Stella (1990)

Chronicling a strong, but eccentric woman's devoted relationship to her daughter through the years.

Director:

John Erman

Writers:

Olive Higgins Prouty (novel), Robert Getchell (screenplay)

Stars:

Bette Midler, John Goodman, Trini Alvarado

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bette Midler	...	Stella Claire
John Goodman	...	Ed Munn
Trini Alvarado	...	Jenny Claire
Stephen Collins	...	Stephen Dallas
Marsha Mason	...	Janice Morrison
Eileen Brennan	...	Mrs. Wilkerson
Linda Hart	...	Debbie Whitman
Ben Stiller	...	Jim Uptegrove
William McNamara	...	Pat Robbins
John Bell	...	Bob Morrison
Ashley Peldon	...	Jenny (age 3)
Alisan Porter	...	Jenny (age 8)
Kenneth Kimmins	...	Security Guard
Bob Gerchen	...	Bartender
Willie Rosario	...	Dancing Waiter

Storyline

Stella is determined, courageous, vulgar, unfashionable...and all her daughter has. Through the trials of teenagehood, to the problems of adulthood, Stella will do anything for Jenny...ending in an selfless, unforgettable sacrifice.

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Plot Keywords:

motherhood | sacrificing for one's child | character name as title | forename as title | one word title | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

An early scene in the movie sees Bette Midler giving a pretend strip-tease. Her co-worker at the bar is played by Linda Hart. Three years later the actresses co-starred in the made-for-TV production of Gypsy, with Hart in the role as stripper Miss Mazeppa.

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Goofs

When Ed leaves Stella's in a huff on Christmas Eve, he slams the front door and the wreath falls off. However, when Stella says goodbye to Jenny, the wreath is hanging up again.

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Quotes

Stella Claire: I read them women's magazines, you know? The ones that tell you how to get a better life. They say, "Go in a new direction." I wanna say, "Where's the door? I'll go but where's the goddamn door?"

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Connections

Features Goodbye, Columbus (1969)

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Soundtracks

One More Cheer
Written by Jay Gruska and Paul Gordon
Produced by Arif Mardin
Performed by Bette Midler

User Reviews

The Unconditional Love of A Mom...

After the success of "Beaches", Bette Midler once again wanted to rejuvenate the "woman's picture" genre (some Susan Hayward, Bette Davis, Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, & Barbara Stanwyck films come to mind) with a remake of the Stanwyck film "Stella Dallas". I love this movie, but it does have some flaws, including a TV movie feel. The movie starts off in 1969, & ends in the present, which was 1990. What made sense in the 1937 Stanwyck film doesn't hold up at all in 1990. There is no need for a low-income, single mom to give up her daughter for a "better life" with her affluent doctor father in 1990. Add to that the daughter is almost college age! An unlikable/senseless aspect of Midler's Stella is her stubbornness to not accept financial assistance from her daughter's father. This decision is just plain stupid. He wasn't a jerk, he actually wanted to help her & accept his responsibilities. Even marry her, although all they ever had in common, from the get-go, was sex. How many woman in this situation find themselves with a man this willing to help out??? Midler also adopted an unusual accent for this role which comes & goes. It can be annoying at times. John Goodman has a supporting role that makes me cringe every time he's on screen. All this aside, the birthday party scene & the ending is so heart wrenching, it tears you up. Watch this drama, it's enjoyable despite some imperfections.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stella

Filming Locations:

Boca Raton, Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,311,656, 4 February 1990

Gross USA:

$20,240,128

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,240,128

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1