Mr. Wrong (1996)

Director:

Nick Castle

Writers (WGA):

Chris Matheson (written by) &
Kerry Ehrin (written by) ...

Release Date:

16 February 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

He loved her from afar. It wasn't far enough.

Plot:

A single and lonely woman finds the seemingly perfect man to date, but soon regrets it when his deranged and possessive other personality emerges and worst still, she cannot convince anyone else of his Jekyll/Hyde true nature.

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Ellen DeGeneres	...	Martha Alston
Bill Pullman	...	Whitman Crawford
Joan Cusack	...	Inga Gunther
Dean Stockwell	...	Jack Tramonte
Joan Plowright	...	Mrs. Crawford
John Livingston	...	Walter
Robert Goulet	...	Dick Braxton
Ellen Cleghorne	...	Jane
Hope Davis	...	Annie
Brad William Henke	...	Bob (as Brad Henke)
Christine Cattell	...	Nancy Culpepper
Peter White	...	Mr. Alston
Polly Holliday	...	Mrs. Alston
Briant Wells	...	Stuart
Camille Saviola	...	Consuela

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude language, some sex related scenes and drug content.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/12 | UK:12 (video premiere) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mandeville Films

Goofs:

Continuity: The gum can be seen in Martha's hair before Inga puts it there.

Quotes:

Inga Gunther: [about to open a jar of ants] prepare to be consumed, Martha Alston! PREPARE TO BE... oh, God! They're dead. Bob?
Bob: They are?
Inga Gunther: Yes, didn't you feed them?
Bob: i thought you said you wanted them hungry?
Inga Gunther: HUNGRY, Bob! Not DEAD! Now what are we gonna do?
Martha: We could re-schedule, like, you know, next Tuesday is good for me.
Inga Gunther: Dream on, little beauty!

Movie Connections:

References The Karate Kid (1984)

Soundtrack:

IT'S NOT UNUSUAL

Pitch Black Comedy With Numerous Funny Moments

Mr.Wrong has been unfairly reviewed. Designed as a vehicle for the considerable comic talents of Ellen Degeneres, this perhaps wasn't what many people were expected. Okay so its got a glossy sheen and typical 'madcap' comedy music but its tone is much darker than your average comedy.

Ellen plays Martha, a single women who thinks shes found the man of her dreams in Whitman, played with creepy assurance, by Bill Pullman. After making the mistake of telling him to act like himself, it becomes clear that he is completely insane.

He makes her shoplift, sends her endlessly random gifts, steals mexican kids for her and in the most uncomfortable scene of all, in an effort to show her how much he loves her, he breaks his finger for her.

For some people this may sound more like the plot of a thriller and some critics did find the film a little distasteful but for black comedy fans, this is great fun. Degeneres is fantastic as the goofy heroine, providing most of the films laughs.

The random humour of the film is what makes it really funny. Disgruntled ex Joan Cusack's attempts to strike back at Degeneres are great. 'Do you want gum in your hair?', 'Prepare to be consumed by ants!', 'Don't be nice to her! Pull her hair!'

It may not be to everyone's tastes but this is a real comedy gem.