The Ice Storm (1997)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Ang Lee

Writers:

Rick Moody (novel)
James Schamus (writer)

Release Date:

27 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It was 1973, and the climate was changing.

Plot:

1973, suburban Connecticut: middle class families experimenting with casual sex, drink, etc., find their lives out of control.

Plot Keywords:

Storm | Ice | Thanksgiving | Connecticut | Watergate Scandal

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Kevin Kline	...	Ben Hood
Joan Allen	...	Elena Hood
Sigourney Weaver	...	Janey Carver
Henry Czerny	...	George Clair
Tobey Maguire	...	Paul Hood
Christina Ricci	...	Wendy Hood
Elijah Wood	...	Mikey Carver
Adam Hann-Byrd	...	Sandy Carver
David Krumholtz	...	Francis Davenport
Jamey Sheridan	...	Jim Carver
Kate Burton	...	Dorothy Franklin
William Cain	...	Ted Shackley
Michael Cumpsty	...	Philip Edwards
Maia Danziger	...	Mrs. Gadd
Katie Holmes	...	Libbets Casey

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and drug use, including scenes involving children, and for language.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Iceland:12 | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Greenwich, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

In the novel The Ice Storm, Rick Moody writes "And sometimes Paul himself was Ben Grimm, and sometimes he was Peter Parker, a.k.a. the Spider-Man" Ironically, Tobey Maguire plays both Paul and Peter Parker in the film versions.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Janey Carver smokes Marlboro Lights. This brand wasn't launched until 1977.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Train Conductor: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. This train, originating from New York's Grand Central Station, is back in service. Next stop will be New Canaan, Connecticut. New Canaan, Connecticut next stop.
Paul Hood: [narration] In issue 141 of the Fantastic Four, published in November, 1973, Reed Richards had to use his anti-matter weapon on his own son, who Aannihilus has turn into the Human Atom Bomb. It was a typical predicament for the Fantastic Four, because they weren't like other superheroes...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wonder Boys (2000)

Soundtrack:

Night Lights

disturbing, dark, and brutally honest film, three stars

Ang Lee is a perfectionist, and it shows here in this excellent film about relationships between friends, lovers and families. The attention to detail is second to none, this film is wonderfully crafted, the landscape is filled in every scene with the beauty of nature or the ugliness of the humans that inhabit it. The dysfunctional family is not only observed, it is clinically dissected and placed under a microscope. So many divergent paths these characters take, so many of them the wrong paths, it is hard to look away, because morbid curiosity grips all of us at times. Sigourney Weaver and Joan Allen are both outstanding here and well supported by the rest of this talented cast. Highly recommended.