If Lucy Fell (1996)

Joe and Lucy are roommates and best friends. Lucy, whose love life is embarrassingly dull, convinces Joe, who is infatuated with a neighbor he's never met, that if they don't have stable ... See full summary »

Director:

Eric Schaeffer

Writers:

Eric Schaeffer (story), Tony Spiridakis (story)

Stars:

Sarah Jessica Parker, Eric Schaeffer, Ben Stiller

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	Lucy Ackerman
Eric Schaeffer	...	Joe MacGonaughgill
Ben Stiller	...	Bwick Elias
Elle Macpherson	...	Jane Lindquist
James Rebhorn	...	Simon Ackerman
Robert John Burke	...	Handsome Man
David Thornton	...	Ted
Bill Sage	...	Dick
Dominic Chianese	...	Al
Scarlett Johansson	...	Emily
Michael Storms	...	Sam
Jason Myers	...	Billy
Emily Hart	...	Eddy
Paul Greco	...	Rene
Mujibur Rahman	...	Counterman

Storyline

Joe and Lucy are roommates and best friends. Lucy, whose love life is embarrassingly dull, convinces Joe, who is infatuated with a neighbor he's never met, that if they don't have stable romances within a month, they must jump off the Brooklyn Bridge.

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Plot Keywords:

love | brooklyn bridge | roommate | best friend | new york city | 

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Taglines:

A comedy for the romantically challenged.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

La fille d'en face

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$4,635,344

Company Credits

Production Co:

Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA),TriStar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emily Hart's film debut.

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Goofs

When Lucy looks at the calendar at the end of the movie she sees the final day and the painting is to the side. She doesn't move it before she leaves, but when the return shot shows the painting it is moved to block the final day.

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Quotes

Lucy Ackerman: I'd like to get her in therapy, fuck her up real good.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Birdcage/Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco/Down Periscope/If Lucy Fell/Anne Frank Remembered (1996)

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Soundtracks

21
Written by Amanda Kravat and Joey Balin
Performed by Marry Me Jane

User Reviews

Satire and psychobabble...

Platonic best friends and roommates Sarah Jessica Parker (a therapist who's bored with her clients) and Eric Schaeffer (a struggling artist who also teaches art to kids) are frustrated over their lackluster love lives and recall a pact they made years before: if they're both without partners at the age of 30, they will jump off the Brooklyn Bridge together. Romantic comedy alternates between being jaded and sentimental; it has flashes of satirical wit--but only flashes. Sarah Jessica Parker doesn't have much of a character here, and she compensates for this by doing silly bits of business (stretching, giggling, making faces). The most natural performance in the film is turned in by Elle Macpherson as Schaeffer's dream girl; the role is an enigma, but Macpherson's offhand appeal and easy manner gives this fantasy figure some personality, whereas Parker is stuck in a vacuum. Ben Stiller overdoes his small part as a celebrity artist and a young Scarlett Johansson turns up as one of Schaeffer's students (looking like a pint-sized Lolita), but Schaeffer himself runs hot and cold. Wearing funny hats and talking in different rhythms, Schaeffer doesn't really overplay or underplay--he's a goofy mensch, but not a dynamic one like Albert Brooks or Woody Allen. He's careful to give his character some shading, yet the quirks--like much of the serious dialogue--are superficial. *1/2 from ****