The Morning After (1986)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

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 | Corpse | Alcoholism | Airport | Divorce

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

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:

SAVE SOME (FOR ME)

Fonda looks good as a has been

While Jane's last Oscar nominated performance (before she retired from films) has its moments, the film falls apart after she takes off her blonde wig. I thought she looked like a knockout with it on. Some really well photographed scenery pops up near the first half and there's a long extended sequence that has her clean up the dead man's apartment, which is filled with many sly touches; alas the beginning is ten times better and more developed than the weak conclusion. Jeff Bridges adds a nice touch to the story but was it really wise for the Fonda character to place all her trust in a total stranger? Kathy Bates has a cameo as a neighbor before she hit the big time scaring everyone in Misery. She's on the screen maybe 10 seconds to a minute, tops. Overall, the parts, as other reviewers have stated, are juicier than the whole.