Paradise (1991)

Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson (at the time married to each other) play Lily and Ben Reed, a young couple torn apart by a family tragedy. It would take a miracle to rekindle their love ... See full summary »

Director:

Mary Agnes Donoghue

Writer:

Mary Agnes Donoghue (screenplay)

Stars:

Melanie Griffith, Don Johnson, Elijah Wood

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Melanie Griffith	...	Lily Reed
Don Johnson	...	Ben Reed
Elijah Wood	...	Willard Young
Thora Birch	...	Billie Pike
Sheila McCarthy	...	Sally Pike
Eve Gordon	...	Rosemary Young
Louise Latham	...	Catherine Reston Lee
Greg Travis	...	Earl McCoy
Sarah Trigger	...	Darlene Pike
Richard K. Olsen	...	Minister
Rick Andosca	...	Ernest Parkett
Anthony Romano	...	Popular Boy
Timothy Erskine	...	Darlene's Boyfriend
Chestley Price	...	Bus Driver
Dave Hager	...	Bartender

Storyline

Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson (at the time married to each other) play Lily and Ben Reed, a young couple torn apart by a family tragedy. It would take a miracle to rekindle their love and a miracle arrives in the form of a summer guest - Willard Young played by Elijah Wood.

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Plot Keywords:

remake | death | bereavement | husband wife relationship | remake of french film | 

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Taglines:

It would take a miracle to save their love... and that's just what they got.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Földi paradicsom

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$18,634,643 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Grand Highway Productions, Interscope Communications, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In one of final scenes where child actors say goodbye to each other, a glass vase of flowers behind Thora Birch's character keeps appearing and disappearing.

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Connections

Remake of The Grand Highway (1987)

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Soundtracks

"O.K. MOOD SWING"
Written by Prince Poetry and Pharoahe Monch
Performed by Organized Konfusion
Courtesy of Hollywood BASIC

User Reviews

Touches the heart and soul

I wrote a short essay after watching this movie, not because it affected me, but that it left such a great impression. To me, the use of 'Paradise' as title is apt, as the movie goes to show how many people continue to live in their private hells, when all around them is a place which seems like paradise. These people, though socially interactive at times, seem more preoccupied with the ghosts of their pasts rather than the blessings of the moment. Only when these characters are able to let go of the demons that haunt them are they able to once again experience the joys of love and intimacy.

This film can help us to evaluate the things that we allow to control us, and help us to understand that instead of examining our lives under a microscope, we should allow ourselves to look up and out sometimes, and maybe discover all those things missing in our lives but which were right by us all the time.