IMDb > Short Cuts (1993)
Short Cuts
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Short Cuts (1993) More at IMDbPro »

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Short Cuts (1993) -- The everyday lives of a number of Los Angeles residents are the subject of this loosely-knitted collection of short stories.
Short Cuts (1993) -- The everyday lives of a number of Los Angeles residents are the subject of this loosely-knitted collection of short stories.

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   17,395 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Raymond Carver (writings)
Robert Altman (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Short Cuts on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 October 1993 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
From two American masters comes a movie like no other
Plot:
The everyday lives of a number of Los Angeles residents are the subject of this loosely-knitted collection of short stories. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 13 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(54 articles)
The Girlfriend Experience
 (From Pure Movies. 27 November 2009, 9:12 AM, PST)

Crashville: The Risky Route To Oscar Glory
 (From SoundOnSight. 6 November 2009, 10:00 PM, PST)

User Comments:
This then, is a rare gem: A Hollywood movie of artistic enormity. more (113 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Andie MacDowell ... Ann Finnigan

Bruce Davison ... Howard Finnigan

Jack Lemmon ... Paul Finnigan
Zane Cassidy ... Casey Finnigan

Julianne Moore ... Marian Wyman
Matthew Modine ... Dr. Ralph Wyman

Anne Archer ... Claire Kane

Fred Ward ... Stuart Kane

Jennifer Jason Leigh ... Lois Kaiser

Chris Penn ... Jerry Kaiser
Joseph C. Hopkins ... Joe Kaiser
Josette Maccario ... Josette Kaiser
Lili Taylor ... Honey Bush

Robert Downey Jr. ... Bill Bush

Madeleine Stowe ... Sherri Shepard
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for graphic sexual language, and for nudity
Runtime:
187 min | Argentina:190 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Madeleine Stowe turned down the part later taken by 'Julianne Moore'. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Doreen hits Casey with her car it is obvious that she doesn't even come close to him (he's at least 10 feet away when he falls). more
Quotes:
Lois Kaiser: Don't you want me to lick your balls for you? more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Magnolia (1999) more
Soundtrack:
I'm Gonna Go Fishin more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
38 out of 47 people found the following comment useful.
This then, is a rare gem: A Hollywood movie of artistic enormity., 6 March 1999
Author: Scorsese-2 from Little Italy

After watching this film one thing I was left with was a feeling of tremendous euphoria, a glowing feeling which lasted well into the next morning. I could not help but think that this collage of events in the lives of 22 people in sunny LA was realism. Not the harsh gritty realism of 'Taxi Driver', but a different realism. This movie is who we are, as people. This movie chronicles the emotions we may have when confronted with a persistent crank caller, or the lingering suspicion of a partner's affair. And the acerbic intelligence of the script is tempered with director Altman's stunning technical virtuosity.

The style is very pastiche, and one scene cuts to another, as the title suggests, with reckless abandon. This lends a very fresh and watchable quality to what is by any standards a long film. While most of the characters never meet, the movie is given shape by the connections between scenes. The connections are of two kinds: thematic connections for which the credit goes to the script, and also visual connections whereby the direction and editing employed by Altman allow him to create recurring imagery with which he weaves the sprawling, kicking constituent bits and pieces of this movie together. This style works very well indeed and at the end of the film, miraculously you are left not with the impression of having just watched a series of 'short cuts', but something entirely more holistic in nature.

There was not a false note in the acting and the star-studded cast did great justice to a remarkable script. The casting is flawless, from Tim Robbins' adulterous cop to Julianne Moore's adulterous painter. The camera-work is refreshing in its fluidity and control, transmitting an intense watchability. However many feelings there are in the human emotional vocabulary (and I am sure there are a fair few), it seems that 'Short Cuts' is somehow able, in the course of three hours, to display (in the actors) and evoke (in the audience), each and every one of them. For those who are of the belief that modern Hollywood is unable to produce films of artistic merit, watch this movie now or hold your peace forever.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Short Cuts (1993)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
What's with the nudity in this one? Artistic or horny director? yaniv_ilanotv2
what happened to Chris Penn? wgviper13
Jack Lemmon and The Egg Trick? neotruelove
Anne Archer skylab23
The ultimate anti-climax jimster22
Jindabyne tobyrclark
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