To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (1996)

David loves his wife, Gillian. Unfortunately, she died two years ago. David deals with his grief by continuing his romance with Gillian during walks with her "ghost" on the beach at night. ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Pressman

Writers:

Michael Brady (play), David E. Kelley (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Gallagher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Peter Gallagher	...	David Lewis
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Gillian Lewis
Claire Danes	...	Rachel Lewis
Laurie Fortier	...	Cindy Bayles
Wendy Crewson	...	Kevin Dollof
Bruce Altman	...	Paul Wheeler
Kathy Baker	...	Esther Wheeler
Freddie Prinze Jr.	...	Joey Bost
Rachel Seidman-Lockamy	...	Megan Weeks
Lorielle New	...	Blonde on the Beach (as Lori New)
Danny Crook	...	Lifeguard
Seth Green	...	Danny
Todd Haven	...	Paramedic

Storyline

David loves his wife, Gillian. Unfortunately, she died two years ago. David deals with his grief by continuing his romance with Gillian during walks with her "ghost" on the beach at night. While David lives in the past, other family problems crop up in the present in the real world....

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Plot Keywords:

grief | ghost | beach | teenage girl in thong | denial | 

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Taglines:

You're invited to Gillian's 37th birthday. There will be music in the air...castles in the sand...and someone totally unexpected at the party.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a scene involving strong language, and for some sensuality and teen drinking

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Par amour pour Gillian

Filming Locations:

Brant Point Lighthouse, Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$77,725 (USA) (18 October 1996)

Gross:

$4,137,645 (USA) (13 December 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rastar Pictures, Triumph Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Freddie Prinze Jr.'s feature film debut.

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Quotes

David: [To Rachel] You're drunk!
[To Joey]
David: She's drunk.
Joey: They were big cups.

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Connections

Referenced in Frasier: Sharing Kirby (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Some Kind Of Wonderful"
Written by John Ellison
Performed by Grand Funk Railroad
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from CEMA Special Markets

User Reviews

Not Kelley's best writing

David E. Kelley is a brilliant writer. The early episodes of Picket Fences & Chicago Hope, the later episodes of L.A. Law and just about every Practice & Ally McBeal ever made are examples of his great talent. The only problem he has is trying to convert that TV magic to the big screen. His movie scripts are enjoyable, but lack the energy and excitement of his great TV writing.

To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday deals with a man (Peter Gallagher) who loved his wife so much, he just can't let her go. The wife's ghost seems to appear to him on the beach and he spends hours talking to her while neglecting their teenaged daughter (Claire Danes). The dead wife is Michelle Pfieffer, the best-looking ghost I've ever seen in a movie! The tension between father and daughter grows and the arrival of Gillian's sister (Kathy Baker from Picket Fences) and her husband makes things even more tense.

This movie has a good cast who all give strong performances and there is a memorable scene with Claire Danes and Laurie Fortier in thong bikinis, but the movie is hurt by Kelley's weak script, which is not up to the level of quality we've come to expect from him.