Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993)

Director:

Randa Haines

Writer (WGA):

Steve Conrad (written by)

Release Date:

17 December 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

...and other lies your friends let you get away with.

Plot:

Two lonely, retired septuagenarians, an unkempt, hard-drinking Irish sea captain, and a fussy, well-mannered Cuban barber form an uneasy friendship.

Plot Keywords:

Barber | Park | Friendship | Haircut | Old Age

Cast

Robert Duvall	...	Walter
Richard Harris	...	Frank
Shirley MacLaine	...	Helen Cooney
Sandra Bullock	...	Elaine
Micole Mercurio	...	Bernice
Marty Belafsky	...	Ned Ryan
Harold Bergman	...	Sleeper
Piper Laurie	...	Georgia
Ed Amatrudo	...	Henry's Dad
Jag Davies	...	Henry
Rudolph X. Herrera	...	Umpire
Persephone Felder	...	Woman in Stands
Stephen G. Anthony	...	Leo Peetes
Greg Paul Meyers	...	Sid Showenstein
Aquilla Owens	...	First Girl in Park

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Canada:AA | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Beach, Oxnard, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Goofs:

Factual errors: At one of the Little League games, one of the players gets picked off of first base is picked off after taking too big a lead. Leads are prohibited in Little League.

Quotes:

Frank: [to Walter] You've never said hello to a woman. How are you going to say goodbye?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Extended Outlook: The Script (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

LA MUJER DE ANTONIO

one of the best films never seen

The lack of attention this film received is an embarrassment. This is a fantastic film. Simple, elegant and true. Beautifully rendered from all points. In a just world, Duvall and Harris would have shared the Oscar. No other actors that year came anywhere near what these two accomplished. The fact that neither was even nominated is truly shameful.

If you were to ask me what it's about, I guess I'd say that it's about life, death, and rebirth, and all the human stuff that goes with that. Oh yeah, and joy. About how joy can seem like a distant, unreachable memory, when really it can be as close as the next park bench over--if only we have the courage.

If you want to experience a quiet little movie that will move you and reverberate in your memory long after, then seek this one out.