To Sleep with Anger (1990)

A charismatic old acquaintance drifts into town, stirring up trouble for a mild-mannered family.

Director:

Charles Burnett

Writer:

Charles Burnett

Stars:

Danny Glover, Paul Butler, DeVaughn Nixon

7 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Butler	...	Gideon
DeVaughn Nixon	...	Sunny (as Devaughn Walter Nixon)
Mary Alice	...	Suzie
Reina King	...	Rhonda
Cory Curtis	...	Skip
Richard Brooks	...	Babe Brother
Sheryl Lee Ralph	...	Linda
Carl Lumbly	...	Junior
Vonetta McGee	...	Pat
Paula Bellamy	...	Mrs. Baker
Danny Glover	...	Harry
Wonderful Smith	...	Preacher
Ethel Ayler	...	Hattie
DeForest Covan	...	Fred Jenkins (as DeForest Coven)
Sy Richardson	...	Slash

Storyline

Harry Mention, an enigmatic drifter from the South, comes to visit an old acquaintance named Gideon, who now lives in South-Central Los Angeles. Harry's charming, down-home manner hides a malicious penchant for stirring up trouble, and he exerts a strange and powerful eff...

---

Plot Keywords:

national film registry | uninvited guest | middle class | los angeles california | garden | 

---

Taglines:

When Harry comes to town, he brings good times, bad times... And a lot of trouble!

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

film society lincoln center screenings

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dormir con rabia

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,161,135

Company Credits

Production Co:

SVS Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Harry: Ya, but you can't do the shuffle with one leg. You and your wife, in fortunate. Now I'm not talking about you and what you do but some folks that always run to help the victim, deep down are attracted to pain and suffering and love to be near the dying.
Junior: All the people working with us are really doing it 'cause they hate to see suffering.
Harry: You never know what's in the heart and just because you can cry doesn't make you human.

---

Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: Congo/The Glass Shield/Pocahontas/Fluke (1995)

---

Soundtracks

Down Home Blues
Performed by Z.Z. Hill
Written by George Jackson
Courtesy of MALACO Records
Published by Muscle Shoals Sound Pub. BMI

User Reviews

somewhat elusive, but stick with it

One good role for Danny Glover can erase the memory of several 'Lethal Weapon' and 'Predator' sequels, but it took a small, independently produced feature to bring the best out of one of Hollywood's hardest working actors. In this modest comedy Glover plays an enigmatic travelin' man named Harry, arriving unannounced at the home of some old friends and adding a subtle tension to the domestic friction already eroding three generations of family ties. But the trouble with Harry is less what he is than what he represents: the ghost of old traditions lurking in the cultural closet, and for a family already sensitive to portents and omens he might be the embodiment of all their superstitions. Writer director Charles Burnett keeps the viewer on guard with his elusive plot and complex characters, but the film is understated almost to a fault. The metaphors and hidden meanings (better suited to a stage play) help create a portentous mood, but in the end leave a lot unexplained.