Roommates (1995)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Peter Yates

Writers (WGA):

Max Apple (short story)
Max Apple (story)

Release Date:

3 March 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Some people talk. Some people listen. When you're 107 and going strong, you do whatever you want.

Plot:

An elderly yet young-at-heart man moves in with his grandson, and both their lives turn upside-down.

Plot Keywords:

Orphan | Happy Birthday To You | Deathbed | Grandfather Grandson Relationship | Stubborn Old Man

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Rocky Holzcek
D.B. Sweeney	...	Michael Holzcek
Julianne Moore	...	Beth Holzcek
Ellen Burstyn	...	Judith
Jan Rubes	...	Bolek Krupa
Joyce Reehling	...	Barbara
Ernie Sabella	...	Stash
John Cunningham	...	Burt Shook
Noah Fleiss	...	Michael at age 5
Lisa Davis	...	Betty
Rohn Thomas	...	Kevin
Karl Mackey	...	Milan Postevic
Reverend Zygmund Szarnicki	...	Funeral Priest
L.A. McConnell	...	Bully At Baseball Game (as Chance Marquez)
David Cutter	...	Peanut Vendor

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Australia:PG | UK:12 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Company:

Hollywood Pictures

Trivia:

'Falk, Peter''s makeup to four hours per day to apply and removed.

Quotes:

Rocky Holzcek: Family takes care of Family!

Soundtrack:

MANY RIVERS TO CROSS

A pleasure to watch a real pro in action!

This movie is all about Peter Falk, and what he's capable of when released from his Columbo role. Not that I have anything against Columbo -- it's one of the all-time great cop characters, along with Sgt. Friday and Sipowicz -- but in a police procedural we're mainly interested in what happens next, and any good director keeps that in mind. Here Falk gets to display the breadth and depth of his powers, and keeps us enthralled from the first scene to the last. He was "only" 68 when this film was released, but is convincingly aged during its course from something like 60 up to 107 (yes, really), which is a tribute not only to him but to the formidable makeup department (IMDb lists nine makeup credits). And just because grandfather is such an overpowering character, we shouldn't ignore the fine performances by D.B. Sweeney as his physician-grandson and Julianne Moore as the young social worker. In all, this is a moving story, well made and superbly acted. If you haven't seen it, do.