River of Grass (1994)

Cozy, a dissatisfied housewife, meets Lee at a bar. A drink turns into a home break-in, and a gun shot sends them on the run together, thinking they've committed murder.

Director:

Kelly Reichardt

Writers:

Jesse Hartman (story), Kelly Reichardt (screenplay)

Stars:

Lisa Donaldson, Larry Fessenden, Dick Russell

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lisa Donaldson	...	Cozy (as Lisa Bowman)
Larry Fessenden	...	Lee Ray Harold
Dick Russell	...	Jimmy Ryder
Stan Kaplan	...	J.C.
Michael Buscemi	...	Doug
Lisa Robb	...	Young Cozy
Tom Laverack	...	Cozy's Lover in Tub
Bert Yaeger	...	Dead Husband
Mary Glenn	...	Woman with Hatchet
Carol Flakes	...	Lee's Grandmother
Frances Reichardt	...	Lee's Mom
George Moore	...	Detective Kirby
Mannie Mack	...	Mr. Humphery
Greg Schroeder	...	Bobby
Kyle Hawkins	...	Cozy's Kid

Storyline

Near the Everglades, the "river of grass," lives Cozy (named for her father's favorite drummer), lonely, in a loveless marriage, ignoring her kids. She fantasizes being a dancer, an acrobat, and a gymnast. One night at a bar she meets Lee. He's jobless, homeless, and unbeknownst to Cozy, is in possession of her father's handgun. Dad's a cop and lost the gun chasing a robber. Cozy and Lee climb a fence to swim in a pool. Playing around with the gun, they think they kill the pool's owner, so they go on the lam. An odd partnership develops even though they're short on ideas. But how can they escape their barren lot if they don't even have a quarter for the road toll?

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | title directed by female | directorial debut | independent film | title spoken by character | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Directorial debut of Kelly Reichardt.

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Connections

References Malcolm X (1992)

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Soundtracks

Settled Down Like Rain
Written by Gary Louris and Mark Olson
Published by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
O/B/O itself and Pedal Blue Music (BMI)
Performed by The Jayhawks
Courtesy of American Recordings
By arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Cracking thriller from the Indi market.

You get nice little movies such as this surfacing from the U.S independent film industry, sandwiched between two (or three) horrid ones. The 'River of Grass', sort of ambles and drifts along in an endearing 'Badlands' fashion and almost at times without much purpose at all. Perfect though for telling the tale of two misfits thrown together after a single moment of madness. Fessenden is back the frame.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

River of Grass

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,942, 13 March 2016

Gross USA:

$11,553

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,553

Company Credits

Production Co:

Good Machine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1