Used People (1992)

At her husband's funeral, Pearl (Shirley MacLaine), Jewish mother of two divorced and antagonistic daughters, meets an old Italian friend (Marcello Mastroianni) of her husband, whose advice... See full summary »

Director:

Beeban Kidron

Writers:

Todd Graff (plays), Todd Graff (screenplay)

Stars:

Shirley MacLaine, Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shirley MacLaine	...	Pearl Berman
Bob Dishy	...	Jack
Emma Tammi	...	Young Bibby
Asia Vieira	...	Young Norma
Lee Wallace	...	Uncle Harry
Louis Guss	...	Uncle Normy
Kathy Bates	...	Bibby Berman
Gil Filar	...	Mark
Maia Filar	...	Rhonda
Irving Metzman	...	Uncle Al
Matthew Branton	...	Swee' Pea
David Gow	...	Bill the Jeweler
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Norma
Jessica Tandy	...	Freida
Sylvia Sidney	...	Becky

Storyline

At her husband's funeral, Pearl (Shirley MacLaine), Jewish mother of two divorced and antagonistic daughters, meets an old Italian friend (Marcello Mastroianni) of her husband, whose advice years previously had stopped the husband leaving home. For 23 years he, now a widower, has secretly loved Pearl...

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Plot Keywords:

jewish | funeral | brother in law brother in law relationship | dancer | dancing | 

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Taglines:

A story about love, family and other embarrassments.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for elements of sensuality and language

Details

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Romance otoñal

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$17,957,265

Company Credits

Production Co:

JVC Entertainment Networks, Largo Entertainment

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates previously starred in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991).

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Goofs

During the scene where people are up on their rooftops as they watch TV and see the first manned landing on the moon, the moon is shown above as a full moon. In actuality, the moon was still in its first quarter and looked like a crescent slightly less than a half-moon.

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Connections

References The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)

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Soundtracks

The Sky Fell Down
Performed by Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (as Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra)

User Reviews

Overlooked Hollywood Gem -- MacLaine/Bates are Brilliant!

An all-star cast delivers wonderful performances in this "overlooked treasure" of a comedy drama. The main story deals with a family's loss of their patriarch, who 20 years earlier was prepared to silently exit his family's life because he saw no hope for his marriage to a dominating wife. At the funeral a man enters the picture, insisting on speaking to the widow. He reveals the secret that during that fateful evening 20 years earlier, he had convinced the now deceased husband to save his marriage by "dancing with his wife". The man watched the couple from the street as they danced in their kitchen. He was hopelessly in love with the image of this woman who had just fallen in love again with her husband. Better late than never, he now percistantly builds a relationship and eventually marries the woman.

There are many subplots to the story. One tells of the boy who feels the "presence" of his dead grandfather, and is certain that he is now invincible. This leads to several incidents where the boy tempts fate by putting his life in danger. His mother, herself dealing with the recent death of a younger child, escapes into a fantasy world by dressing up as Marilyn Monroe or "Mrs. Robinson". There is also a sub-plot discussing how elderly view their prospects of growing more dependent on others and eventually dying.

The film's main setting is NYC 1969. There are several beautiful references to the time, i. e. the Moon landing and the Mets winning the World Series. -- You gotta watch this movie carefully in order not to miss a beat, but you will enjoy it. The final scene drives it home. 5 stars for this one!