The Butcher's Wife (1991)

A clairvoyant thinks she's met her husband to be because she's seen him in her dreams. They marry quickly, and return to the husband's ("the butcher"), home in the city. She has a big ... See full summary »

Director:

Terry Hughes

Writers:

Ezra Litwak, Marjorie Schwartz Nielsen (as Marjorie Schwartz)

Stars:

Demi Moore, Jeff Daniels, George Dzundza

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Demi Moore	...	Marina Lemke
Jeff Daniels	...	Dr. Alex Tremor
George Dzundza	...	Leo Lemke
Mary Steenburgen	...	Stella Keefover
Frances McDormand	...	Grace
Margaret Colin	...	Robyn Graves
Max Perlich	...	Eugene
Miriam Margolyes	...	Gina
Helen Hanft	...	Molly
Christopher Durang	...	Mr. Liddle
Luis Avalos	...	Luis
Charles Pierce	...	Beau
Elizabeth Lawrence	...	Grammy D'Arbo
Stephanie Laurence	...	Choir Student
Barry Neikrug	...	Bicyclist

Storyline

A clairvoyant thinks she's met her husband to be because she's seen him in her dreams. They marry quickly, and return to the husband's ("the butcher"), home in the city. She has a big impact on everyone she meets by anticipating their questions and actions and advising them on their love life. Her interference then brings her into contact with the real man of her dreams.

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Plot Keywords:

female bare feet | camera shot of feet | barefoot | psychic | lighthouse | 

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Taglines:

It's not about meat, it's about magic.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

¡Qué linda adivina!

Filming Locations:

Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,442,229, 27 October 1991, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$9,689,816

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of the book that Leo Lemke (George Dzundza) read was "The Complete Book of Spells, Ceremonies & Magic". This is a real life publication and was written by Migene González-Wippler.

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Goofs

The opening and closing scenes supposedly show Marina in her Ocracoke (NC) home, but the tall, diamond-patterned lighthouse actually stands at Cape Lookout, about 45 miles down the coast from Ocracoke. Ocracoke has its own, much-photographed lighthouse, a shorter, white tower.

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Quotes

Marina Lemke: I'll be the one who's gonna decide who my husband should marry!

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Connections

Referenced in The Bad Boys of Saturday Night Live (1998)

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Soundtracks

Ave Maria
(uncredited)
Written by Franz Schubert
Performed by Student Church Choir

User Reviews

Sweet, but predictable

Demi Moore (with a blonde do) plays Marina, a clairvoyant who marries a New York butcher believing him to be the man of her dreams. Once she gets to New York she finds out that while her powers seem to be accurate when she advises other people, she may not have made the right choices for herself...

I was forced to watch this movie by my girlfriend and found myself pleasantly surprised. It's no classic, but is a sweet, enjoyable film (though it's fairly easy to spot how things will work out early on).

Over here in the UK the film received a "15" certificate, presumably for the one instance of strong language that actually jars with the rest of the film, and possibly for the lesbian character/s (though they barely touch each other on screen).

I sympathised with most of the characters, especially Mary Steenburgen's would-be singer (she has a surprisingly good voice, by the way). Marina's complete accuracy when it comes to predictions that don't involve her is a little far-fetched, especially when she gets her own life in such a mess.

Worth a look if you like low-key romantic comedies with a slightly magical twist (not a large genre!), or if you liked "Simply Irresistible" (1999) with Sarah Michelle Gellar. Not really one for most guys, though.