Safe Passage (1994)

A mother with seven sons feels like she's losing control of her life and her family. But personal pain and a troubled marriage fade into the background as news comes that one of her sons ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Allan Ackerman

Writers:

Ellyn Bache (novel), Deena Goldstone (screenplay)

Stars:

Susan Sarandon, Sam Shepard, Nick Stahl

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Susan Sarandon	...	Mag
Nick Stahl	...	Simon
Sam Shepard	...	Patrick
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Cynthia
Robert Sean Leonard	...	Alfred
Sean Astin	...	Izzy
Patricia Reeves	...	Mrs. Silverman
Joe Lisi	...	Dog Owner
Matt Keeslar	...	Percival
Marvin Scott	...	Newsperson #1
Bill Boggs	...	Newsperson #2
Christopher Wynkoop	...	Evangelist
Kathryn Kinley	...	Newsperson #3
Philip Arthur Ross	...	Merle Singer
Steven Robert Ross	...	Darren Singer

Storyline

A mother with seven sons feels like she's losing control of her life and her family. But personal pain and a troubled marriage fade into the background as news comes that one of her sons might have died in an accident.

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Plot Keywords:

dysfunctional family | pain | marriage | worrying | watching video | 

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Taglines:

Life's best journeys take you home

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a scene of marijuana use and limited vulgar language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Held up from release by a court injunction brought by Dan Lupovitz, who was seeking an executive producer credit for the film, having brought director Robert Allan Ackerman and Susan Sarandon to the project.

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Goofs

Neatness of the face paints on Percival.

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Quotes

Izzy Singer: I think the blindness is an allergic reaction to the cat and all the tea you've been drinking... Dad, go with me on this, okay? The first day I got here you were blind. Did you drink any tea that morning?
Patrick Singer: No.
[Izzy takes his tea]
Patrick Singer: What is this? Gimme my tea!... Jesus!
Izzy Singer: I saw Mom throw Lucy out and then minutes later, after you talked to Gideon, you're sight started coming back, remember? And yesterday, the cat was around and at first you were all right but then you drank tea and you looked at the ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Miami Rhapsody/Federal Hill/Before Sunrise/A Man of No Importance/Safe Passage (1995)

User Reviews

A Dysfunctional Family You Can Care About

The trials of dysfunctional families have become something of a Hollywood staple over the years. The problem with most of the movies built around this theme, however, is that in the midst of all their troubles, the families and the dysfunctional people they're composed of tend to become wholly unlikeable and you end up not really caring about any of them - and sometimes not even wanting to watch them live through their dysfunctions. That's what I found so refreshing about "Safe Passage." The Singers are, indeed, a dysfunctional family, but in the midst of watching them carry out the requisite sniping at one another there's also a real sense that they care deeply about each other, and the end result is that the viewer also cares about them.

The family comes together from assorted places (both geographically and emotionally) because of a possible tragedy. Son Percival (the misfit of the family) joined the U.S. Marines to "find himself" and was stationed in the Sinai Peninsula, where a terrorist attack has reduced the base to rubble and killed scores of Marines. Is Percival alive or dead? The family gathers to await the news. Mom and Dad (Susan Sarandon and Sam Shepherd) are already estranged and living apart; the kids all have their own unique (and sometimes quirky) niches within the family (the perfectionist, the intellectual, the twins, the athlete, the youngest) and try to contribute what they can to this temporary living arrangement forced upon them by events far away and beyond their ability to control.

This is a very watchable movie, filled with characters that you will both care about and remember. Well done! 7/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 January 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tensa espera

Filming Locations:

Glen Ridge, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,618,282

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,618,282

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1