Everybody Wins (1990)

A seeming good Samaritan (Debra Winger) hires a private detective (Nolte) to prove a teen sitting in prison on a murder charge is innocent. His investigation discovers deep corruption in a ... See full summary »

Director:

Karel Reisz

Writers:

Arthur Miller (play), Arthur Miller (screenplay)

Stars:

Debra Winger, Nick Nolte, Will Patton

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Debra Winger	...	Angela Crispini
Nick Nolte	...	Tom O'Toole
Will Patton	...	Jerry
Judith Ivey	...	Connie
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Amy
Jack Warden	...	Judge Harry Murdoch
Frank Converse	...	Charley Haggerty
Frank Military	...	Felix
Steven Skybell	...	Father Mancini
Mary Louise Wilson	...	Jean
Mert Hatfield	...	Bellanca
Peter Appel	...	Sonny
Sean Weil	...	Montana
Timothy D. Wright	...	Defense Attorney
Elizabeth Ann Klein	...	Judge

Storyline

A seeming good Samaritan (Debra Winger) hires a private detective (Nolte) to prove a teen sitting in prison on a murder charge is innocent. His investigation discovers deep corruption in a Connecticut town and finds the woman isn't everything she pretends to be.

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Plot Keywords:

private detective | connecticut | murder | detective | investigation | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cada cual a su juego

Filming Locations:

Norwich, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$1,372,350 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Film Trustees Ltd., Orion Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

At about three minutes 30 seconds, the lady picked up the remote control from the top of the TV and turned the TV on. Then she switched it to a news channel, but when the TV screen appeared on the screen to show the news, we can see a remote control is still on top of the TV.

User Reviews

worth a look

I can see why this film was not a success at the box-office. For a thriller, it is far too talky and at times the plot unfolds purely through scenes of conversational exposition. There are no chases, no shootouts, and only the briefest of sex scenes and courtroom sequences. The reason is because the film is concerned solely with character. Even the film's supposed theme, that of corruption infecting everybody (even down to O'Toole's teacher sister), is only half-heartedly dealt with. There has been speculation that the play upon which the screenplay is based was inspired by Arthur Miller's relationship with Marilyn Monroe and this is an interesting consideration. Angela is a frustrating character although not without charm. O'Toole certainly falls for her in a big way and I suspect that might be the reason this got termed a film noir. Sometimes you wonder just how much effort the critics put in. Yes, a cursory scan of the plot would reveal the elements of a noir: private investigator, mysterious seductress, murder, corruption - but watching the film it feels less like a noir and more like one of those small town dramas, like Gene Hackman made in the 1980s, such as TWICE IN A LIFETIME or FULL MOON IN BLUE WATER. And the gang of church-building bikers, led by cinema's favourite fruitcakes Patton and Wilhoite, seems to have wandered in from an entirely different movie. That said a script by Miller will undoubtedly give up some fantastic dialogue, which is definitely the case here. You can tell the guy's pedigree as even some of the throwaway lines are beautifully written.