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 & 14 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:

marriage | panties | prostitute | nipples | call girl | 

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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 Leonard Maltin, "Woody Allen's headline-making scandal occurred at the time of the film's release."

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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

Referenced in Clerks (1994)

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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

Cave Canem

Any film that affects me emotionally I consider great. But a film that affects me so much that I feel it physically can be called a masterpiece. Narrative does not normally have such power. When a spectator is learning about people who aren't directly connected with you, who are usually not even real, then he/she should realize that these characters are apart from your life and should not matter.

Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives is a film, however, which sets the viewer in the action on screen. He does this with perfect hand-held cameras and jump cuts. The camera work makes you feel like you're right there, and it adds a breakneck speed to the film. This seems like one of the most realistic films ever made.

I have no complaints about this film myself. I would give it a 10/10, but make no mistake: this is a very unpleasant film to watch. I like unpleasant films, but this one is particularly harsh. The situations develop like a fly landing in a Venus fly trap. A character will walk towards a life which he/she believes will bring sweetness and happiness, but the new life quickly engulfs them. And when the film ends, the characters are seen stepping into a different trap: quicksand. No audience member could be naive enough to think that any of the characters are standing in a desirable place when the film closes.

Husbands and Wives is a movie that could cause divorces, and could cause long-term lapses between relationships. If nothing else, it is a film that will make you cringe and squirm.