Class Action (1991)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Michael Apted

Writers (WGA):

Carolyn Shelby (written by) &
Christopher Ames (written by) ...

Release Date:

15 March 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

For the plaintiff...Jedediah Tucker Ward. For the defense...Margaret Eleanor Ward. Nothing Personal. It's just Father Vs. Daughter in the fight of their lives.

Plot:

Jeb Ward is an attorney who specializes in whistle blower, David vs. Goliath, type cases. He finds a...

Plot Keywords:

Father Daughter Relationship | Courtroom | Lawyer | Title Spoken By Character

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Jedediah Tucker Ward
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Maggie Ward
Colin Friels	...	Michael Grazier
Joanna Merlin	...	Estelle Ward
Laurence Fishburne	...	Nick Holbrook (as Larry Fishburne)
Donald Moffat	...	Quinn
Jan Rubes	...	Pavel
Matt Clark	...	Judge Symes
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	Dr. Getchell
Jonathan Silverman	...	Brian
Joan McMurtrey	...	Ann
Anne Ramsay	...	Deborah (as Anne Elizabeth Ramsay)
David Byron	...	Carl
Tim Hopper	...	Howie
Robert David Hall	...	Steven Kellen

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:AL | Finland:S | Norway:11 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Bix Restaurant - 56 Gold Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Interscope Communications

Trivia:

San Francisco mayor Art Agnos and city supervisor Angela Alioto can be glimpsed as extras in church congregation during Gene Hackman's homage speech to his deceased wife.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): There is a scene between Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in the kitchen, and she says to Gene, "I forget......How many tablespoons are in a teaspoon?" She should have said, "How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon."

Quotes:

Jedediah Tucker Ward: If your mother could hear you now.
Maggie Ward: Well she can't, can she? She finally got out of here and wherever she is, she's gotta be much happier than she was with you.
Maggie Ward: [Jedediah attempts to hit Maggie, shocking her] Finally, words fail the great Jedediah Tucker Ward.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fight Club (1999)

Soundtrack:

Can't Fight Fate

father and daughter, both attorneys, duke it out

Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastroantonio are involved in a "Class Action" in this 1991 film that also stars Laurence Fishburne, Donald Moffatt, Joanna Merlin and Fred Thompson. Hackman and MEM, father and daughter, are both attorneys. "I raised you," Jed (Hackman) yells at Maggie (MEM) during one scene. "Mom raised me," she screams back. "You had a date." Maggie's resentment over her father's infidelity erupts after the death of her mother (Merlin) in a powerful scene. Although Maggie has tried to reconcile with him, she finds there is too much in the way. Maggie is in an ethical quandary when the law firm she works for wants to suppress evidence about an automobile manufacturer's malfeasance; complicating things is that her father heads the team the other side of the case.

This is a very good movie that emotionally rings true, thanks to a good script and fine performances by Hackman and Mary Elizabeth. I had the pleasure of working with Mary Elizabeth when she was a Broadway actress - a lovely woman with a great talent, shown here to excellent advantage. Grieving for her mother and unable to accept her father's love, she is blindsided by her boyfriend/boss' ethics violation and has nowhere to turn. The viewer can really feel her pain. Hackman is wonderful as a shark attorney who loved his wife deeply but made some unfortunate choices and alienated his only child. He finds himself now vulnerable and confused; Hackman expresses these emotions beautifully. There is able support from the top-notch cast.

Compelling and at times powerful.