The Pallbearer (1996)

A young man's life is thrown into a loop when he is asked to be a pallbearer for the funeral of a classmate he doesn't remember, and his old high school crush temporarily returns to town.

Director:

Matt Reeves

Writers:

Jason Katims, Matt Reeves

Stars:

David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Rapaport

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Schwimmer	...	Tom Thompson
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Julie DeMarco
Michael Rapaport	...	Brad Schorr
Toni Collette	...	Cynthia
Carol Kane	...	Tom's Mother
Michael Vartan	...	Scott
Bitty Schram	...	Lauren
Jean De Baer	...	Suzanne DeMarco
Elizabeth Franz	...	Aunt Lucille
Mark Margolis	...	Philip DeMarco
Barbara Hershey	...	Ruth Abernathy
Edoardo Ballerini	...	The Job Interviewer
Matthew Faber	...	Jared
Robin Morse	...	Sylvie
Tony Machine	...	The Undertaker

Storyline

Chaos unfolds as Tom is roped into being a pallbearer (and delivering the eulogy!) by the mother of a recently deceased "friend" from high school that he just can't remember. In the meantime, an unrequited love from high school (NOT the dead guy's girlfriend) reappears in his life.

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Plot Keywords:

mistaken identity | roller coaster | independent film

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Taglines:

Something magical is about to unfold in the most unexpected place.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le porteur

Filming Locations:

Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, The Chess Club

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the music tracks that composer 'Stewart Copeland' wrote for the film, "Bill is Dead", was later remixed for the 1998 video game "Spyro the Dragon", which Stewart also composed. It was used as the music for the Lofty Castle level, where it played at a faster pace and with a few minor differences in instrumentation.

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Goofs

When the mother is making instant coffee, the jar label is turned between shots.

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Quotes

Brad Schorr: Did you have sex with the dead guy's mother?
Tom: Don't make a big deal out of it!
Brad Schorr: Did you tell Scott?

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Soundtracks

"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Virgil Fox
Courtesy of RCA Victor Red Seal,
A Division of BMG Classics

User Reviews

Nice Boy Nightmare

Pallbearer is a story about a guy who has not gained anything in his life and his future does not look promising either. Well, he is healthy and sane but incredibly unfortunate because he has probably been a too kind person: the life he was supposed to be living has slipped through his fingers. Turning now into latter part of his twenties he realizes that he's still a little boy and he should start doing something.

He will have a hopeless crush on a girl, and likewise a widow who has lost his son too will have a hopeless crush on him and that leads into a romance that is both tragic and comical. David Schwimmer makes a good performance as the guy who has to survive from many kinds of embarrassing situations, and Paltrow as the woman will do the standard Paltrow set. Nothing too surprising in the plot but the film is relatively good watching because of some well worked little scenes that faintly resemble Mr. Bean episodes.