Simple Men (1992)

Director:

Hal Hartley

Writer:

Hal Hartley (writer)

Release Date:

14 October 1992 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

There's no such thing as adventure and romance, only trouble and desire.

Plot:

Bitter about being double-crossed by the women he loved, (and with the police after him to boot), Bill vows to seduce the next woman he sees...

Plot Keywords:

Catholic Schoolgirl | Brother Brother Relationship | Nun | Long Island New York | Motorcycle

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Robert John Burke	...	Bill McCabe (as Robert Burke)
Bill Sage	...	Dennis McCabe
Karen Sillas	...	Kate
Elina Löwensohn	...	Elina
Martin Donovan	...	Martin
Mark Chandler Bailey	...	Mike (as Mark Bailey)
Chris Cooke	...	Vic
Jeffrey Howard	...	Ned Rifle
Holly Marie Combs	...	Kim
Joe Stevens	...	Jack
Damian Young	...	Sheriff
Marietta Marich	...	Mom (Meg)
John MacKay	...	Dad
Bethany Wright	...	Mary
Richard Reyes	...	Security Guard

Also Known As:

Uomini semplici (Italy)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Italy | UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Company:

American Playhouse

Trivia:

"There's no such thing as adventure. There's no such thing as romance. There's only trouble and desire." It's probably the best-known phrase of this movie, but actually it's a quote from 'Lang, Fritz''s movie _Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (1922)_.

Quotes:

Ned: What is that thing?
Bill: That's the Blessed Virgin, Ned.
Ned: She's pretty, huh?
Bill: Not only is she pretty, but she's got a nice personality, and she's the mother of God.

Movie Connections:

References Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler - Ein Bild der Zeit (1922)

Soundtrack:

Sleeping Pill

Sublime and heartfelt

This is a beautifully made film that has dialogue that literally sparkles and puts 90% of Hollywood scripts to shame though that is admittedly not too difficult. I adore Hartley's use of language and the way he lets the actors perform in front of his camera. The post-drinking scene where they dance to Sonic Youth's Kool Thing is inspired cinema, also the scene where Donovan lists his decent bands 'the old Who'. The best scene is at the end though. I find it incredibly moving each time that this man who has constantly denied his feelings and fought his past is drawn to rest his head gently on the breast of the woman he has grown to love. Though surrounded by police the camera focuses only on his face as we hear the words 'Don't move' off-camera. Why would he move when he has finally found where he belongs? Immaculate framing, marvellous pace and a genuinely affecting story all combine to make this my second favourite Hartley film after 'Amateur' which is untouchable as far as I am concerned.