The Morning After (1986)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

James Cresson (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Last night she drank to forget. Today she woke up to a murder. Is he her last hope or the last man she should trust?

Plot:

A woman wakes up next to a murdered man. Did she do it herself, and if not, is she in danger herself?

Plot Keywords:

Ex Cop | Cat | Actress | Corpse | Amnesia

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Jane Fonda	...	Alex Sternbergen
Jeff Bridges	...	Turner Kendall
Raul Julia	...	Joaquin Manero
Diane Salinger	...	Isabel Harding
Richard Foronjy	...	Sergeant Greenbaum
Geoffrey Scott	...	Bobby Korshack
James 'Gypsy' Haake	...	Frankie
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Red
Don Hood	...	Hurley
Fran Bennett	...	Airline Clerk
Michael Flanagan	...	Airline Supervisor
Bruce Vilanch	...	Bartender
Michael Prince	...	Mr. Harding
Frances Bergen	...	Mrs. Harding
José Angel Santana	...	Driver (as José Santana)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | West Germany:16 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Center Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

American Filmworks

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The beat-up-but-running Chevrolet Bel-Air convertible that Jeff Bridges's Turner Kendall drives is a 1955 model, not 1956.

Quotes:

Turner Kendall: You'll notice that your spades spend disproportionately on transportation and clothing their young.
Alex Sternbergen: What are you, some kind of Klan anthropologist?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Tru Calling: Morning After (#1.7)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

ADDICTED TO LOVE

Great murder mystery film, except for the murder mystery

It's a shame the filmmakers decided to make this a murder mystery, because the "mystery" is the only bad part of the film. Fonda and Bridges are both terrific, as usual, and the story of their meeting and falling in love along with the moral rebirth that love sparked in both would have made a fantastic movie. Jeff Bridges is the USA's stealth great actor: he quietly nails every role without an ounce of flash. His chemistry with Jane Fonda (hell, he has chemistry with every actress he's ever costarred with) is the best reason to watch this. Unfortunately, the heart of the plot is a lackluster murder/conspiracy story which undermines the rest. It takes "The Morning After" from a "must see" to a "see if there's nothing better."