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

The movie was filmed during November and December 1991, and January 1992.

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Goofs

When Sally (Judy Davis) and Jack (Sydney Pollack) are arguing in their living room, one of the crew members can be seen moving in the reflection off the picture glass on the back wall.

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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

Referenced in Dog Eat Dog (2002)

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Soundtracks

What Is This Thing Called Love
(1929)
Written by Cole Porter
Performed by Leo Reisman and His Orchestra (as Leo Reisman & His Orchestra)
Courtesy of Academy Sound & Vision Limited

User Reviews

One of Woody Allen's best comedy/dramas

A married couple, Sally (Judy Davis) and Jack (Sydney Pollack), tell their best friends--another married couple named Gabe (Woody Allen) and Judy (Mia Farrow)--that they are separating. This news throws Gabe and Judy into a tailspin. It makes them reexamine their own marriage and find it lacking. Meanwhile Sally starts seeing a handsome, romantic man (Liam Neeson) and Jack is living with a girl at least 30 years his junior. This film follows what happens to them over the course of a year.

A fascinating film. I'm not married (or even straight) but I don't think that matters--this is about love, sex and relationships and has dialogue and situations that anyone can relate to. Allen's script is right on target--the insights are just incredible, and we slowly begin to see exactly how all of the four main characters really are. During the film they are all interviewed by a never seen person--these interviews really help the story and reveals how everybody feels about the others. It pulls everything together.

The acting is almost all great. Allen and Farrow were living together when this was filmed--when it was released they were in a bitter custody battle. This movie actually provides insight to WHY they broke up--their argument scenes are just a bit too realistic. Davis and Pollack are just superb in their roles. They let you feel their characters pain and confusion--just great acting. Neeseon isn't asked to do much but he is very affecting in his scenes. However Juliette Lewis is terrible as a college student. Her voice is nasal and whiny and her acting is pretty lousy--but it doesn't ruin the film.

I saw this back in 1992 in a theatre and loved it. Twelve years later I STILL love it. A great film. I'm only giving this an 8 though. There are two big faults with this film: the hand-held jittery camera work being the main one. My guess is Allen filmed it this way to make the film more immediate and give it a documentary feel. It works but it IS distracting. Also it gets a little repetitious towards the end. Still this is well worth seeing. Recommended.