Husbands and Wives (1992)

When their best friends announce that they're separating, a professor and his wife discover the faults in their own marriage.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Sydney Pollack

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Metropolis	...	TV Scientist
Woody Allen	...	Gabe Roth
Mia Farrow	...	Judy Roth
Sydney Pollack	...	Jack
Judy Davis	...	Sally
Jeffrey Kurland	...	Interviewer / Narrator (voice)
Bruce Jay Friedman	...	Peter Styles
Cristi Conaway	...	Shawn Grainger
Timothy Jerome	...	Paul
Rebecca Glenn	...	Gail
Juliette Lewis	...	Rain
Galaxy Craze	...	Harriet
Lysette Anthony	...	Sam
Benno Schmidt	...	Judy's Ex-Husband
John Doumanian	...	Hamptons' Party Guests

Storyline

When Jack and Sally announce that they're splitting up, this comes as a shock to their best friends Gabe and Judy. Maybe mostly because they also are drifting apart and are now being made aware of it. So while Jack and Sally try to go on and meet new people, the marriage of Gabe and Judy gets more and more strained, and they begin to find themselves being attracted to other people.

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Plot Keywords:

professor | marriage | mockumentary | panties | blackout | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and a scene of sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Maridos y esposas

Filming Locations:

4651 Fieldston Road, Riverdale, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$10,555,619

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions, TriStar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR (Mono)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the TCMDb, Woody Allen's previous film, Shadows and Fog (1991), was "originally scheduled for release in the United Kingdom on October 23, 1992, but was pushed back to 1993, to make way for Allen's controversial Husbands and Wives (1992)."

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Goofs

Camera truck reflection visible on Sally's jeep as she goes to Paul's place.

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Quotes

[first lines]
TV Scientist: [on TV] Einstein was then celebrating, uh, the seventieth birthday anniversary and there was a colloquium given for him. And he said, "God doesn't play dice with the universe".
Gabe: No. He just plays hide-and-seek.

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Connections

Featured in The Freq Show: My Milkshake Duck Scares All the Women from the Yard (2017)

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Soundtracks

The Song Is You
(1932)
Written by Jerome Kern (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics)
Performed by Bernie Leighton

User Reviews

Woody Allen hits the nail on the head, yet again

"Match Point" was the movie that converted me into a Woody Allen-fan. I had literally hated the man's work, but suddenly I found that these movies really spoke to me more than before. I guess you just have to grow older and get a little life experience before you can appreciate Woody Allen's fabulous writing. Lately, I've been catching up on his filmography and was blown away by his immense power of observation. Out of all his classic movies that I've seen in the past couple of days "Husbands And Wives" made the biggest impression so far. This movie is fearless, honest and true. Allen really hits the nail on the head with this one.

Unlike movies like "Crimes And Misdemeanors" or the aforementioned "Match Point" (which are both great) "Husbands And Wives" isn't laden with symbolism and there are no highly philosophical thoughts to be found. The movie is merely depicting the universal truth that it's tough to remain honest and passionate in a marriage. Masterfully Allen shows his struggling characters in all their weaknesses without ever making them unlikeable. These characters falter between loyalty, fear of loneliness and an undeniable desire for passion. Everybody who's ever been in a longtime relationship will be able to identify with these problems, but only the brave ones will be able to admit that to their partner.

That's the beauty of this movie. Allen says what everybody else is either too afraid or too hypocritical or simply unable to. "Husbands And Wives" shows what the fewest people understand: the egoistical side of "love", the way we cling to relationships because we're afraid of being alone, but also the simple fact that sometimes we need to lose something to understand how much we need it. Even when there's still love we can reach a point where we lie and betray the other person, just because sometimes people are confused about their lives and their feelings.

Nobody has voiced our confusion about love and death as accurately as Woody Allen and he's rarely done it better than here. "Husbands And Wives" is recommendable for everyone, especially couples, but be prepared that watching this might lead to uncomfortable discussions. The truth is hardly ever convenient.