Stanley & Iris (1989)

An illiterate cook at a company cafeteria tries for the attention of a newly widowed woman. As they get to know one another, she discovers his inability to read. When he is fired, she takes... See full summary »

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

Pat Barker (novel), Harriet Frank Jr. (screenplay),

Stars:

Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro, Swoosie Kurtz

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Fonda	...	Iris King
Robert De Niro	...	Stanley Cox
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Sharon
Martha Plimpton	...	Kelly
Harley Cross	...	Richard
Jamey Sheridan	...	Joe
Feodor Chaliapin Jr.	...	Leonides Cox (as Feodor Chaliapin)
Zohra Lampert	...	Elaine
Loretta Devine	...	Bertha
Julie Garfield	...	Belinda
Karen Ludwig	...	Melissa
Kathy Kinney	...	Bernice
Laurel Lyle	...	Muriel
Mary Testa	...	Joanne
Katherine Cortez	...	Jan

Storyline

An illiterate cook at a company cafeteria tries for the attention of a newly widowed woman. As they get to know one another, she discovers his inability to read. When he is fired, she takes on trying to teach him to read in her kitchen each night.

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Plot Keywords:

cook | baby | tutoring | map | library | 

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Taglines:

Some people need love spelled out for them.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Letters

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$5,816,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$5,820,015 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lantana, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Star Partners II Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (DuArt)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the filming in Waterbury, Connecticut, local Vietnam veterans picketed the production, protesting Jane Fonda's controversial anti-war activities of a decade and a half earlier. Fonda visited Hanoi in July 1972.

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Goofs

In the map-reading exercise, several of the street signs visibly have stickers pasted on them to change the (Toronto) street names.

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Quotes

Stanley Everett Cox: Three people in bed is one too many for me.

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Connections

Referenced in Biography: The Fondas (2004)

User Reviews

Excellent film

'Stanley and Iris' show the triumph of the human spirit. For Stanley, it's the struggle to become literate and realize his potential. For Iris, it's to find the courage to love again after becoming a widow. The beauty of the movie is the dance that Robert DeNiro and Jane Fonda do together, starting and stopping, before each has the skills and courage to completely trust each other and move on. In that sense it very nicely gives us a good view of how life often is, thus being credible. Unlike some other reviewers I found the characters each rendered to be consistent for the whole picture. The supporting cast is also carefully chosen and they add a depth of character that the main characters get added meaning from the supporting performances. All in all an excellent movie. The best thing I take from it is Hope.