I'll Take You There (1999)

A woman forces a man to move forward with his life after his wife dumps him.

Director:

Adrienne Shelly

Writer:

Adrienne Shelly

Stars:

Ally Sheedy, Reg Rogers, Pamela Gray

2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ally Sheedy	...	Bernice
Reg Rogers	...	Bill
Pamela Gray	...	Girlfriend in car
Lara Harris	...	Rose
John Pyper-Ferguson	...	Ray
Alice Drummond	...	Stella
Alan North	...	Max
Adrienne Shelly	...	Lucy
Ben Vereen	...	Mr. Gwin
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Emerson	...	Tom
Stephen Gevedon	...	Chris
Andrew Hollander	...	Bartender
Motoki Kobayashi
Lawrence Nathanson	...	Eddie
Justin Pierce

Storyline

A woman forces a man to move forward with his life after his wife dumps him.

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Plot Keywords:

punctuation in title | apostrophe in title | new york city | contraction in title | real estate | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elviszlek, ha kéred

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Partners, Stark Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alan North's last film.

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Goofs

Bernice's cigarette keeps changing length while she is talking to Ray at the Kitchen table.

User Reviews

A bit bizarre, but buoyant and brilliant.

In many respects, this is the "Shallow Hal" film for the more mature and cultivated. The main character is a shmutzy looser whose ex-promqueen wife has dumped him unceremoniously for his self-absorbed best friend, and he is obsessed with winning her back. Then his sister, in a misguided attempt to cheer him up, sets him up with the date from hell. This character is exquisitely portrayed by Ally Sheedy, who explodes into his life like an atom bomb. She is repulsive, assertive, controlling and demanding, to give her the benefit of the doubt, and clings to him like a cheap suit of clothes. But this is not a melodrama, and the characters develop and evolve from the absurd to the sublime.

Unlike the more garish "Shallow Hal," which does ask us to consider the less superficial aspects of the meaning and purpose of a relationship, but with stereotypes painted "rather broadly" so to speak, this one approaches the subject with a sharply pointed pencil and a fine-toothed comb. In both films the guy is a dufus who learns to become a mensch. But the girl in this one has a rather paradoxical kind of beauty to her personality that was always there. She becomes likeable precisely because we know that she is different, and not in spite of that fact. Otherwise, it is a splendid fantasy and romance, not to be taken too seriously. We can believe that something like this could happen long enough to enjoy the wonderful story.