Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993)

Two lonely, retired septuagenarians, an unkempt, hard-drinking Irish sea captain, and a fussy, well-mannered Cuban barber form an uneasy friendship.

Director:

Randa Haines

Writer:

Steve Conrad

Stars:

Robert Duvall, Richard Harris, Shirley MacLaine

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Duvall	...	Walter
Richard Harris	...	Frank
Shirley MacLaine	...	Helen Cooney
Sandra Bullock	...	Elaine
Micole Mercurio	...	Bernice
Marty Belafsky	...	Ned Ryan
Harold Bergman	...	Sleeper
Piper Laurie	...	Georgia
Ed Amatrudo	...	Henry's Dad
Jag Davies	...	Henry
Rudolph X. Herrera	...	Umpire
Persephone Felder	...	Woman in Stands
Stephen G. Anthony	...	Leo Peetes
Greg Paul Meyers	...	Sid Showenstein
Aquilla Owens	...	First Girl in Park

Storyline

Frank, a retired Irish seaman, and Walter, a retired Cuban barber, are two lonely old men trapped in the emptiness of their own lives. When they meet in a park Frank is able to start a conversation after several attempts. They begin to spend time together and become friends. But because of their different characters they often quarrel with each other and finally seperate after Frank misbehaves to Walter's friend Elaine.

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Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | f rated | barber | septuagenarian | park | 

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Taglines:

...and other lies your friends let you get away with.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brydekamp med Hemingway

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Beach, Oxnard, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,871, 19 December 1993

Gross USA:

$278,720

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$278,720

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film cast includes three Oscar winners: Robert Duvall, Sandra Bullock, and Shirley MacLaine; and two Oscar nominees: Richard Harris and Piper Laurie.

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Goofs

At one of the Little League games, one of the players gets picked off of first base is picked off after taking too big a lead. Leads are prohibited in Little League.

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Quotes

Frank: Take out your pecker and feed the Fish.
Walter: What?
Frank: Pee in the ocean.

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Connections

Features The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992)

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Soundtracks

Lagrimas Negras
Written by Miguel Matamoros
Performed by Barbarito Díez
Courtesy of Discos Top Hits C.A.

User Reviews

Best acting Duvall has done

Even though Duvall's fake, middle class Cuban accent was not right on the money all the time, he portrayed his obsessive/compulsive, retired gentleman character's odd and gentle affectations to the letter and was totally believable and the best thing in this movie, along with Shirley Maclaine in her tough/nice landlady role as Cooney. Duvall played his character Walt as an intensely honorable man raised in the strictest form of old Spanish "gentilhombre" tradition prevalent in pre-Castro Cuba. He left Cuba for America to see the Yankees in the 1958 World Series, and never returned as the Communist revolution occurred at the same time, preventing his return. As he was a true gentleman, when there was such a thing, he was not to be personally insulted or touched in anger by any man or be at all discourteous to women or tolerate such behavior by other men, and any such coarse behavior in his presence was sure to cause an altercation, and perhaps even a physical one. To him, true gentlemen were protectors of the innocence and dignity of women in his well-defined world of gentility and respect.

Harris' sloppy and crude character Frank, who was achingly lonely but showed good reason for his alone-ness in his selfishness and eccentricity, was sure to aggravate Walt in short order with his cursing and coarse behavior. Harris' role was really not too much of an acting stretch for this famous rounder in real life, but he was still very effective in conveying the angst of loss of a meaningful life and family love.

Their short friendship leading to the inevitable conflict was so touching and sad in its honesty and spot-on emotional accuracy when men of a very different style finally clash and part. The same or similar thing has happened to many of us at one time or another in life, so most viewers will connect with its truth and emotional impact. It was nice to see them reconnect after Frank essentially apologized to Walt in the only way he could, obliquely.

The film had a relaxed and almost "retired" pacing, never boring to me but perfectly in tune with day to day retired living in the Miami area, or anywhere. Three scenes of the men together were particularly memorable for their sensitivity and insight.... the fireworks scene, the haircut/shave scene, and the scene where Frank "apologized" to Walt after their argument and afterward they both danced with little girls in a park. Watch for these scenes as they come up as they are crucial to story development. Just great film-making.

This film was one of the best I have seen in depicting how differing people retire from useful professions and then fade from being productive social contributors into their respective, more or less useless retired ways, with some fighting and struggling the whole way and others accepting their fate with gentleness and realization of the inevitability of life. We are all like these film characters in some ways, or will be, and seeing in the film what awaits us all in an older age was not always a pretty sight, but it was always very engaging and touching. We truly cared for the characters in this film....the primary mark of a successful story.

A wonderful film not to be missed by anyone over 50.