Stealing Home (1988)

Billy Wyatt is a washed-up baseball player who is called back home to handle the ashes of his childhood sweetheart/first love who had committed suicide. As he searches for what to do with ... See full summary »

Directors:

Steven Kampmann, William Porter (as Will Aldis)

Writers:

Steven Kampmann, William Porter (as Will Aldis)

Stars:

Mark Harmon, Jodie Foster, Blair Brown

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Harmon	...	Billy Wyatt
Blair Brown	...	Ginny Wyatt
Jonathan Silverman	...	Teenage Alan Appleby
Harold Ramis	...	Alan Appleby
William McNamara	...	Teenage Billy Wyatt
Richard Jenkins	...	Hank Chandler
John Shea	...	Sam Wyatt
Jodie Foster	...	Katie Chandler
Christine Jones	...	Grace Chandler
Beth Broderick	...	Lesley
Jane Brucker	...	Sheryl
Ted Ross	...	Bud Scott
Thacher Goodwin	...	Young Billy Wyatt
Yvette Croskey	...	Young Robin Parks
Ollie Davidson	...	Robin Parks

Storyline

Billy Wyatt is a washed-up baseball player who is called back home to handle the ashes of his childhood sweetheart/first love who had committed suicide. As he searches for what to do with them, he remembers the past and the relationship they had. In doing so he finds himself again.

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Plot Keywords:

ex baseball player | returning home | sex | death of ex girlfriend | suicide of ex gurlfruend | 

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Taglines:

Stealing hearts, stealing laughs, stealing memories

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

A young Jodie Foster had several scenes with David Janssen in Smile Jenny, You're Dead (1974), the TV pilot for Janssen's last series, Harry O (1973). Here, David Janssen's widow Dani Crayne has a bit part at the beginning of the movie.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the movie, when Katie and Billy jump into grandmother's pool, they approach the pool from the narrow, short side. Later in the movie, when Billy returns to the pool, he makes the same approach, but the pool has flipped a quarter of a turn. He is now looking at the wide side of the pool.

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Quotes

Teenage Alan Appleby: You had sex with my prom date.

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Connections

Referenced in Parker Lewis Can't Lose: Rent-A-Kube (1990)

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Soundtracks

Theme From Ernie
Written by Fred Lacey

User Reviews

Bravo! (spoilers)

This was a surprisingly good late romantic drama, although given the potential cast, I should've expected good things in the first place. It is a nice little love story, an inspiring one, I suppose, that comes from a story with sad circumstances.

Filmed in Pennsylvania is the story of Billy Wyatt (Mark Harmon), a washed up minor league ballplayer living in some rundown town out West. He gets a call from his mother that a close childhood friend (Kate Chandler played by Jodi Foster) of his committed suicide the previous week and left in her will that he was to be responsible for her cremated remains. Wyatt is understandably reluctant to fulfill the obligation in part because he can't understand why he was the one she left her remains to, and he doesn't want to deal with the loss of a friend. So, the story is told in flashback as Wyatt travels home to deal with the situation and the loss of the slightly flaky, but daring girl he was once in love with.

William MacNamara (hubba! hubba!) is great as young Billy Wyatt, although everyone does a fine job. Jonathan Silverman, as teen Wyatt's best friend Appleby, plays his typical eager virgin role common to many of his mid/late 80s material, and adds a nice comic touch (and Harold Ramis continues the charm as the older Appleby). If you enjoy this cast, you should likely be pleased with the film. It's quite a wonderful, underrated drama, and was one of the few movies that I have rented recently and watched more than once.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 August 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Den största kärleken

Filming Locations:

6053 Ridge Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,346,864, 28 August 1988

Gross USA:

$7,467,504

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,467,504

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mount Company, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1