Fast Food Fast Women (2000)

How important is the truth when falling in love? Bella is a Manhattan café waitress, about to turn 35, stuck in a long-term affair going nowhere. Paul is a widower, facing old age alone. ... See full summary »

Director:

Amos Kollek

Writer:

Amos Kollek

Stars:

Anna Levine, Jamie Harris, Louise Lasser

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anna Levine	...	Bella (as Anna Thomson)
Jamie Harris	...	Bruno
Louise Lasser	...	Emily
Robert Modica	...	Paul
Lonette McKee	...	Sherry-Lynn
Victor Argo	...	Seymour
Angelica Page	...	Vitka (as Angelica Torn)
Austin Pendleton	...	George
Sandrine Holt	...	Giselle
Valerie Geffner	...	Wanda
Mark Margolis	...	Graham
Judith Roberts	...	Bella's Mother
Lynn Cohen	...	Jesse
Salem Ludwig	...	Leo
Irma St. Paule	...	Mary-Beth (as Irma St. Paul)

Storyline

How important is the truth when falling in love? Bella is a Manhattan café waitress, about to turn 35, stuck in a long-term affair going nowhere. Paul is a widower, facing old age alone. Bella's mother sets her up with Bruno, a novelist/cabbie who likes to bed-hop and whose ex-wife expects their two children to stay with him for awhile. While Bruno learns some maturity from his young daughter, Paul answers a personals ad placed by a "widow, 60." The two couples - along with one of Paul's older pals and a Jungian stripper - sort out how to initiate a relationship these days, what to do when someone you like disappoints you, and when to tell the truth.

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Plot Keywords:

love | waitress | high heels | stuttering | taxi driver | 

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Taglines:

There are 18 million people in New York City, but only one like Bella.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality/nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Lot47 Films [United States]

Country:

USA France Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 September 2000 (France)

Also Known As:

Fast Food, Fast Women

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$17,131 (USA) (18 May 2001)

Gross:

$186,586 (USA) (31 August 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fast Productions LLC, Lumen Films, Orly Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Blame It On The Rain"
Written by John Carbonara
Performed by John Carbonara

User Reviews

Magical Reality in New York

This film ran through the art house circuit so quickly most people missed it, and that's too bad. Now it's finally beginning to show up on cable, and I hope it gets a larger audience. Amos Kollek's other films are also hard to come by in the U.S. -- I know I'D like to see more of them, after having seen this one, but this seems to have the lightest touch, from what I can tell.

Among the many things it has going for it, is the incomparable Anna Thomson (Levine), a character actor I've followed since her days in the rep company of the original Tracy Ullmann Show on Fox television, through her unforgettable role in Clint Eastwood's UNFORGIVEN, to this interesting role of Bela.

Magical Realism is a kind of sub-genre I always enjoy, and when it plays against the gritty, wonderful city of New York (my home town), I sit up and take notice. This is the kind of dark underbelly of one of my favorite (also underappreciated) TV shows, Jay Tarses' "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd." If you knew and liked that, and can do with something darker and more sexually explicit, you'll probably like this.

Bela triumphs, and so do her strange friends, in this pretty unique film, which is slow paced, as slice-of-life character studies are, so be prepared for that. If you tend to criticize films for being "too slow" or not having enough plot, you might not like this, but if you are happy examining characters and living with great dialogue and situations, hang in there. If you like "Smoke" or "Blue in the Face," you'll probably love this.