Breaking the Rules (1992)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Neal Israel

Writer (WGA):

Paul W. Shapiro (written by)

Release Date:

9 October 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Two friends take their dying buddy on one last road trip.

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Road | Sickness | Leukemia | Friendship

Cast

Shawn Phelan	...	Young Phil
Jackey Vinson	...	Young Gene
Marty Belafsky	...	Young Rob
Jason Bateman	...	Phil Stepler
C. Thomas Howell	...	Gene Michaels
Jonathan Silverman	...	Rob Konigsberg
Kent Bateman	...	Mr. Stepler
Krista Tesreau	...	Rob's Date
Annie Potts	...	Mary Klinglitch
Eurlyne Epper	...	Redneck Woman
Jeffrey J. Dashnaw	...	Redneck #1
Steven Chambers	...	Redneck #2
Mark Rosenblatt	...	Bartender
Frank Wagner	...	Justice of the Peace
Manuel Pickett	...	Minister in Arizona

Also Known As:

Sketches

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG-13

Company:

Management Company Entertainment Group (MCEG)

Trivia:

Filmed in 1989

Quotes:

Phil Stepler: I wanna see the mystic lands that lie beyond Ohio.

Movie Connections:

References "Jeopardy!" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Hurt So Bad (To Love)

Why this title?

I'm always a sucker for those `what can you say about a girl/guy who's died' kinda movies. From Love Story to Torch Song Trilogy to Brian's Song, in the movies there is a certain sort of nobility endowed by dying. It's a mystery that we all fear and wonder about and ultimately face more or less on our own. There may be others present but we do it alone in our own, individual ways.

What's important is what goes before and what we have done for those that we leave behind.

This movie deals with that issue and does it in a life affirming way. What Phil (Jason Bateman) does for Gene (C. Thomas Howell) and Rob (Jonathon Silverman) is get them back together as friends, and helps them deal with his impending death while dealing with it himself in the best way that he can. Yes, this theme has been done before. Yes there are aspects that are completely ignored. And Yes, some parts could have been done better, but overall I'm glad that I saw this movie and think that many others would be too.

The movie is bittersweet without being maudlin. It has heart and lets the viewer see the emotions of three young men, no mean feat for a movie. When Mary Klinglitch (Annie Potts) joins the group it somehow allows the guys to drop some of their masculine bravado and her presence seems to make the group `whole'. Perhaps its her presence that makes it ok for these guys to be `Breaking the Rules' about way men behave when together.