Of Mice and Men (1992)

Director:

Gary Sinise

Writers (WGA):

John Steinbeck (novel)
Horton Foote (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 October 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

We have a dream. Someday, we'll have a little house and a couple of acres. A place to call home.

Plot:

Two drifters, one a gentle but slow giant, try to make money working the fields during the Depression so they can fulfill their dreams.

Plot Keywords:

California | Mentally Impaired | Rural | Actor Director | Character Driven

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

John Malkovich	...	Lennie Small
Gary Sinise	...	George Milton
Ray Walston	...	Candy
Casey Siemaszko	...	Curley
Sherilyn Fenn	...	Curley's Wife
John Terry	...	Slim
Richard Riehle	...	Carlson
Alexis Arquette	...	Whitt
Joe Morton	...	Crooks
Noble Willingham	...	The Boss
Joe D'Angerio	...	Jack
Tuck Milligan	...	Mike
David Steen	...	Tom
Moira Harris	...	Girl in Red Dress
Mark Boone Junior	...	Bus Driver

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some scenes of violence.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-11 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12 (original rating) | France:U | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The girl in the red dress, running through the field at the beginning of the movie, was played by Moira Harris, the wife of director/star Gary Sinise.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Lennie and Curley fight, Lennie has no scratches on his right cheek. In the next scene, George cleans out wounds on Lennie's right cheek.

Quotes:

George: Go to sleep, Lennie.
Lennie: George?
George: Go to sleep, Lennie!
Lennie: I am sleepin', George.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Friends: The One with the Chick and the Duck (#3.21)" (1997)

Great except for Malkovich

This movie has a good script, fine acting, and is beautifully photographed. Even though I had read the book and knew the plot, I was drawn into story and moved by the ending. Gary Sinise does a very good job of showing what a complicated and conflicted character George is. George seems to be a smart man, but he has not gotten far in life. He feels the need to watch out for his closest friend, Lenny. But, you sense that George sometimes thinks Lenny is a burden and George feels guilty about those thoughts. This might be Gary Sinise's best acting performance.

I was disappointed in John Malkovich's over-the-top portrayal of Lenny. In the book, I felt that Lenny was just very simple minded, but in the movie version, Lenny seems to be seriously retarded. The Malkovich Lenny has too many odd facial expressions and a speaking style that is like a cartoon parody Lenny. That performance was distracting and irritating and made Lenny less sympathetic. It also changed the relationship with George. It makes George more of a nursemaid to seriously ill Lenny, instead of a helpful friend who watches out for Lenny.