Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)

Dorothy Parker remembers the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table, a circle of friends whose barbed wit, like hers, was fueled by alcohol and flirted with despair.

Director:

Alan Rudolph

Writers:

Alan Rudolph, Randy Sue Coburn

Stars:

Jennifer Jason Leigh, Campbell Scott, Matthew Broderick

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Dorothy Parker
Campbell Scott	...	Robert Benchley
Matthew Broderick	...	Charles MacArthur
Peter Gallagher	...	Alan Campbell
Jennifer Beals	...	Gertrude Benchley
Andrew McCarthy	...	Eddie Parker
Wallace Shawn	...	Horatio Byrd
Martha Plimpton	...	Jane Grant
Sam Robards	...	Harold Ross
Lili Taylor	...	Edna Ferber
James Le Gros	...	Deems Taylor (as James LeGros)
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Paula Hunt
Nick Cassavetes	...	Robert Sherwood
David Thornton	...	George S. Kaufman
Heather Graham	...	Mary Kennedy Taylor

Storyline

Dorothy Parker remembers the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table, a circle of friends whose barbed wit, like hers, was fueled by alcohol and flirted with despair.

---

Plot Keywords:

alcohol | algonquin round table | loveless marriage | new year's eve | new york city | 

---

Taglines:

At the center of the circle is a woman ahead of her time.

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mrs. Parker and the Round Table

Filming Locations:

Algonquin Hotel - 59 W. 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,144,667 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine Line Features, Mayfair Entertainment, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The founding of the "New Yorker" magazine is a subplot in this movie; Wallace Shawn's father, William, was, for many years, editor-in-chief of the "New Yorker."

---

Quotes

Dorothy Parker: You don't want to turn into the town drunk, Eddie. Not in Manhattan.

---

Connections

Featured in Would You Kindly Direct Me to Hell?: The Infamous Dorothy Parker (1994)

User Reviews

The Dark Side of Fame...

I found this movie totally enjoyable from start to finish. Maybe because Jennifer Jason Leigh is one of the most superb actresses of our time (and of course ignored!!!). Or maybe because I love period pieces with lavish attention to detail in the costumes and production designing. Or maybe because I am always entertained by true stories of humanity. I think in this movie's case, it is all three. This is another portrait of the dark side of fame. Leigh did a wonderful job being Mrs. Dorothy Parker, a 1920s poet and magazine writer who drank (during prohibition New York) and caroused with a large, mouthy group of professionals in the writing and stage business. It's easy for anyone to relate to the lonliness Mrs. Parker feels in this boisterous "circle" of shallow, back-stabbing people. In spite of her gift for smooth, haunting, beautiful poetry (much of it recited in this movie), Mrs. Parker is not happy or fulfilled. Rather she is misunderstood, isolated and self-depreciating. She ends up losing a job over salary disputes, losing her husband to alcohol, and falling deeply and hopelessly in love with the married Charles McArthur (Matthew Broderick), who impregnates and betrays her. Mrs. Parker's only comfort in life is the friendship she has with Bob Benchley (an excellent Campbell Scott). Leigh, speaking with a facinating accent, brings sadness and cynicism to Mrs Parker with perfection.