Men Don't Leave (1990)

A mother of two sons finds life considerably difficult on her own after the death of her beloved husband. Due to debt she must move them to Baltimore, and deal with the hardships and all ... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Brickman

Writers:

Barbara Benedek (screen story), Barbara Benedek (screenplay)

Stars:

Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Arliss Howard

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Lange	...	Beth Macauley
Arliss Howard	...	Charles Simon
Joan Cusack	...	Jody
Chris O'Donnell	...	Chris Macauley
Kathy Bates	...	Lisa Coleman
Tom Mason	...	John Macauley
Charlie Korsmo	...	Matt Macauley
Belita Moreno	...	Mrs. Buckley
Jim Haynie	...	Mr. Buckley
Corey Carrier	...	Winston Buckley
Shannon Moffett	...	Dale Buckley
Kevin Corrigan	...	Mike
David Cale	...	Fred
Constance Shulman	...	Carly
Mark Hardwick	...	Ian

Storyline

A mother of two sons finds life considerably difficult on her own after the death of her beloved husband. Due to debt she must move them to Baltimore, and deal with the hardships and all that comes with the city life.

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Plot Keywords:

apartment | musician | nurse | starting over | baltimore maryland | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filming of this movie took place from July to September 1988. It was supposed to be released in 1989, but due to production delays, it was pushed back to early 1990.

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Quotes

Beth Macauley: You know what, Chris, you can be a real little shit sometimes.
Chris Macauley: Can I say that now?
Beth Macauley: Yes.
Chris Macauley: I'm going to.
Beth Macauley: Fine.
Chris Macauley: And I feel like it.
Beth Macauley: Be my guest.
Chris Macauley: Shit.
Beth Macauley: Oh... You feel better now?
Chris Macauley: Shit.
[...]

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Connections

References Rawhide (1959)

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Soundtracks

JO MANN GO (POLKA)
Written by James William Sturr Jr.

User Reviews

Drama, romance and comedy, rarely do we see a good mix...

This film is certainly an exception. A remake from the French version "Hot Air Balloon", this film has many noteworthy aspects to it, including the excellent cast of Arliss Howard, Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Lange's troubled son Chris O'Donnell.

Primarily Lange is a widower who has to sell her house and start over. She moves to a small apartment in Baltimore with her two children, who are not happy about it. She eventually finds work (there are some amusing scenes) for a catering company, owned by Kathy Bates (always a memorable character, in this case the tyrannical boss).

Joan Cusack also adds humor to the latter half, having met O'Donnell, she starts dating him, Lange at first over-protective, then gradually becomes friends with Cusack. Cusack, as a therapeutic gesture, takes her on a hot air balloon. A seemingly silly gesture, but a metaphor for starting over. Well-done and never depressing, an excellent film worth viewing. 9/10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Men Don't Leave

Filming Locations:

Plainfield, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$62,419, 4 February 1990

Gross USA:

$6,070,725

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,070,725

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Geffen Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1