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IMDbPro

The Secrets with the Family

Original title: Sea of Love
  • 19891989
  • RR
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
42K
YOUR RATING
Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
CrimeDramaMystery
A detective investigating a series of murders becomes involved with a woman who may be the culprit.A detective investigating a series of murders becomes involved with a woman who may be the culprit.A detective investigating a series of murders becomes involved with a woman who may be the culprit.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
42K
YOUR RATING
    • Harold Becker
    • Richard Price
  • Stars
    • Al Pacino
    • Ellen Barkin
    • John Goodman
    • Harold Becker
    • Richard Price
  • Stars
    • Al Pacino
    • Ellen Barkin
    • John Goodman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 137User reviews
    • 49Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Photos158

    Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Al Pacino and Paul Calderon in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, and John Goodman in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, and John Goodman in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Ellen Barkin in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Al Pacino in The Secrets with the Family (1989)
    Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin in The Secrets with the Family (1989)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Al Pacino
    Al Pacino
    • Frank Keller
    Ellen Barkin
    Ellen Barkin
    • Helen
    John Goodman
    John Goodman
    • Sherman
    Michael Rooker
    Michael Rooker
    • Terry
    William Hickey
    William Hickey
    • Frank, Sr.
    Richard Jenkins
    Richard Jenkins
    • Gruber
    Paul Calderon
    Paul Calderon
    • Serafino
    Gene Canfield
    Gene Canfield
    • Struk
    Larry Joshua
    Larry Joshua
    • Dargan
    John Spencer
    John Spencer
    • Lieutenant
    Christine Estabrook
    Christine Estabrook
    • Gina Gallagher
    Barbara Baxley
    Barbara Baxley
    • Miss Allen
    Patricia Barry
    Patricia Barry
    • Older Woman
    Mark Phelan
    Mark Phelan
    • Second Murdered Man
    Michael O'Neill
    Michael O'Neill
    • Raymond Brown
    Michael Fischetti
    • Doorman
    Luis Antonio Ramos
    Luis Antonio Ramos
    • Omar Maldonado
    • (as Luis Ramos)
    Rafael Báez
    • Efram Maldonado
      • Harold Becker
      • Richard Price
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to the DVD documentary, included in the final cut of the film is a scene where Al Pacino's character gets rudely bumped into on 5th Avenue while trying to court Ellen Barkin's character. According to director Harold Becker, this was an unscripted moment caused by a real New Yorker, and not an extra. Pacino incorporates the moment into his performance, and continues without missing a beat.
    • Goofs
      At her first visit to Franck's apartment, Helen goes to the bathroom and returns with a bathrobe on. When they kiss, it can be seen that she wears her panties. A few seconds later, when she drops the bathrobe, she doesn't wear any.
    • Quotes

      Frank Keller Sr.: [a poem by Frank's mother written in 1934 while she was in high school] I live alone within myself, like a hut within the woods; I keep my heart high upon the shelf, barren of other goods; I need another's arms to reach for it, and place it where it belongs. I need another's touch and smile, to fill my hut with songs.

    • Alternate versions
      Several scenes featuring Lorraine Bracco as Al Pacino's wife were cut before release and reinserted for the film television premiere. These additions were all included on the Universal Thrillers VHS edition of the film. They are as follows: 1) Frank sees a suspicious man on the street and calls for back-up from a nearby pay phone. It is revealed that this man is a personal bodyguard for a child at a nearby school. Parts of this scene were included in the original theatrical trailer. 2) The complete scene with Lorraine Bracco in which she pleads with Frank to stop bothering her and her husband. She also reveals that she is pregnant. 3) Frank comes home to his apartment and is surprised by his father, played by William Hickey, who is already in the apartment. His father tells him about an old partner who just passed away.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Sea of Love/True Love/The Big Picture/Shirley Valentine/The Rachel Papers (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Sea of Love
      (End Title Version)

      Performed by Tom Waits

    User reviews137

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    An intense film noir with so many different shades
    Within a kind of light and shadow there's almost a trademark photography for a film noir movie, and "Sea of Love" is a film that takes place in the shadows…

    Al Pacino plays Frank Teller, a self-conscious detective—in search of a serial killer—drawn into a torrid sexual relationship with an attractive young woman he met in a super market when all the good citizens of the city are asleep and the people who are walking around are the ones who are leading the most solitary lives…

    Helen Barkin is just so right for the part… You can believe her when you see her dressed in her red leather jacket and tight jeans… She's a lady of the night, sexy as hell, and a woman who can take care of herself… Between her and Pacino, there were enough attraction that's deep but also there were feelings of vulnerability and suspicion
    helpful•32
    13
    • Nazi_Fighter_David
    • Sep 23, 2008

    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 15, 1989 (United States)
      • United States
      • Canada
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    • Production company
      • Bregman/Baer Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 53 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Stereo

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