I'll Do Anything (1994)

Matt Hobbs is a talented but unsuccessful actor. When estranged (and strange) ex-wife Beth dumps their daughter Jeannie on Matt, father and daughter have a lot of adjusting to do. His ... See full summary »

Director:

James L. Brooks

Writer:

James L. Brooks

Stars:

Nick Nolte, Whittni Wright, Albert Brooks

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Nolte	...	Matt Hobbs
Whittni Wright	...	Jeannie Hobbs
Albert Brooks	...	Burke Adler
Julie Kavner	...	Nan Mulhanney
Joely Richardson	...	Cathy Breslow
Tracey Ullman	...	Beth Hobbs
Jeb Brown	...	Male D Person
Joely Fisher	...	Female D Person
Vicki Lewis	...	Millie
Anne Heche	...	Claire
Ian McKellen	...	John Earl McAlpine
Joel Thurm	...	Martin
Angela Alvarado	...	Lucy
Dominik Lukas-Espeleta	...	Ricky
Justina Hardesty	...	Essa

Storyline

Matt Hobbs is a talented but unsuccessful actor. When estranged (and strange) ex-wife Beth dumps their daughter Jeannie on Matt, father and daughter have a lot of adjusting to do. His budding relationship with attractive production assistant Cathy Breslow is made complicated, while the precocious child is overly accustomed to getting her own way. Matt eventually faces the choice of family vs career in a particularly difficult way.

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Plot Keywords:

daughter | actor | father | ex wife | contraction in title | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual language and situations

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 February 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aprendiendo a vivir

Box Office

Budget:

$44,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$10,209,111 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Gracie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The principal dancers in the songs eventually cut from the film included Tony Azito, Hinton Battle, George De La Pena, and Scott Wise.

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Quotes

Matt Hobbs: Washington? Washington, boy, that must have been a big adjustment.
Nan Mulhanney: It wasn't that bad. Both places have a lot in common: Over-privileged people, crazed by their fear of losing their privileges. Alcoholism. Addiction. Betrayal. The near total degradation of what once were grand motives. The same spiritual blood-letting. I kind of do miss the seasons, though.

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Connections

References Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

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Soundtracks

"THE SONG THAT DOESN'T END"
Written by Norman Martin
Performed by Shari Lewis
Courtesy of A&M Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Nick Nolte and THAT KID are terrific!

Although I found the movie a bit frenetic, it seemed to have a ring of truth about how things work in Hollywood (especially the "Would you sleep with him?" scene). Nick Nolte keeps everything going, as usual, with his marvelous acting. Is there any other "big guy" actor who can cry believably (well, maybe Harrison Ford)? He was just terrific, so believable as the father who didn't know what to do with his spoiled brat daughter. And wasn't Whittni Wright amazing? I can only hope that was acting, as I've seen plenty of kids just like her. The supporting cast was terrific. It was hard to pinpoint what there was about this movie that made it not quite so good as it could have been. Perhaps it was that it really was an "in-house" film, one that anyone who has been through what the various characters have could identify with, but perhaps not us out in the hinterlands (coming from Wyoming to Australia, I'm definitely hinterland!). Kudos to actors and director for keeping this film together. With lesser talent, it could have fallen flat on its face.