Grand Canyon (1991)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Lawrence Kasdan

Writers (WGA):

Lawrence Kasdan (written by) &
Meg Kasdan (written by)

Release Date:

10 January 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

From the director of "The Big Chill." A story of friendship and other natural wonders.

Plot:

Grand Canyon revolved around six residents from different backgrounds whose lives intertwine in modern-day Los Angeles...

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | Grand Canyon | Extramarital Affair | Slice Of Life | Earthquake

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Danny Glover	...	Simon
Kevin Kline	...	Mack
Steve Martin	...	Davis
Mary McDonnell	...	Claire
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Dee
Alfre Woodard	...	Jane
Jeremy Sisto	...	Roberto
Tina Lifford	...	Deborah
Patrick Malone	...	Otis
Randle Mell	...	The Alley Baron
Sarah Trigger	...	Vanessa
Destinee DeWalt	...	Kelley
Candace Mead	...	Claire's Baby
Lauren Mead	...	Claire's Baby (as Loren Mead)
Shaun Baker	...	Rocstar

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (No. 31390) | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The scene where Mack is nearly killed by a bus, was taken from writer/director Lawrence Kasdan's own life.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Simon climbs up his stairs with the groceries, two windows can be seen on his apartment. When he sits down at the TTY terminal to chat with his daughter, the windows behind him have louvers on them and do not match the windows on his building.

Quotes:

Simon: You ever been to the Grand Canyon? Its pretty, but thats not the thing of it. You can sit on the edge of that big ol' thing and those rocks... the cliffs and rocks are so old... it took so long for that thing to get like that... and it ain't done either! It happens right there while your watching it. Its happening right now as we are sitting here in this ugly town. When you sit on the edge of that thing, you realize what a joke we people really are...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Big Lebowski (1998)

Soundtrack:

Only in America

Screenwriting at it's best...

This highly underrated film is (to me) what good writing in a movie should be all about. Kasdan takes the search for meaning in our lives and lays it out for all to see and wonder at. The movie is about the divides people create to insulate themselves from the violence and hatred and bigotry of everyday life.

Along the way we are asked question after question about life. Davis (Steve Martin with a great beard) asks himself 'Is my making a violent movie (and by extension our enjoyment of it) causing the violence in society?' Claire asks "What kind of world throws away something as precious as a human life?' Mack is not immune as he asks 'Is it possible to pass beyond the bounds of race and (an even harder step) finance? These are of course not quoted from the film, but generalities. Others ask their questions too, and to be honest it raises more than it answers.

But that is the nature of life. We strive all our lives to find answers to questions we will never totally answer, and in certain cases have to make answers fit to our own needs and desires. As humans we thrive on questions we cannot answer. Some answers are real. Claire and Mack come to realize that even though they could take the easy road and let the state take the baby, their finding it placed the responsibility for her life in their hands. Some answers are not. Davis `Sees the Light' and decides not to make violent films, but the next day turns around and dismisses his epiphany as subordinate to his art.

We all seek answers. This movie does not answer them for; it simply reminds you to keep looking for the answers.