe just shot one. The MaGrath sisters sure have a way with men!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crímenes del corazón

Filming Locations:

Caswell Beach, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$22,905,500 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The play "Crimes of the Heart" won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1981.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lucille Botrelle: The damage to the spinal column's not yet been determined. But his breathing's stabilized and his liver's been saved.
Lennora Josephine 'Lenny' Magrath: Oh, well, that's good news.
Lucille Botrelle: None of this is good news Lennie Magrath! It's all a grueling nightmare and you mark my word those resposible will pay dearly!

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Connections

Referenced in Ken Adam: Designing Bond (2000)

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Soundtracks

"Fallen Angel Flying High"
Performed by Dann Rogers
Written by Jack Keller, Dann Rogers, Don Huber
Published by Screen Gems-EMI Music, Inc.
Colgems-EMI Music, Inc.

User Reviews

The McGrath sisters sure have a way with men!

Putting three powerful actresses into one film isn't necessarily a guarantee that the project will work, however, this is one of those rare exceptions.

Beth Henley's play about three eccentric sisters in the south is adapted well to the screen, thanks in part to the careful direction of Bruce Beresford. Diane Keaton plays Lennie, the eldest sister, who's feelings of awkwardness prevent her from being happy. Jessica Lange is Meg, the fast-moving middle sister who packed up and left town for the big lights of Hollywood, only to be disappointed. And Sissy Spacek is Babe, the kooky youngest sister, recently charged with shooting her husband.

The sisters are tormented by their cousin and neighbor, Chick, played by Tess Harper. Her own desire to be an upstanding member of the ladies league, combined with her desire to outshine and belittle her cousins, make her the villain in this story.

The sisters are reunited when Babe shoots her husband. As she says, she 'didn't like his stinkin' looks.' Babe is slightly unbalanced. After shooting him in the stomach she went out and made herself a pitcher of lemonade. What was most bizarre was that she then had the nerve to offer him a glass!

Over the course of several days the sisters confront the demons that have been troubling them. Lennie has 'shrunken ovaries' and therefore cannot have children. She believes that this is keeping her from getting a man. Meg is tortured by her own selfishness. The rumors about her convincing Doc Porter (played by Sam Sheppard) to hang around in during a hurricane, only to suffer a life altering leg injury, are all true.

The film reads like the play from which is came from. The scenes are often long. The dialogue marches on from subject to subject. The characters are well fleshed out, however most of the information we get comes from suggestions and flashbacks made by the characters. One must listen to the dialogue in this film in order to truly follow the story.

The acting is first rate by all four leads. Sissy Spacek and Tess Harper are definate standouts. They each received nominations at the Oscars that year. Lange and Keaton play their parts well. The cast works as an ensemble, with no upstaging, but rather opportunities for everyone to shine.

Crimes of the Heart is a first rate piece that may not be appropriate for all movie goers, simply because it requires the viewer to pay attention to detail. The action is slow moving, making room for some wonderful dialogue.

Enjoy this film as it offers some great acting with a pretty decent script.