Barcelona (1994)

Ted, a stuffy white guy from Illinois working in sales for the Barcelona office of a US corporation, is paid an unexpected visit by his somewhat less stuffy cousin Fred, who is an officer ... See full summary »

Director:

Whit Stillman

Writer:

Whit Stillman

Stars:

Taylor Nichols, Chris Eigeman, Tushka Bergen

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Taylor Nichols	...	Ted Boynton
Chris Eigeman	...	Fred Boynton
Tushka Bergen	...	Montserrat Raventos
Mira Sorvino	...	Marta Ferrer
Pep Munné	...	Ramone
Hellena Taylor	...	Greta (as Hellena Schmied)
Núria Badia	...	Aurora Boval
Thomas Gibson	...	Dickie Taylor
Jack Gilpin	...	The Consul
Pere Ponce	...	Young Doctor
Laura López	...	Nuria - Ted's Assistant
Francis Creighton	...	Frank Robinson
Edmon Roch	...	Javier
Diana Sassen	...	Woman - 'Shootings in America'
Àngels Bassas	...	Woman - 'Jazz'

Storyline

Ted, a stuffy white guy from Illinois working in sales for the Barcelona office of a US corporation, is paid an unexpected visit by his somewhat less stuffy cousin Fred, who is an officer in the US Navy. Over the next few months, both their lives are irrevocably altered by the events which follow Fred's arrival, events which are the trivial stuff of a comedy of manners at first but which gradually grow increasingly dramatic.

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Plot Keywords:

u.s. navy | marketing | black leather underwear | black leather | underwear | 

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Taglines:

Americans. Anti Americans. In Love

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for drug content and a brief sex scene

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

29 July 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Барселона

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$3,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$7,266,973

Company Credits

Production Co:

Barcelona Films, Castle Rock Entertainment, Fine Line Features

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stanley Kubrick greatly admired this film, calling it "a new way to have talk advance the narrative." He was especially impressed with Thomas Gibson, and cast him in Eyes Wide Shut (1999) without an audition on the basis of his performance here.

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Goofs

When Fred and Ted are driving through Barcelona early in the film, Ted's driving barely matches the direction the car is moving.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ted Boynton: [voice-over] I couldn't believe Fred would just show up like that. On the other hand, it was absolutely typical.

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Connections

References The Graduate (1967)

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Soundtracks

Pennsylvania 6-5000
Written by Carl Sigman and Jerry Gray
Performed by the Glenn Miller (as the Glenn Miller Band)

User Reviews

The Bible Dancer and the American Deer

This is one of those movies that get better with age. I first saw it ten years ago, when Mira Sorvino was an unknown actress, and I was surprised to learn later that she wasn't really Spanish. (I lived in Spain for five years, so I'm not easily fooled.) If you've been to Barcelona, you'll like the glowing glimpses of the city, sun-drenched during the day, lit by neon and fireworks at night. There is much charming, often subtle, humor in the film. Who could resist Taylor Nichols dancing alone in his dining room while reading the Bible? Or Chris Eigeman using a felt tip pen to change anti-American graffiti from "American pigs" to "American deer"? Sure, the film is talky, but it doesn't take itself too too seriously.