Mr. Wonderful (1993)

In an attempt to end alimony payments, a working class man tries to set up his ex wife with potential husbands.

Director:

Anthony Minghella

Writers:

Amy Schor Ferris (as Amy Schor), Vicki Polon

Stars:

Matt Dillon, Annabella Sciorra, Mary-Louise Parker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Dillon	...	Gus
Annabella Sciorra	...	Leonora
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Rita
William Hurt	...	Tom
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Dominic
David Barry Gray	...	Pope
Dan Hedaya	...	Harvey
Bruce Kirby	...	Dante
Luis Guzmán	...	Juice
Jessica Harper	...	Funny Face
Joanna Merlin	...	Loretta
Jennifer Alonzi	...	Woman on Train
Frank E. Smurlo Jr.	...	Man on Train
Bruce Altman	...	Mr. Wonderful
Peter Appel	...	Harry

Storyline

Electrician Gus gets the chance to fulfill a childhood dream by buying an old bowling-alley with some of his friends. Unfortunately, due to the alimony payments he has to make to his ex-wife Leonora, the bank refuses to loan him the down payment. Knowing that when she marries again she loses her alimony rights, Gus tries to speed things up by bringing Leonora together with all the potential husbands he can find. Although this approach isn't very successful, it awakens feelings in both of them they didn't know they still had.

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Plot Keywords:

woman wearing bra and panties | brief female frontal nudity | blind date | nurse | subway | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes love is a stranger. And sometimes it's someone you've known all your life.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Con quién caso a mi mujer

Filming Locations:

19 Minetta Street, New York, NY 10012, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,177,311, 17 October 1993

Gross USA:

$3,125,424

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,125,424

Company Credits

Production Co:

Night Life Inc., The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Annabella Sciorra would go on to play James Gandolfini's love interest for 7 episodes on The Sopranos (1999).

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Goofs

As hired public-works servicemen, Gus and his co-worker would have been wearing OSHA-approved safety-goggles when servicing the fuse-bank, since there were such large sparks present.

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Quotes

Leonora: [in disgusted sarcastic response to Gus's complaining that she appears to have "traded down" by divorcing him and hooking up with her current romantic interest whom Gus views as just a high-class dandy and clueless dude who's probably incapable of even simple tasks; Gus opines that the guy "likely doesn't even know how to change a fuse"] Who really cares whether or not you can change a fuse, if the WIRES aren't even HOOKED UP INSIDE YOUR HEAD?

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Connections

References The Geraldo Rivera Show (1987)

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Soundtracks

Mr. Wonderful
Music by Jerry Bock & George David Weiss
Lyrics by George David Weiss & Lawrence Holofcener
Published by Abilene Music, lley Music Corp.
Jerry Bock Enterprises, Quartet Music, Inc.
Range Road Music, Inc. and Trio Muci Co. Inc.

User Reviews

A light romantic film!

Okay so this is not Oscar material, but it is a sweet film just the same. I count this as one of my favorite movies, although let me state I have about 1,000 favorites! Coming from an Italian family I feel like I know these characters so well- Matt Dillon is adorable and very believable as Gus, the guy who needs to stop paying alimony to his ex-wife Lee so he can go into a business opportunity with his friends. Gus realizes the only thing to do is find Lee a new husband...a Mr. Wonderful! This of course leads to some very funny situations- The supporting cast is also great with Vincent Dinofrio (Law & Order-Criminal Intent)in one of his early roles. A terrific romantic comedy!