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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlie Chaplin homage by Steve Martin's character, Davis, with his Chaplin-like waddle at the studio near the end of the film.

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Goofs

After Simon climbs up his stairs with the groceries, two windows can be seen on his apartment. When he sits down at the TTY terminal to chat with his daughter, the windows behind him have louvers on them and do not match the windows on his building.

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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 At the Movies: U-571/Love & Basketball/Joe Gould's Secret/Gossip/Pups (2000)

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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

Screenwriting at it's best...

This highly underrated film is (to me) what good writing in a movie should be all about. Kasdan takes the search for meaning in our lives and lays it out for all to see and wonder at. The movie is about the divides people create to insulate themselves from the violence and hatred and bigotry of everyday life.

Along the way we are asked question after question about life. Davis (Steve Martin with a great beard) asks himself 'Is my making a violent movie (and by extension our enjoyment of it) causing the violence in society?' Claire asks "What kind of world throws away something as precious as a human life?' Mack is not immune as he asks 'Is it possible to pass beyond the bounds of race and (an even harder step) finance? These are of course not quoted from the film, but generalities. Others ask their questions too, and to be honest it raises more than it answers.

But that is the nature of life. We strive all our lives to find answers to questions we will never totally answer, and in certain cases have to make answers fit to our own needs and desires. As humans we thrive on questions we cannot answer. Some answers are real. Claire and Mack come to realize that even though they could take the easy road and let the state take the baby, their finding it placed the responsibility for her life in their hands. Some answers are not. Davis `Sees the Light' and decides not to make violent films, but the next day turns around and dismisses his epiphany as subordinate to his art.

We all seek answers. This movie does not answer them for; it simply reminds you to keep looking for the answers.