Irreconcilable Differences (1984)

Alternating between the past and the present, a precocious little girl sues her selfish, career-driven parents for emancipation, surprising them both.

Director:

Charles Shyer

Writers:

Nancy Meyers, Charles Shyer

Stars:

Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, Drew Barrymore

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan O'Neal	...	Albert Brodsky
Shelley Long	...	Lucy Van Patten Brodsky
Drew Barrymore	...	Casey Brodsky
Sam Wanamaker	...	David Kessler
Allen Garfield	...	Phil Hanner
Sharon Stone	...	Blake Chandler
Kim Marriner	...	Reporter
Wendy Gordon	...	Reporter
Ken Gale	...	Reporter
Deborah Cody	...	Reporter
Steven K. Miller	...	Reporter
Annie Meyers-Shyer	...	Little Girl in Crowd
Lauren Hartman	...	Woman on the Street
David Paymer	...	Alan Sluiser
Larry Marko	...	Court Clerk

Storyline

Albert and Lucy fall in love, get married, and have a daughter Casey. Everything is wonderful, until their work distracts Albert and Lucy from each other and Casey. They soon divorce and start fighting. Casey, who spends much time with their Latino maid and childminder, eventually decides to seek legal emancipation from her parents, and to go and live full time with the maid who has been taking care of her. The media pick up the case and have a field day with it, making things worse.

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Plot Keywords:

adultery | divorce | emancipation | little girl | maid | 

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Taglines:

They've Got Everything... including a 10 year old daughter who's suing them for divorce.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Diferencias irreconciliables

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,076,894, 30 September 1984, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$12,414,210

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hemdale, Lantana, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While the movie draws upon the Peter Bogdanovich / Cybill Shepherd / Polly Platt love triangle for its inspiration, as many critics including Roger Ebert have noted, it also draws upon Nora Ephron's "Heartburn" for much of its inspiration, as Platt never wrote a bestselling novel about her husband's affair, but Ephron did.

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Quotes

David Kessler: [singing] This Civil War ain't gonna get me down. I'm taking my act to a brand new town. This belle rings in old Atlanta. I'm gonna find myself a brand new Santa!

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Alternate Versions

NBC edited 5 minutes from this film for its 1987 network television premiere.

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Connections

References The Maltese Falcon (1941)

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Soundtracks

This Belle
Written by Jerry Belson and Harvey Miller,
Performed by Sharon Stone

User Reviews

One of the best movies Ryan ONeil ever made!

I originally saw this movie in 1985 with my kids and of course, we loved it! We were living in India at the time and videos were our only link to American culture. Fortunatley we had a copy (no comment). We probably saw it 30 or 40 times over the years. When Blake starts singing during the scene in the Gone With The Wind take off, Atlanta, I have tears rolling down my cheeks. Later in the film you see the heartbreaking reality of many a child's life growing up in Hollywood. Money aplenty but no quality time with family. The premise is so sad and Drew Barrymore is so poignant - truly showed what a talented kid she was and sadly she seems to have been living very much the same way her character was in the film. Finally, I too, would join in campaign to get this out on DVD! Why hasn't it been released? Could it be the heights to which Sharon Stone rose on the stardom scale? Who knows but if you ever have a chance to see this movie, clear your schedule and sit down and watch it.