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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris O'Donnell, Kathy Bates, producer Jon Avnet and composer Thomas Newman re-teamed in the following year this film was made to join forces in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991).

---

Quotes

Jody: Here's what I thought. We finish dinner and then we have desert, 'kay?
Chris Macauley: Alright.
Jody: And then after that, I take you for a drive, show you around the city.
Chris Macauley: Sure.
Jody: And after that, we come back here. And then, if we still like each other, we make love.

---

Connections

Referenced in Who Do You Think You Are?: Chris O'Donnell (2013)

---

Soundtracks

RAWHIDE
Performed by Frankie Laine
Courtesy of CBS Entertainment
Written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington

User Reviews

Good Drama With Humorous Moments...

I like this film. Jessica Lange is very good as a wife/mom of two sons. She abruptly finds herself a widow after her husband dies in a work related accident. This is a woman who is used to having a partner to help deal with family life & issues & suddenly everything is on her shoulders. She's deep in debt & overwhelmed. (The adorable) Chris O'Donnell is great as the older boy, playing a typical bratty teenager arguing with Lange over choices & decisions she must now make. He's very convincing in a scene with Arliss Howard, later in the film, that shows just how much his mom means to him. Charlie Korsmo is the younger, more agreeable boy. Yet he's filled with many issues, underneath the surface, dealing with his dad's death & their relocation to Baltimore. He takes to a new buddy's home life because he misses the conventional family he was used to, much to Lange's dismay as she tries desperately to keep her family together. Joan Cusack plays a quirky, domineering neighbor & "older woman" interested in O'Donnell. A leaner than usual Kathy Bates (almost unrecognizable because she's all farpitzed with makeup, trendy clothes & hairstyle) plays Lange's bitchy, bitter boss when she must now enter the workplace. Arliss Howard is also on hand as a love interest for Lange. Not that much emphasis is placed on their relationship because the main focus of the film is on Lange & her son's. Now for that title. IMO it can be taken two ways, as a plea or a statement. "Men Don't Leave" because you're family needs you, or "Men Don't Leave" a family's mind's & hearts after they've gone.

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