Author! Author! (1982)

While facing the stress of his play being produced on Broadway, a playwright deals with having to raise his son, his stepdaughters, and his stepsons.

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

Israel Horovitz

Stars:

Al Pacino, Dyan Cannon, Tuesday Weld

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Ivan Travalian
Dyan Cannon	...	Alice Detroit
Tuesday Weld	...	Gloria Travalian
Bob Dishy	...	Morris Finestein
Bob Elliott	...	Patrick Dicker
Ray Goulding	...	Jackie Dicker
Eric Gurry	...	Igor
Elva Josephson	...	Bonnie (as Elva Leff)
B.J. Barie	...	Spike
Ari Meyers	...	Debbie
Benjamin H. Carlin	...	Geraldo
Alan King	...	Kreplich
Ken Sylk	...	Roger Slessinger
James Tolkan	...	Lt. Glass
Tony Munafo	...	Officer Kapinsky

Storyline

Playwright Travalian feels pulled limb from limb these days. He has a Broadway play in rehearsal and they want rewrites. His tramp wife is leaving him, leaving him as well with four children from her previous marriages plus his own son. And his lead actress wants to move in with him but isn't used to kids.

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Plot Keywords:

playwright | punctuation in title | electronic music score | new york city | manhattan new york city | 

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Taglines:

They share the laughter, the love, the frustration... and the bathroom.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Avec les compliments de l'auteur

Filming Locations:

Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,279,260, 20 June 1982, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$13,111,101

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to 'The New York Times', "The impetus for Author! Author! (1982) came out of a discussion the writer [Israel Horovitz] had with his three children".

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Goofs

In the theater scene immediately following meeting with Alice, Ivan sports an entirely new hair do. The play's director acknowledges it. Then the very next scene has Ivan exiting the subway station with his old hair do.

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Quotes

Ivan: Okay, Gloria!
[picking up a table]
Ivan: Sit down or I'm gonna hit you with this chair!
Gloria Travalian: That's a table.

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Alternate Versions

The 2005 Region 2 DVD, and the 2007 Region 1 DVD, which were both released by Fox Video, contains the following changes: Alternate opening title credits (white titles over black background). No title credit to both the song 'Coming Home To You' and the song's vocalist and writers (Michael Franks, Alan and Marilyn Bergman). Johnny Mandel credited as the film's composer. Film ending with Ivan and the kids at the newstand. Previous video releases by 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video, and Fox Video contains the opening credits in white text playing over the NYC skyline backdrop to the set in the playhouse, a title credit to both the song Coming Home To You, and its vocalist and writers (Michael Franks, Alan and Marilyn Bergman), David Grusin credited as the film's composer, and the film ending with the kids celebrating Ivan's success by pouring champagne and cake on him while he is in bed. David Grusin was hired to rescore Johnny Mandel's original score. David Grusin's score is heard in the final film.

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Connections

Referenced in Frasier: Author, Author (1994)

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Soundtracks

Comin' Home To You
Music by Dave Grusin
Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Performed by Michael Franks

User Reviews

Well, at least now we know what happened to Eddie Murphy's Career!

Apparently, many movie-goers were unhappy with this production featuring Al Pacino as a father, step-father, and foster-father to 5 children, only two of which he sired. Most actors stretch their wings and experiment with different roles throughout their career. Johnny Depp has been a religious experimental actor, seeking his niche, trying on new (and widely versatile) characters until he earned his stardom with the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Here, Pacino has spread his wings and, some have said, fell flat on his face. I must disagree. He plays comedy/drama quite well. This work features some dynamic elements, which helped support his role, namely the beautiful performances by the (then) child actors.

This is, by all accounts, a feel-good family movie, complete with fairy tale ending, but the path to that magical ending is strewn with pit-falls, stumbling blocks, and other problems. It is far from realistic, but does not break the contract wherein we, the audience, agree to suspend belief and attempt to subscribe to the premise.

Although I can't say this is one of my favorites, I do enjoy this work, and have found that Pacino is quite aptly cast herein. This work does, however, explain by what template Eddie Murphy seemingly molded his failing career. As one can tell by the reviews, action star/comedian cum family man doesn't play well with the fan boys.

It rates a 7.3/10 from...

the Fiend :.