The Thing Called Love (1993)

A group of newcomers to the country music business seek love and stardom.

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writer:

Carol Heikkinen

Stars:

River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis, Dermot Mulroney

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
River Phoenix	...	James Wright
Samantha Mathis	...	Miranda Presley
Dermot Mulroney	...	Kyle Davidson
Sandra Bullock	...	Linda Lue Linden
K.T. Oslin	...	Lucy
Anthony Clark	...	Billy
Webb Wilder	...	Ned
Earl Poole Ball	...	Floyd
Deborah Allen	...	Herself
Jimmie Dale Gilmore	...	Himself
Katy Moffatt	...	Herself
Jo-El Sonnier	...	Himself
Pam Tillis	...	Herself
Kevin Welch	...	Himself
Trisha Yearwood	...	Herself

Storyline

Miranda Presley moves from New York to Nashville to become a song writer. At an unsuccessful audition she meets James Wright a promising newcomer. After only a few days they marry, head over heels, but start to regret it very soon.

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Plot Keywords:

love | nashville tennessee | tennessee | country music | singer | 

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Taglines:

Stand By Your Dream

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

A szerelem nevű dolog

Filming Locations:

Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,029,721 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Davis Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paramount released this movie only in certain regions of the United States. When it did not do well, it was not given a wider national release.

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Goofs

When James and Kyle fight in the parking lot of the Bluebird after Linda Lou wins 4th prize in the Miss Nashville pageant, Kyle falls. Linda Lou is on top of Kyle in one shot, but in the next, she is behind him, squatting down.

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Quotes

[Kyle runs into back of a guy's car and a crowd gathers]
Driver: Didn't you see the stop sign?
Kyle Davidson: That's my song!
Driver: Well, that's my car!
Kyle Davidson: That's my song playing on the radio!
Driver: You wrote that song?
Kyle Davidson: Yeah!
Bystander: You're a better songwriter than you are a driver.
Kyle Davidson: That's my song!
Bystander: That song's all right.
[...]

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Connections

References Gone with the Wind (1939)

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Soundtracks

"BIG DREAM"
Written by Alice Randall and Ralph Murphy
Performed by Samantha Mathis

User Reviews

Samantha Mathis at her best

Not really a story about generation x, although the cast is young and as fresh as it can be for 1992 / 1993. This is the story about youth, music and growing up an Elvis fan. More than that, it is a story about friendship and young love. Kind of like an Elvis movie, without the bad country music. Samantha Mathis gives one of her better performances here as the young girl from NYC who wants to be the next country singer out of Memphis. Much like the rocky career of the later (great) River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis has disappeared. Although she is not dead, like some people, Samantha Mathis fell off the radar screen to be in a number of independent films. Here, she is fun to look at and even more, she is one of the reasons why this movie is still good. Even if you don't like country music, this is worth watching.