To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (1996)

David Lewis is affected by the death of his wife Gillian, who fell from the mast pole of their boat on a sailing trip two years ago. David deals with his grief by continuing his romance ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Pressman

Writers:

Michael Brady (play), David E. Kelley (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Gallagher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Peter Gallagher	...	David Lewis
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Gillian Lewis
Claire Danes	...	Rachel Lewis
Laurie Fortier	...	Cindy Bayles
Wendy Crewson	...	Kevin Dollof
Bruce Altman	...	Paul Wheeler
Kathy Baker	...	Esther Wheeler
Freddie Prinze Jr.	...	Joey Bost
Rachel Seidman-Lockamy	...	Megan Weeks
Lorielle New	...	Blonde on the Beach (as Lori New)
Danny Crook	...	Lifeguard
Seth Green	...	Danny
Todd Haven	...	Paramedic

Storyline

David Lewis is affected by the death of his wife Gillian, who fell from the mast pole of their boat on a sailing trip two years ago. David deals with his grief by continuing his romance with Gillian during walks with her ghost on the beach at night. While David lives in the past, other family problems crop up in the present in the real world. He neglects his teenage daughter Rachel and his in-laws come for a weekend visit to help her. Rachel has lost her mother and needs her father to snap back into the real world and help her.

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Plot Keywords:

grief | widower | obsessive love | based on play | teenage girl in thong | 

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Taglines:

Some love lasts a lifetime. Real love lasts forever.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a scene involving strong language, and for some sensuality and teen drinking

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Par amour pour Gillian

Filming Locations:

Brant Point Lighthouse, Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$77,725, 20 October 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,137,645, 15 December 1996

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rastar Pictures,Triumph Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Freddie Prinze Jr. 's feature film debut.

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Quotes

David: [To Rachel] You're drunk!
[To Joey]
David: She's drunk.
Joey: They were big cups.

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Alternate Versions

A beach scene was re-shot with Clare Danes in a much less revealing thong bikini. The safer version can still be found on some prints.

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Connections

Referenced in Frasier: Sharing Kirby (2001)

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Soundtracks

Heartbeat Crazy
Written by Lori Carson, Camus Celli and Andres Levin
Performed by Reneé Cologne

User Reviews

Not Kelley's best writing

David E. Kelley is a brilliant writer. The early episodes of Picket Fences & Chicago Hope, the later episodes of L.A. Law and just about every Practice & Ally McBeal ever made are examples of his great talent. The only problem he has is trying to convert that TV magic to the big screen. His movie scripts are enjoyable, but lack the energy and excitement of his great TV writing.

To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday deals with a man (Peter Gallagher) who loved his wife so much, he just can't let her go. The wife's ghost seems to appear to him on the beach and he spends hours talking to her while neglecting their teenaged daughter (Claire Danes). The dead wife is Michelle Pfieffer, the best-looking ghost I've ever seen in a movie! The tension between father and daughter grows and the arrival of Gillian's sister (Kathy Baker from Picket Fences) and her husband makes things even more tense.

This movie has a good cast who all give strong performances and there is a memorable scene with Claire Danes and Laurie Fortier in thong bikinis, but the movie is hurt by Kelley's weak script, which is not up to the level of quality we've come to expect from him.