Stanley & Iris (1990)

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

9 February 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Some people need love spelled out for them.

Plot:

An illiterate cook (Robert De Niro) at a company cafeteria tries for the attention of a newly widowed woman (Jane Fonda)...

Plot Keywords:

Face Slap | Punctuation In Title | Premarital Sex | Pregnancy | Human Relationship

Cast

Jane Fonda	...	Iris Estelle King
Robert De Niro	...	Stanley Everett Cox
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Sharon
Martha Plimpton	...	Kelly King
Harley Cross	...	Richard King
Jamey Sheridan	...	Joe Fuller
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

Also Known As:

Letters (USA) (working title)
Union Street (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DuArt)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | France:U | South Korea:15 | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Lantana

Trivia:

New rating in Finland: -11 (2001)/ Visa # 96718.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Stanley returns from Detroit, his car is shown to have a Michigan license plate on the front of the vehicle. Unlike many states that issue license plates for both the front and rear of the vehicle. Michigan issues plates for the rear of the vehicle only.

Quotes:

Iris: A girl's best friend is her mama. At least that's what it says on the greeting cards.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Biography Special: The Fondas (2004) (TV)

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.