Grand Canyon (1991)

The fates of several people are intertwining randomly. Their sympathy of each other faces multiple differences in their lifestyles.

Director:

Lawrence Kasdan

Writers:

Lawrence Kasdan, Meg Kasdan

Stars:

Danny Glover, Kevin Kline, Steve Martin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danny Glover	...	Simon
Kevin Kline	...	Mack
Steve Martin	...	Davis
Mary McDonnell	...	Claire
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Dee
Alfre Woodard	...	Jane
Jeremy Sisto	...	Roberto
Tina Lifford	...	Deborah
Patrick Malone	...	Otis
Randle Mell	...	The Alley Baron
Sarah Trigger	...	Vanessa
Destinee DeWalt	...	Kelley
Candace Mead	...	Claire's Baby
Lauren Mead	...	Claire's Baby (as Loren Mead)
Shaun Baker	...	Rocstar

Storyline

Grand Canyon revolved around six residents from different backgrounds whose lives intertwine in modern-day Los Angeles. At the center of the film is the unlikely friendship of two men from different races and classes brought together when one finds himself in jeopardy in the other's rough neighborhood.

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Plot Keywords:

dream | change of heart | wheelchair | african american | uncle nephew relationship | 

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Taglines:

In the 1980's, director Lawrence Kasdan brought you "The Big Chill". Welcome to the 90's.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the phrases that is uttered by the alley urchin is "Beaufort, South Carolina" which was the major setting for Lawrence Kasdan's earlier movie The Big Chill (1983).

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Goofs

When Mack takes Simon to breakfast, the Venetian blinds are fully closed at the beginning of the scene. Later, they are slightly open and traffic can be seen going by outside.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Davis: You know what your problem is? You're always talking about X. But you're thinking about Y. You gotta learn to talk about Y. Forget about X. X is gonna take care of itself.
Mack: What are you talking about?
Davis: I'm just asking you to hear yourself. Listen to what you're really saying and under what you really saying: control, control, control. When are you gonna realise nothing can be controlled? We live in chaos. It's the central issue in everyone's life. Mack, look around you. Everyone in ...

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Keenen Ivory Wayans/Jimmy Brogan/Siskel & Ebert (1992)

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Soundtracks

She's Leaving Home
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Last line sung, with modified lyrics, by Kevin Kline when Robbie goes to camp

User Reviews

No, it's not a western

A guy takes a shortcut to avoid the traffic after a Lakers basketball game. This leads to a frightening, life-threatening encounter that forces him to deal with life, the universe and everything.

Why do some people choose to do good things while others choose to do bad and terrible things? The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind of the Grand Canyon.

While this movie may not be for everyone, especially if you rent it thinking it's a western, well, it may still be worth viewing.

The haunting music that quietly accents the whole film till the powerful brass anthem variation at the ending credits adds to the overall feel of this movie.

The surgical operation sequence to remove a bullet from a leg was sickening. Obviously, the intention was to show that a bullet wound is more than just a red spot on clothing. The scene where the surgeon works through damaged muscle, tendon and shattered bone to remove a bullet and repair the wound was mercifully edited out of the TV version.

This movie makes a clever reference to another movie, "Sullivan's Travels". Search the database and you will find that this movie was released exactly fifty years before this movie (1941) and has similar themes. Maybe watching this 1941 film may make some sense out of "Grand Canyon" for some viewers.

Unfortunately, just as there are those who actually visited the real Grand Canyon and found it a spectacular, almost spiritual experience, there are those who think the Grand Canyon is just a big hole, the Parthenon is just a pile of rocks and this movie is just a senseless waste of time.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

17 January 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grand Canyon

Filming Locations:

The Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$67,546, 29 December 1991

Gross USA:

$33,243,020

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,991,329

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1