The Morning After (1986)

A washed up, alcoholic actress who is prone to blackouts wakes up next to a murdered man. Did she kill him and, if not, is she in danger?

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

James Cresson (as James Hicks)

Stars:

Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Raul Julia

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Fonda	...	Alex Sternbergen
Jeff Bridges	...	Turner Kendall
Raul Julia	...	Joaquin Manero
Diane Salinger	...	Isabel Harding
Richard Foronjy	...	Sergeant Greenbaum
Geoffrey Scott	...	Bobby Korshack
James 'Gypsy' Haake	...	Frankie
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Red
Don Hood	...	Hurley
Fran Bennett	...	Airline Clerk
Michael Flanagan	...	Airline Supervisor
Bruce Vilanch	...	Bartender
Michael Prince	...	Mr. Harding
Frances Bergen	...	Mrs. Harding
José Angel Santana	...	Driver (as José Santana)

Storyline

Alex Sternberg wakes up with a hangover and no memory of how she ended up in bed with a dead man. She flees, convinced that she has had another blackout and stabbed someone. Her only support, Turner, an ex cop and recovering alcoholic who is unsympathetic to her plight. She could believe that it is as simple as a violent act committed while drunk, except that the body keeps re-appearing.

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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | hitchcockian | three word title | blood | stabbed to death | 

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Taglines:

Last night she drank to forget. Today she woke up to a murder. Is he her last hope or the last man she should trust?

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

25 December 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

A la mañana siguiente

Filming Locations:

Nate Starkman & Son Building - 544 Mateo St, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,069,926, 28 December 1986

Gross USA:

$25,147,055

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$25,147,055

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Filmworks, Lorimar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kathy Bates: As woman neighbor on Mateo Street.

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Goofs

After Turner and Alex sleep together at his home, the newspaper that she's reading jumps from her hands to the tabletop several times between shots.

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Quotes

Alex Sternbergen: I gotta call Jackie, maybe he call help. He's smart, he knows the people that are in charge.
Turner Kendall: In charge of what?
Alex Sternbergen: Everything. The world.
Turner Kendall: He's a hair dresser.
Alex Sternbergen: That's what he does, that's not what he is.

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Connections

Referenced in Adjust Your Tracking (2013)

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Soundtracks

Solo saxophone performed by George Howard

User Reviews

Jane plays a version of Gail Russell

Jane Fonda gives an incredibly nuanced performance as a spiraling down drunkard, she researched the tragic 40's star Gail Russell who drank herself to death at 36 to fully understand her characters plight of a once promising actress reduced to blackouts and infamy. Jeff Bridges is almost as strong as a stranger trying to help her out of a situation she can't even remember. The rest of the cast gives good support starting with Raul Julia on down to a pre-stardom Kathy Bates in a tiny role, the problem is that the script that all this superior work is working with is ill conceived and not terribly well directed by the usually excellent Lumet.