The Pallbearer (1996)

A young man's life is thrown into a loop when he is asked to be a pallbearer for the funeral of a classmate he doesn't remember, and his old high school crush temporarily returns to town.

Director:

Matt Reeves

Writers:

Jason Katims, Matt Reeves

Stars:

David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Rapaport

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Schwimmer	...	Tom Thompson
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Julie DeMarco
Michael Rapaport	...	Brad Schorr
Toni Collette	...	Cynthia
Carol Kane	...	Tom's Mother
Michael Vartan	...	Scott
Bitty Schram	...	Lauren
Jean De Baer	...	Suzanne DeMarco
Elizabeth Franz	...	Aunt Lucille
Mark Margolis	...	Philip DeMarco
Barbara Hershey	...	Ruth Abernathy
Edoardo Ballerini	...	The Job Interviewer
Matthew Faber	...	Jared
Robin Morse	...	Sylvie
Tony Machine	...	The Undertaker

Storyline

Chaos unfolds as Tom is roped into being a pallbearer (and delivering the eulogy!) by the mother of a recently deceased "friend" from high school that he just can't remember. In the meantime, an unrequited love from high school (NOT the dead guy's girlfriend) reappears in his life.

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Plot Keywords:

dark humor | pallbearer | funeral | directorial debut | bachelor party | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about life-long crushes, mistaken identity and one really bad eulogy.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the music tracks that composer Stewart Copeland wrote for the film, "Bill is Dead", was later remixed for the 1998 video game "Spyro the Dragon", which Stewart also composed. It was used as the music for the Lofty Castle level, where it played at a faster pace and with a few minor differences in instrumentation.

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Goofs

When the mother is making instant coffee, the jar label is turned between shots.

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Quotes

Julie: I love this song.
Tom: Is that a signal?

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Worst Movies by TV Stars (2016)

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Soundtracks

Listen Here
Written by Eddie Harris
Performed by Eddie Harris
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Very good film that has been incorrectly advertised as a light-hearted comedy

The DVD cover to this film describes it as "wildly entertaining." I find this characterization "wildly" inappropriate. Although it does have its comedic moments at the beginning (the funeral scenes are reminiscent of "The Big Chill" and the "Chuckles the Clown" episode of "Mary Tyler Moore, the film smoothly evolves into a poignant story of Tom Thompson's(Schwimmer)search for the meaning of his life. He is hindered in part by his inability to get past an unrequited love in high school (played by Paltrow). Schwimmers's body language is so in tune to the emptiness of his character. His journey reminds me, once again of another film - Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate. Tom has three friends who give the appearance of having figured things out, but demonstrate their own frailties before the film is done. Barbara Hershey, in the role of the mother of the deceased, initially earns no sympathy, but by end of the film, there is more understanding, of if not empathy her character. (By the way, I mean no criticism in comparing this film or its characters to other film.)

Don't see this film if you're looking for a light-hearted comedy. It's not "Friends" or "Shallow Hall." It's a thoughtful film with an especially sweet performance by David Schwimmer.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Pallbearer

Filming Locations:

Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,319,236, 5 May 1996

Gross USA:

$5,656,388

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,656,388

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, The Chess Club

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1