Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (1999)

An anthology of five loosely connected stories dealing with a variety of very different women in dealing with their own life problems. The first story "This is Dr. Keener" features Glenn ... See full summary »

Director:

Rodrigo García

Writer:

Rodrigo García

Stars:

Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Glenn Close	...	Dr. Elaine Keener (segments "This is Dr. Keener" and "Fantasies about Rebecca")
Cameron Diaz	...	Carol Faber (segment "Love Waits For Kathy")
Calista Flockhart	...	Christine Taylor (segments "Goodnight Lilly, Goodnight Christine" and "This is Dr. Keener")
Kathy Baker	...	Rose (segments "Someone For Rose" and "Fantasies about Rebecca")
Amy Brenneman	...	Detective Kathy Faber (segment "Love Waits For Kathy")
Valeria Golino	...	Lilly (segment "Goodnight Lilly, Goodnight Christine")
Holly Hunter	...	Rebecca Waynon (segment "Fantasies About Rebecca")
Matt Craven	...	Walter (segments "Fantasies About Rebecca" and "Love Waits For Kathy")
Gregory Hines	...	Robert (segment "Fantasies About Rebecca")
Miguel Sandoval	...	Sam (segment "Love Waits For Kathy"
Noah Fleiss	...	Jay (segment "Someone For Rose")
Danny Woodburn	...	Albert (segments "Someone For Rose" and "Love Waits For Kathy")
Penelope Allen	...	Nancy (segment "Fantasies About Rebecca") (as Penny Allen)
Roma Maffia	...	Debbie (segments "Fantasies About Rebecca" and "Love Waits For Kathy")
Mika Boorem	...	June (segments "Love Waits For Kathy" and "Goodnight Lilly, Goodnight Christine")

Storyline

An anthology of five loosely connected stories dealing with a variety of very different women in dealing with their own life problems. The first story "This is Dr. Keener" features Glenn Close as a doctor looking after her invalid mother who comes to realize that her own life is passing her by. The second story "Fantasies About Rebecca" features Holly Hunter as a wealthy bank manager who doesn't realize that her own life is a sham in dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, a workaholic boyfriend, and an observant street woman who knows more about Rebecca than she herself does. The third, "Someone For Rose" features Kathy Baker as a single mother who debates with herself over starting a romance with a dwarf who moves into the house across her street. The fourth, "Goodnight Lilly, Goodnight Christine" features Calista Flockhart as Christine, a tarot reader who struggles with increasing grief and depression while taking care of her lesbian lover Lilly who's dying from cancer. The fifth, "...

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Plot Keywords:

lesbian | pregnancy | depression | loneliness | dwarf | 

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Taglines:

A man only sees what a woman wants him to know.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 2000 (France)

Also Known As:

A nő ötször

Filming Locations:

Lacy Street Production Center - 2630 Lacy Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franchise Pictures, Avnet/Kerner Productions, LTZ II Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A Braille book that Carol Faber reads is "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez who happens to be the father of Rodrigo García, this film's director.

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Quotes

Nancy: What does your husband think about this?
Rebecca: I don't have a husband.
Nancy: Show me your ring finger.
[Rebecca shows Nancy her left hand]
Nancy: Are you a lesbian?

User Reviews

That's what it's all about

The greatest virtue of this movie resides in the close look the camera focuses on stories and characters. Slowly but relentlessly, humorous and cruel at the same time, it allows the time needed for seven wonderful actresses to reveal their most intimate and contradictory feelings, without relying exclusively on the dialogue. Thus, the stories really turn to be things you can tell about these women by just looking (attentively) at them.

And isn't watching carefully what a movie is about?

The result of this very "objective" look is the healthy absence of a moral, a trap writers tend to fall into when dealing with lesbian love, mortal diseases, abortion, loneliness, egotism, discrimination, etc.

It's been labeled by some as a "feminist" film, another often mistaken category into which films with women protagonists fall into. I believe it's far from being such. It should appeal to both sensitive and sensible men and women.