Head Above Water (1996)

A prominent judge, his wife, her ex-lover, and their neighbor encounter a dead body that complicates their lives.

Director:

Jim Wilson

Writers:

Eirik Ildahl (screenplay "Hodet over vannet"), Geir Eriksen (screenplay "Hodet over vannet")

Stars:

Harvey Keitel, Cameron Diaz, Craig Sheffer

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Harvey Keitel	...	George
Cameron Diaz	...	Nathalie
Craig Sheffer	...	Lance
Billy Zane	...	Kent
Shay Duffin	...	Policeman

Storyline

In this dark comedy, a supreme court judge (George) and his very young wife (Nathalie) are on vacation at her family's summer home on an island. When the caretaker, her childhood pal, Lance, takes George on a fishing trip an old flame (Kent) shows up to surprise Nathalie while she's alone. After a night of drinking Nathalie awakes to find Kent, naked and dead in her bed, just as her husband and Lance are arriving. Panicked, Nathalie hides the body but as everyone finds out it just leads to more trouble as they try to dispose of the body and eventually discover what really happened to her ex.

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Plot Keywords:

beach house | tied to a chair | gagged with a lime | bound and gagged | cement shoes | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about keeping your ex-lover a secret, your husband in the dark and your head above water.

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Genres:

Comedy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and some moments of strong violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the original Norwegian version, Head Above Water (1993), the female main character (Lene Elise Bergum) was topless for at least half of the movie. This was not the case in the Hollywood version.

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Goofs

It takes two people to carry the corpse from the house to the motor boat but later the judge is able to carry it on his own from the boat up a hill where he mixes cement, which sets very quickly, to cover it.

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Crazy Credits

At the very end of the credits, after the copyright notice, there's an additional scene showing Lance's bird, Mo, on a cliff near the shore, chewing on the remains of Kent's postcard.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Face/Off/Dream with the Fishes/Head Above Water/The Last Time I Committed Suicide/When the Cat's Away (1997)

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Soundtracks

Sail On Sailor
Written by Brian Wilson (uncredited), Tandyn Almer (uncredited), Van Dyke Parks (uncredited), Ray Kennedy (uncredited) and Jack Rieley (uncredited)
Performed by Golden Earring

User Reviews

Great surprise

If you looking a dark comedy - stop your research you found it. Head Above Water is an awesome surprise and very funny movie. One of most strange couples on the screen that I saw(Cameron Diaz and Harvey Keitel) give a special touch to the Wilson's movie. Reccomended to all

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 June 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Head Above Water

Filming Locations:

Phippsburg, Maine, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,589, 29 June 1997

Gross USA:

$32,212

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$32,212

Company Credits

Production Co:

Majestic Films International, Tig Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1