|
The Waterdance (1992) 6.7
An oft overlooked film about struggling to deal with paralysis. Author Joel Garcia breaks his neck while hiking, and finds himself in a rehab center with Raymond, an exaggerating ladies man... See full summary » Writer:Neal Jimenez |
| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
Share this Rating
Title: The Waterdance (1992)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
The Spitfire Grill
(1996)
Drama
Director:
Lee David Zlotoff
Stars:
Alison Elliott,
Ellen Burstyn,
Marcia Gay Harden
Drama
Director:
Jill Sprecher
Stars:
Matthew McConaughey,
David Connolly,
John Turturro
Drama
Director:
Mike Nichols
Stars:
Elizabeth Taylor,
Richard Burton,
George Segal
The Truman Show
(1998)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Peter Weir
Stars:
Jim Carrey,
Laura Linney,
Noah Emmerich
Sling Blade
(1996)
Drama
Director:
Billy Bob Thornton
Stars:
Billy Bob Thornton,
Dwight Yoakam,
J.T. Walsh
East of Eden
(1955)
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Elia Kazan
Stars:
Julie Harris,
James Dean,
Raymond Massey
Stand and Deliver
(1988)
Drama
Director:
Ramón Menéndez
Stars:
Edward James Olmos,
Estelle Harris,
Mark Phelan
Certificate: M
Drama
Director:
Sydney Pollack
Stars:
Jane Fonda,
Michael Sarrazin,
Susannah York
Midnight Cowboy
(1969)
Drama
Director:
John Schlesinger
Stars:
Dustin Hoffman,
Jon Voight,
Sylvia Miles
Magnolia
(1999)
Drama
Director:
Paul Thomas Anderson
Stars:
Julianne Moore,
Tom Cruise,
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Twin Falls Idaho
(1999)
Drama
Director:
Michael Polish
Stars:
Mark Polish,
Michael Polish,
Michele Hicks
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Eric Stoltz | ... |
Joel Garcia
|
|
| Helen Hunt | ... |
Anna
|
|
| William Allen Young | ... |
Les
|
|
 |
James Roach | ... |
Guy in the Electric Wheelchair
|
| Elizabeth Peña | ... |
Rosa
|
|
|
|
Henry Harris | ... |
Mr. Gibson
|
| Tony Genaro | ... |
Victor
|
|
|
|
Eva Rodriguez | ... |
Victor's Wife
|
|
|
Erick Vigil | ... |
Victor's Son
|
|
|
Edgar Rodriguez | ... |
Victor's Son
|
|
|
Angélica Castell | ... |
Victor's Daughter
|
| William Forsythe | ... | ||
| Grace Zabriskie | ... | ||
| Wesley Snipes | ... | ||
| Kimberly Scott | ... |
Alice
|
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See more »
Storyline
An oft overlooked film about struggling to deal with paralysis. Author Joel Garcia breaks his neck while hiking, and finds himself in a rehab center with Raymond, an exaggerating ladies man, and Bloss, a racist biker. Considerable tension builds as each character tries to deal with his new found handicap and the problems that go with it, especially Joel, whose lover Anna is having as difficult a time as he is. As Raymond reveals a dream about dancing on the surface of a lake to stay afloat, it becomes apparent that each of them must find his own Waterdance to survive his tragedy. Written by Michael Silva <silvamd@cleo.bc.edu>
Plot Keywords:
handicap | handicap sex | full frontal male nudity | female rear nudity | wheelchair |Taglines:
Sometimes, life happens by accident. See more »Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
13 May 1992 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Horos se taragmena nera See more »Filming Locations:
Los Angeles, California, USABox Office
Budget:
$2,700,000 (estimated)Gross:
$1,723,319 (USA)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Joel Garcia: A bad, bad, bad, bad, bad movie.
Anna: Well, the dinner was... pretty bad too. Yeah. The whole day kind of sucked, didn't it?
See more »
Written by Patrick Cicero and Maurice Garner
Performed by 'Rhyme Over Matter'
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Twenty years after this movie was released, Helen Hunt again played a married woman involved in an extramarital sexual relationship with a paralyzed man in The Sessions. See more »Quotes
Anna: Come on, I had a good time. Really. We saw a movie!Joel Garcia: A bad, bad, bad, bad, bad movie.
Anna: Well, the dinner was... pretty bad too. Yeah. The whole day kind of sucked, didn't it?
See more »
Soundtracks
"The Connection"Written by Patrick Cicero and Maurice Garner
Performed by 'Rhyme Over Matter'
See more »
As a disabled person myself, I have seen firsthand the drama told in this movie. A rehab hospital is its own private world, a world where people are transformed and adapt to a new reality. The Waterdance comes as close as possible to capturing that world and relating it in terms that the general public can understand.
The central character is an author who was paralyzed in an auto accident. Along the way, we meet the typically diverse set of characters seen in such wards who have nothing in common except similar disabilities. The similarities are not enough, and an uneasy dynamic between them develops. There is the once dapper ladies' man who is thrown from the hospital into a nursing home, where he attempts suicide. There is the man who is lucky enough to have a supportive family. There is the once tough guy who wants to get even with a suit using a lawyer gotten off a TV ad. A social order develops with its own shifting loyalties and rules.
Through it all is Joel Garcia, going through his own changes and his own Hell. He seems to adapt easily, but he falls into traps along the way. The free drugs dull his senses. He doesn't know how he will cope with his life. Most of all, he and his lover (Helen Hunt), who is married to another man, must decide whether they will stay together as they had planned.
The Waterdance is one of a handful of films that deals honestly and wisely with the issues of disability. Like them (Coming Home, The Best Years of Their Lives), it may appear depressing at first, but it also highlights how strong people can be when faced with life's greatest challenge.
I just can't understand why he gave up Helen Hunt! I wouldn't have.