Holy Matrimony (1994)

A young Hutterite boy must marry his late brother's wife who comes from outside the community.

Director:

Leonard Nimoy

Writers:

David Weisberg, Douglas Cook

Stars:

Patricia Arquette, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patricia Arquette	...	Havana
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Ezekiel
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Wilhelm
Tate Donovan	...	Peter
John Schuck	...	Markowski
Lois Smith	...	Orna
Courtney B. Vance	...	Cooper
Jeffrey Nordling	...	Link
Richard Riehle	...	Greeson
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Female Officer
Alaine Byrne	...	Bar Woman
Dan Cossolini	...	Bartender
Lori Alan	...	Cleopatra
Jess Schwidde	...	Samuel
Frank Novak	...	Teacher

Storyline

A young couple, Havana & Peter, rob a county fair of its daily receipts and escape to Canada to hide out in the Hutterite community where Peter was raised. While there, they get married to satisfy the conservative elders in the community. Peter hides their loot in a secret hiding place, but then soon dies in a car wreck. His much younger brother Zeke is called upon to replace his brother and marry Havana. Zeke already hates Havana because he believes she is what changed his brother. She begins looking through everything that was Peter's, and Zeke rightly deduces that Peter hid something from her. He finds the money, along with a newspaper article that mentions Peter as the prime suspect in the robbery. Zeke initially uses the cash to trick his bride into doing housework. Later he shows it to the elders, who deem that it should be returned to its rightful owners. Zeke and Havana (who claims innocence of the source of the money) are sent on a quest back to the US to return the money.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | amish | independent film

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Taglines:

The hilariously sexy comedy!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bankrabló a feleségem

Filming Locations:

Great Falls, Montana, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$713,234 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aurora Productions LLC, Hollywood Pictures, Interscope Communications

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

At the hotel, Zeke is told to get a room key. As he tries various doors, we see that they are operated by key cards. When his wife meets him in the lobby, she hands him the room key which is metal and dangling from a keychain, although there would have been no way he could have used that to open the room door.

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Quotes

Ezekiel: I hate being married to you! I hate it! Any man would!
Havana: Then do something about it! Give me my money and I'm outta here! One quick divorce and I'm Havana What-was-her-name!
Ezekiel: Well, it sounds good, but what is it for?
Havana: It is a ticket out of hell!
Ezekiel: No...
Havana: No, you listen!
[pushes Zeke down]
Havana: Let me take the heat on this one! If you tell Uncle Wilhelm that I am a lousy wife, with lousy wifely skills, and an overbearing sexual appetite, he is gonna cut us both a little slack. You give me my money, and I'm ...

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Connections

References The Seven Year Itch (1955)

User Reviews

Really not as bad as everyone says

The film really isn't a bad film- sure it starts off on a bad note, but it does pick up. It is true that the best part about the film is Joseph Gordon-Levitt-- even in his younger days he was still a very believable actor. At first when I heard his accent, I was thinking "Oh no...," but when he's actually on camera for his longer scenes, you suddenly forget that he's as American as anyone, and has no real accent.

Without a doubt, this is a shining moment of young Gordon-Levitt's career (for later standouts, see Forever Lulu, aka Along for the Ride, Sweet Jane, and Manic). Too bad the movie wasn't a little bit better (but it's really not bad).